Luminescent properties of GaN films grown on porous silicon substrate

GaN films have been grown on porous silicon at high temperatures (800-1050 °C) by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy. The optical properties of GaN layers were investigated by photoluminescence (PL) and cathodoluminescence (CL) spectroscopy. PL spectra recorded at 5 K exhibit excitonic emissions around 3.36-3.501 eV and a broad yellow luminescence at 2.2 eV. CL analysis at different electron excitation conditions shows spatial non-uniformity in-depth of the yellow and the band-edge emissions. These bands of luminescence are broadened and red- or blue-shifted as the electron beam penetrates in the sample. These behaviors are explained by a change of the fundamental band gap due to residual strain and the local thermal effect. It was found that the use of AlN buffer layer improves the crystalline quality and the luminescence property of GaN.     

Theoretical investigation of Cu-containing materials with different valence structure types: BaCu2S2, Li2CuSb,and LiCuS

Optoelectronics research requires cheap materials with a broad spectrum of optical, electronic, and structural properties. The class of Heusler compounds and ternary structures provide many possibilities for finding alternative group IV and III–V semiconductor compounds. This study introduces wider band gap materials for use in solar cells as an alternative to cadmium sulfide buffer layers. The buffer layer is inserted between the absorber layer (p-type) and the transparent window layer (n-type) to enhance the maximum amount of light transmission. Reasonable calculations are reported for the band gaps of copper-containing materials: LiCuS, BaCu₂S₂, and Li₂CuSb. Previous optical analysis measurements of these films determined that the band gaps were 1.8 and 1.9 eV for BaCu₂S₂ and LiCuS, respectively. In general, semiconductor compounds have been studied theoretically, but there are major differences between the experimental and theoretically calculated band gaps. A suitable calculation method for semiconductor compounds is described in this study. For the first time, calculations based on the Engel and Vosko method are introduced for these semiconductor compounds. This method yields band gaps that are comparable to the experimental values, which facilitate the development of microscopic analyses of these compounds. Direct band gaps of 1.15 and 1.7 eV were obtained for BaCu₂S₂ and LiCuS, respectively, whereas the indirect band gap was 0.7 eV for Li₂CuSb.     

Ellipsometric characterization of PbI2 thin film on glass

The optical properties of polycrystalline lead iodide thin film grown on Corning glass substrate have been investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry. A structural model is proposed to account for the optical constants of the film and its thickness. The optical properties of the PbI₂ layer were modeled using a modified Cauchy dispersion formula. The optical band gap E_g has been calculated based on the absorption coefficient (α) data above the band edge and from the incident photon energy at the maximum index of refraction. The band gap was also measured directly from the plot of the first derivative of the experimental transmission data with respect to the light wavelength around the transition band edge. The band gap was found to be in the range of 2.385±0.010 eV which agrees with the reported experimental values. Urbach's energy tail was observed in the absorption trend below the band edge and was found to be related to Urbach's energy of 0.08 eV.     

Scanning tunneling microscopy luminescence from nanoscale surface of GaAs(1 1 0)

Scanning tunneling microscopy luminescence (STML) was induced from the nanometer scale surfaces of cleaved n-type and p-type GaAs(1 1 0) wafers by using of an ITO-coated optical fiber probe in an ultrahigh-vacuum chamber. The STML from n-type GaAs(1 1 0) surface was induced under negative sample bias when the applied bias exceeds a threshold voltage around −1.5 V. Whereas the STML from p-type GaAs(1 1 0) surface was induced under positive sample bias when the applied bias exceeds a threshold voltage around +1.5 V. The excitation energies at the threshold voltages are consistent with the band gap of GaAs (1.42 eV) at 295 K. The typical quantum efficiencies for n-type and p-type GaAs are about 3 × 10⁻⁵ and 2 × 10⁻⁴ photons/electron, respectively. The observed STML from are attributed to a radiative recombination of electron-hole pairs generated by a hole injection for n-type GaAs under negative sample bias and an electron injection for p-type GaAs under positive sample bias, respectively.     

Transport and optical properties of amorphous carbon and hydrogenated amorphous carbon films

In this paper we report on the electrical and optical properties of amorphous carbon (a-C) and hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films. Resistivity of both types of films decreases with increase in temperature. At lower temperatures (60-250 K) the electron transport is due to variable range hopping for the a-C films. At higher temperatures (300-430 K) it is thermally activated for both types of films. Analysis of the heterojunction between diamond-like carbon (DLC) and bulk silicon (Si) leads to the conclusion that our a-C films are of n-type and our a-C:H films are of p-type. The optical measurements with DLC revealed a Tauc bandgap of 0.6 eV for the a-C films and 1-1.2 eV for the a-C:H films. An Urbach energy around 170 meV could be determined for the a-C:H films. Strain versus resistance plots were measured resulting in piezoresistive gauge factors around 50 for the a-C films and in between 100 and 1200 for the a-C:H films.     

