Growth of AlGaN epitaxial layers and AlGaN/GaN superlattices by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

Special features of metal-organic chemical vapor deposition of AlGaN epitaxial layers and AlGaN/GaN superlattices either in an Epiquip VP-50 RP research and development reactor (for a single wafer 2 in. in diameter) or in an AIX2000HT production-scale reactor (for up to six wafers 2 in. in diameter) are stud-ied. It is found that the dependence of the aluminum content in the solid phase on the trimethylaluminum (TMA) flux in a reactor levels off; this effect hinders the growth of the layers with a high aluminum content in both types of reactors and is more pronounced in the larger reactor (AIX2000HT). Presumably, this effect is a consequence of spurious reactions in the vapor phase and depends on the partial pressure of TMA in the reactor. The aluminum content in the layers can be increased not only by reducing the total pressure in the reactor but also by increasing the total gas flow through the reactor and reducing the trimethylgallium flux. The approaches described above were used to grow layers with a mole fraction of AlN as large as 20% in the AIX2000HT production-scale reactor at a pressure of 400 mbar (this fraction was as large as 40% at 200 mbar). AlGaN layers with the entire range of composition were grown in the Epiquip VP-50 RP reactor.     

Interface structural defects and photoluminescence properties of epitaxial GaN and AlGaN/GaN layers grown on sapphire

Overall characterization of the GaN and AlGaN/GaN epitaxial layers by X-ray diffractometry and optical spectral analysis is carried out. The layers are grown by metalloorganic gas-phase epitaxy on (0001)-oriented single crystal sapphire wafers. The components of strains and the density of dislocations are determined. The effects of strains and dislocations on the photoluminescence intensity and spectra are studied. The results allow better understanding of the nature and mechanisms of the formation of defects in the epitaxial AlGaN/GaN heterostructures.     

The effect of AlN/AlGaN superlattices on crystal and optical properties of AlGaN epitaxial layers

We investigate the effect of AlN/AlGaN superlattices (SLs) on crystal and optical properties of AlGaN epitaxial layers. The result indicates that the crystal quality of AlGaN layers is consistent within a wide range of SLs thicknesses, while the optical properties are opposite. With SLs thickness decreasing from 20/44 to 17/36 and 15/29 nm, the full-width at half maximum of X-ray rocking curves for (0002)-and (1012)-plane of n-AlGaN layers grown on SLs are consistent of around 250 arcsec and 700 arcsec, respectively. Meanwhile, the center of the low optical transmittance band decreases from 326 to 279 nm and less than 266 nm as the SLs thickness decreases. 280 nm deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (DUV-LEDs) structures are further regrown on the n-AlGaN layers. The electroluminescent intensities of samples are 30% higher than that of the sample whose low optical transmittance band appears around 279 nm. Optical simulations reveal that the SLs acts as distributed Bragg reflectors, thus less photons of the corresponding wavelength escape from the sapphire backside.     

Study of the polarization photoluminescence of thick epitaxial GaN layers

Polarization photoluminescence spectra of gallium nitride were obtained. It follows from an analysis of the spectra that inhomogeneous broadening of the emission line having a half-width greater than 20 meV can be determined from the dispersion of the angles θ _c of the symmetry axes of the crystallites forming the epitaxial GaN layer, relative to the surface of the layer. Varying the angle of incidence, the focusing of the exciting laser beam, and the photoluminescence recording angle makes it possible to use polarization photoluminescence measurements for precision diagnostics of the quality of GaN layers. Fiz. Tekh. Poluprovodn. 33, 778–780 (July 1999)     

Nonalloyed ohmic contacts in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs by ion implantation with reduced activation annealing temperature

This letter reports AlGaN/GaN high-electron mobility transistors with capless activation annealing of implanted Si for nonalloyed ohmic contacts. Source and drain areas were implanted with an Si dose of 1/spl times/10/sup 16/ cm/sup -2/ and were activated at /spl sim/1260/spl deg/C in a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition system in ammonia and nitrogen at atmospheric pressure. Nonalloyed ohmic contacts to ion-implanted devices showed a contact resistance of 0.96 /spl Omega//spl middot/mm to the channel. An output power density of 5 W/mm was measured at 4 GHz, with 58% power-added efficiency and a gain of 11.7 dB at a drain bias of 30 V.     