Influence of experimental parameters on physical properties of porous silicon and oxidized porous silicon layers

This paper reports physical properties of porous silicon and oxidized porous silicon, manufactured by anodisation from heavily p-type doped silicon wafers as a function of experimental parameters. The growth rate and refractive index of the layers were studied at different applied current densities and glycerol concentrations in electrolyte. When the current density varied from 5 to 100 mA/cm², the refractive index was between 1.2 and 2.4 which corresponded to a porosity range from 42 to 85%. After oxidation, the porosity decreased and was between 2 and 45% for a refractive index range from 1.22 to 1.46. The thermal processing also induced an increase in thickness which was dependent on the initial porosity. This increase in thickness was more important for the lowest porosities. Lastly, the roughness of the porous layer/silicon substrate interface was studied at different applied current densities and glycerol concentrations in solution. Roughness decreased when the current density or glycerol concentration increased. Moreover, roughness was also reduced by thermal oxidation.     

Preparation and properties of SnS film grown by two-stage process

SnS films have been prepared by a novel two-stage process. It involved sputtering of Sn film on glass substrate and sulfurization of the thin metallic tin precursor layers in a vacuum furnace. The X-ray diffraction results showed that the SnS layers had orthorhombic structure and (0 4 0) preferential growth is more and more obvious with the increase of sulfurization time. The SnS film obtained by this work shows high optical absorption efficiency, and the film has a direct optical band gap of about 1.3 eV. The films show p-type conductivity and the resistivity of SnS film decreased obviously under illumination.     

Electrical conductivity and optical properties of ZnO nanostructured thin film

The electrical conductivity, structural and optical properties of ZnO nanostructured semiconductor thin film prepared by sol-gel spin coating method have been investigated. The X-ray diffraction result indicates that the ZnO film has the polycrystalline nature with average grain size of 28 nm. The optical transmittance spectrum indicates the average transmittance higher than 90% in visible region. The optical band gap, Urbach energy and optical constants (refractive index, extinction coefficient, real and imaginary parts of the dielectric constant) of the film were determined. The electrical conductivity of the film dependence of temperature was measured to identify the dominant conductivity mechanism. The conductivity mechanism of the film is the thermally activated band conduction. The electrical conductivity and optical results revealed that the ZnO film is an n-type nanostructured semiconductor with a direct band gap of about 3.30 eV at room temperature.     

Effect of thickness and porous structure of SiC layers on the spectral response of the Pd/SiC-pSi Schottky photodiodes

In this work, we study the effect of the thickness and porous structure of silicon carbide (PSC) layers on the electrical properties of Schottky photodiodes by using a palladium (Pd) layer deposited on non-porous silicon carbide (SiC) and porous-SiC (PSC) layers. The non-porous and porous-SiC layers were realized on a p-type silicon (Si(1 0 0)) substrate by pulsed laser deposition using a KrF laser (248 nm) and thermal deposition of a thin Pd layer. The porous structure of the SiC layer deposited was developed by an electrochemical (anodization) method. The electrical measurements were made at room temperature (295 K) in an air ambience. The effect of the porous surface structure and the thickness of the SiC layer were investigated by evaluating electrical parameters such as the ideality factor (n) and barrier height (?_Bp). The thickness of the porous layer significantly affects the electrical properties of the Schottky photodiodes. Analysis of current-voltage (I-V) characteristics showed that the forward current might be described by a classical thermal emission theory. The ideality factor determined by the I-V characteristics was found to be dependent on the SiC thickness a value For a thin SiC layer (0.16 μm) n was around 1.325 with a barrier height 0.798 eV, while for a thick layer (1.6 μm), n and ?_Bp were 1.026 and 0.890 eV, respectively for Pd/SiC-pSi. These results indicate Schottky photodiodes with high performance are obtained for thicker SiC layer and for thin layer of PSC. This effect showed the uniformity of the SiC layer. In the same case the ideality factor (n) decreases for Pd/PSC-pSi(1 0 0) for low SiC thickness by report of Pd/PSC-pSi(1 0 0) Schottky photodiodes, but for Pd/PSC-pSi(1 0 0) n increase for large SiC thickness layer. We notice that the barrier height (?_Bp) was reversely depend by report of ideality factor. A spectral response value of (SR) of 34 mA/W at λ = 400 nm was measured for Pd/0.16 μm SiC-pSi Schottky photodiode with low SiC thickness. On the other hand, a value of SR = 0.14 mA/W at λ = 900 nm was obtained when we used PSC layer (Pd/PSC-pSi(1 0 0)). A reverse behaviour occurs for thicker SiC layer. Finally, it was found that the thickness and surface porous structure have strong effect on sensitivity.     