Electrical domains and submillimeter signal generation in AlGaN/GaN superlattices

This paper discusses the feasibility of a terahertz-signal source made of an AlGaN/GaN superlattice. The negative differential conductivity, electrical domain formation, current oscillations, and power efficiency of a perspective source are described. The superlattice geometry and conduction band profile, which are distorted by polarization fields, are related to the oscillation frequency and power efficiency of the device. The optimal Al content, superlattice period, and the parameters of the external circuit that favor submillimeter wave generation are determined.     

P- and N-type doping of GaN and AlGaN epitaxial layers grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

Mg- and Si-doped GaN and AlGaN films were grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition and characterized by room-temperature photoluminescence and Hall-effect measurements. We show that the p-type carrier concentration resulting from Mg incorporation in GaN:Mg films exhibits a nonlinear dependence both on growth temperature and growth pressure. For GaN and AlGaN, n-type doping due to Si incorporation was found to be a linear function of the silane molar flow. Mg-doped GaN layers with 300K hole concentrations p ∼2×10¹⁸ cm⁻³ and Si-doped GaN films with electron concentrations n∼1×10¹⁹ cm⁻³ have been grown. N-type Al_0.10Ga_0.90N:Si films with resistivities as low as p ∼6.6×10⁻³ Ω-cm have been measured.     

Influence of temperature and drain current on source and drain resistances in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

The behavior of source and drain resistances (R_S and R_D) has been studied for a wide range of drain currents at ambient temperatures from 150 to 500 K. Both parasitic resistances show an important increase as temperature rises, directly related to the reduction in the electron mobility. High drain currents also produce a non-linear increment of R_S and R_D, once the space-charge limited current is exceeded. Both temperature and drain current mechanisms have been modeled together by means of a simple equation, and a good agreement between simulations and measurements is found. Non-linear R_S and R_D allow a more accurate extraction of the intrinsic parameters, especially in the high drain current range. The use of variable parasitic resistances instead of their usually assumed constant values reveals higher intrinsic transconductance (g_m,int) and C_gs.     

Effect of the post-gate annealing on the gate reliability of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

In this paper,we investigated the effect of post-gate annealing (PGA) on reverse gate leakage and the reverse bias reli-ability of Al0.23Ga0.77N/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs).We found that the Poole-Frenkel (PF) emission is domin-ant in the reverse gate leakage current at the low reverse bias region (Vth ＜ VG ＜ 0 V) for the unannealed and annealed HEMTs.The emission barrier height of HEMT is increased from 0.139 to 0.256 eV after the PGA process,which results in a reduction of the reverse leakage current by more than one order.Besides,the reverse step stress was conducted to study the gate reliabil-ity of both HEMTs.After the stress,the unannealed HEMT shows a higher reverse leakage current due to the permanent dam-age of the Schottky gate.In contrast,the annealed HEMT shows a little change in reverse leakage current.This indicates that the PGA can reduce the reverse gate leakage and improve the gate reliability.     

Influence of AlGaN deep level defects on AlGaN/GaN 2-DEG carrierconfinement

We have used low energy electron-excited nanoscale luminescence spectroscopy (LEEN) to detect the defects in each layer of AlGaN/GaN HEMT device structures and to correlate their effect on two-dimensional electron gas (2-DEG) confinement. We investigated AlGaN/GaN heterostructures with different electrical properties using incident electron beam energies of 0.5 to 15 keV to probe electronic state transitions within each of the heterostructure layers. AlGaN heterostructures of 25 nm thickness and nominal 30% Al concentration grown on GaN buffer layers on sapphire substrates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy exhibited a range of polarization-induced electron densities and room temperature mobilities. In general, the spectra exhibit AlGaN band edge emission at ~3.8 eV or ~4.0 eV, GaN band edge emission at ~3.4 eV, yellow luminescence (YL) features at 2.18 eV and 2.34 eV, and a large emission in the infrared (<1.6 eV) from the GaN cap layer used to passivate the AlGaN outer surface. These heterostructures also show high strain in the 2 nm-thick GaN layer with evidence for a Franz-Keldysh red shift due to piezoelectric charging. The LEEN depth profiles reveal differences between the structures with and without 2-DEG confinement and highlight the importance of AlGaN defects in the near 2-DEG region     

引入GaN过渡层对Si（111）衬底上生长GaN外延的影响

本文研究了在Si(111)衬底上生长GaN外延层的方法。相比于直接在AlN缓冲层上生长GaN外延层,引入GaN过渡层显著地提高了外延层的晶体质量并降低了外延层的裂纹密度。使用X射线双晶衍射仪、光学显微镜以及在位监测曲线分析了GaN过渡层对外延层的晶体质量以及裂纹密度的影响。实验发现,直接在AlN缓冲层上生长外延层,晶体质量较差, X射线(0002)面半高宽最优值为0.686°,引入GaN过渡层后,通过调整生长条件,控制岛的长大与合并的过程,从而控制三维生长到二维生长过渡的过程,外延层的晶体质量明显提高, (0002)面半高宽降低为0.206°,并且裂纹明显减少。研究结果证明,通过生长合适厚度的GaN过渡层,可以得到高质量、无裂纹的GaN外延层。     

Effects of rapid thermal annealing on ohmic contact of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

工艺制作源漏电极为Ti/Al/Ti/Au,并在氮气气氛中对其进行快速退火,研究不同退火条件对欧姆接触的影响。具体实验过程如下：将溅射好源漏电极的外延片分为5部分,其中3片分别在700℃,750℃和800℃下快速退火30s,并相互对比得出最佳退火温度,实验结果发现750℃条件下欧姆接触最好;其余2片在750℃下分别退火25s和40s,并与前边实验750℃ 30s情况下欧姆接触比较,得出最佳退火时间为30s。我们使用传输线模式计算出电极与外延片的欧姆接触电阻率,在750℃ 30s的快速退火条件下得到最低欧姆接触电阻率为0.54 Ω mm,与其余条件下结果比较具有较好的表面形貌和边缘。从实验中我们也得到随着退火温度和退火时间的提高,欧姆接触电阻率先降低到达最低点然后开始升高的现象,为寻找GaN HEMT欧姆接触最佳条件提供了一定依据。     

Influence of the substrate temperature and annealing on the 1.54-µm erbium photoluminescence of a-Si:H films obtained using a glow discharge

Effective Er photoluminescence is observed at room temperature in a-Si:H films doped with Er atoms through a gas phase using powdered Er(TMND)₃ as a source of Er ions. It is shown that the conditions for deposition of the films and their subsequent annealing influence the photoluminescence intensity and its temperature dependence. The observed behavior is attributed to restructuring of the amorphous silicon matrix within an Auger excitation mechanism involving defects. Fiz. Tekh. Poluprovodn. 33, 208–210 (February 1999)     

Effect of ion dose and annealing mode on photoluminescence from SiO2 implanted with Si ions

This paper discusses the photoluminescence spectra of 500-nm-thick layers of SiO₂ implanted with Si ions at doses of 1.6×10¹⁶, 4×10¹⁶, and 1.6×10¹⁷ cm⁻² and then annealed in the steady-state region (30 min) and pulsed regime (1 s and 20 ms). Structural changes were monitored by high-resolution electron microscopy and Raman scattering. It was found that when the ion dose was decreased from 4×10¹⁶ cm⁻² to 1.6×10¹⁶ cm⁻², generation of centers that luminesce weakly in the visible ceased. Moreover, subsequent anneals no longer led to the formation of silicon nanocrystallites or centers that luminesce strongly in the infrared. Annealing after heavy ion doses affected the photoluminescence spectrum in the following ways, depending on the anneal temperature: growth (up to ∼700 °C), quenching (at 800–900 °C), and the appearance of a very intense photoluminescence band near 820 nm (at >900 °C). The last stage corresponds to the appearance of Si nanocrystallites. The dose dependence is explained by a loss of stability brought on by segregation of Si from SiO₂ and interactions between the excess Si atoms, which form percolation clusters. At low heating levels, the distinctive features of the anneals originate predominantly with the percolation Si clusters; above ∼700 °C these clusters are converted into amorphous Si-phase nanoprecipitates, which emit no photoluminescence. At temperatures above 900 °C the Si nanocrystallites that form emit in a strong luminescence band because of the quantum-well effect. The difference between the rates of percolation and conversion of the clusters into nanoprecipitates allows the precipitation of Si to be controlled by combinations of these annealings. Fiz. Tekh. Poluprovodn. 32, 1371–1377 (November 1998)     

Electrical properties of silicon layers implanted with erbium and oxygen ions in a wide dose range and thermally treated in different temperature conditions

The electrical properties of silicon implanted with Er and O ions in a wide dose range have been studied. The dependence of electron mobility on the concentration of electrically active centers is determined for Si:Er layers with Er concentrations in the range of 9×10¹⁵–8×10¹⁶ cm^?3. Sharp bends related to specific features of Er segregation in solid-phase epitaxial recrystallization are observed in the concentration profiles of electrically active centers, n(x), and Er atoms, C(x), at Er ion implantation doses exceeding the amorphization threshold. The n(x) and C(x) profiles virtually coincide near the surface. A linear rise in the maximum concentration of electrically active centers at approximately constant effective coefficient of their activation, k, is observed at Er implantation doses exceeding the amorphization threshold. At an Er concentration higher than 7×10¹⁹ cm^?3, the concentration of electrically active centers levels off and k decreases.     

On the temperature and carrier density dependence of electron saturation velocity in an AlGaN/GaN HEMT

The temperature and carrier density dependence of electron intrinsic saturation velocity (v/sub si/) in a 0.3-/spl mu/m gate length AlGaN/GaN HEMT was extracted from multibias S-parameter measurements. It was found that v/sub si/ fell rapidly with increasing sheet carrier concentration (n/sub s/), but was only a very weak function of ambient temperature (T/sub amb/). This behavior is consistent with the hot-phonon model of carrier transport.     

AlGaN/GaN和AlGaN SBD的温度特性研究

研究了AlGaN/GaN异质结构上的肖特基接触的基本原理及载流子的高温输运特性.将AlGaN/GaN异质结SBD和AlGaN SBD,在27～250℃进行实验比较.发现随着温度上升,AlGaN SBD的势垒高度下降,理想因子增加,其影响因素包括热电子发射、场发射、隧穿效应及复合电流效应等机制.而AlGaN/GaN异质结SBD由于受到压电极化场和2DEG和的影响,其势垒高度和理想因子随温度的变化趋势与AlGaNSBD相反.实验结果还显示,AlGaN/GaN异质结SBD的反向电流随着温度的上升,呈现先增大后减小的趋势.     

Effect of charged dislocation walls on mobility in GaN epitaxial layers

A theoretical model in the context of a conventional representation on traditional notion concerning Read cylinders for interpretation of mobility collapse as a function of the concentration of free carriers in GaN-based films is suggested. Along with phonon and impurity scattering mechanisms, electron scattering due to charged dislocations embedded into the walls is taken into account in the model. An expression is obtained for the height of the drift barrier depending on the concentration of free carriers. Based on the derived equations, the dependence of the location of the mobility minimum on the dislocation structure is interpreted.     

Specific features of the mechanisms of excitation of erbium photoluminescence in epitaxial Si:Er/Si structures

The excitation spectra and kinetics of erbium photoluminescence and silicon interband photoluminescence in Si:Er/Si structures under conditions of high-intensity pulse optical excitation are studied. It is shown that, in the interband photoluminescence spectra of the Si:Er/Si structures, both the luminescence of free excitons and the emission associated with the electron-hole plasma can be observed, depending on the excitation power and wavelength. It is found that the formation of a peak in the erbium photoluminescence excitation spectra at high pumping powers correlates with the Mott transition from the exciton gas to the electron-hole plasma. It is demonstrated that, in the Si:Er/Si structures, the characteristic rise times of erbium photoluminescence substantially depend on the concentration of charge carriers.