Modeling the influence of the porosity of laser-ablated silicon films on their photoluminescence properties

Nanostructured porous Si-based films produced by pulsed laser ablation (PLA) from a silicon target in residual helium gas can exhibit both size-dependent (1.6-3.2 eV) and fixed photoluminescent (PL) bands (1.6 and 2.2 eV) with their relative contributions depending on the film porosity. We study the influence of prolonged oxidation in ambient air on properties of the fixed PL bands, associated with oxidation phenomena, and their correlation with structural properties of the films. In addition, we propose a model describing the appearance of surface radiation states for oxidized films of various porosities. Our experiments and numerical simulations led to a conclusion that the 1.6 eV PL is due to a mechanism involving a recombination through the interfacial layer between Si core and an upper oxide of nanocrystals. This mechanism gives the optimal porosity of 73% for the most efficient production of 1.6 eV PL centers that is in excellent agreement with our experimental results.     

Low temperature photoluminescence and photoacoustic characterization of Zn-doped InxGa1−xAsySb1−y epitaxial layers for photovoltaic applications

In this paper we present results on the characterization of Zn-doped InGaAsSb epitaxial layers to be used in the development of stacked solar cells. Using the liquid phase epitaxy technique we have grown p-type InGaAsSb layers, using Zn as the dopant, and n-type Te-doped GaSb wafers as substrates. A series of Zn-doped InGaAsSb samples were prepared by changing the amount of Zn in the melt in the range: 0.1-0.9 mg to obtain different p-type doping levels, and consequently, different p-n region characteristics. Low temperature photoluminescence spectra (PL) were measured at 15 K using at various excitation powers in the range 80-160 mW. PL spectra show the presence of an exciton-related band emission around 0.642 eV and a band at 0.633 eV which we have related to radiative emission involving Zn-acceptors. Using the photoacoustic technique we measured the interface recombination velocities related to the interface crystalline quality, showing that the layer-substrate interface quality degrades as the Zn concentration in the layers increases.     

SERS-active substrates based on n-type porous silicon

Porous silicon (PS) prepared from n-type Si crystal is proposed as a new material for the fabrication of sensitive substrates for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The formation procedure for nanostructured silver films on the surface of PS was optimized. Maximum of SERS enhancement for rhodamine 6G probing molecule is observed for samples obtained by the immersion plating from the water solution of AgNO₃ with the 10 mM concentration during 5 min. The dependence of morphological parameters of PS and corresponding silvered surfaces on the anodization current density has been studied. It is shown that the most SERS activities possess substrates produced from PS with lower porosity. The optimum of the PS layer thickness for high Raman signal is about 5 μm. The detection limit for rhodamine 6G adsorbed on Ag-coated PS from the 100 pM solution is established to be comparable with that for p-type PS-based substrates. Thus, the n-type porous silicon is suitable material for the preparation of sensitive SERS-active substrates.     

Improved optical response and photocatalysis for N-doped titanium oxide (TiO2) films prepared by oxidation of TiN

In order to improve the photocatalytic activity, N-doped titanium oxide (TiO₂) films were obtained by thermal oxidation of TiN films, which were prepared on Ti substrates by ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD). The dominating rutile TiO₂ phase was found in films after thermal oxidation. According to the results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the residual N atoms occupied O-atom sites in TiO₂ lattice to form TiON bonds. UV-vis spectra revealed the N-doped TiO₂ film had a red shift of absorption edge. The maximum red shift was assigned to the sample annealed at 750 °C, with an onset wavelength at 600 nm. The onset wavelength corresponded to the photon energy of 2.05 eV, which was nearly 1.0 eV below the band gap of pure rutile TiO₂. The effect of nitrogen was responsible for the enhancement of photoactivity of N-doped TiO₂ films in the range of visible light.     

Interaction of dopant atoms with stacking faults in silicon

The width of a stacking fault ribbon bound by a pair of partial dislocations in silicon crystals was unchanged when boron and gallium atoms of p-type dopant were agglomerated nearby the ribbon by annealing, even though the width increased when n-type dopant atoms were agglomerated as previously reported [Y. Ohno, Y. Tokumoto, I. Yonenaga, Thin Solid Films, accepted for publication]. The origin of the width-increase in n-type crystals was proposed as the reduction of the stacking fault energy, from 58±5 down to 46±5 mJ/m², due to an electronic interaction between the ribbon and the n-type dopant atoms, and the interaction energy was estimated to be 0.15±0.05 eV. On the other hand, the interaction of p-type dopant atoms with stacking faults was not detected.     

Optical and electrical properties of SnS semiconductor crystals grown by physical vapor deposition technique

Tin sulfide (SnS) is a material of interest for use as an absorber in low cost solar cells. Single crystals of SnS were grown by the physical vapor deposition technique. The grown crystals were characterized to evaluate the composition, structure, morphology, electrical and optical properties using appropriate techniques. The composition analysis indicated that the crystals were nearly stoichiometric with Sn-to-S atomic percent ratio of 1.02. Study of their morphology revealed the layered type growth mechanism with low surface roughness. The grown crystals had orthorhombic structure with (0 4 0) orientation. They exhibited an indirect optical band gap of 1.06 eV and direct band gap of 1.21 eV with high absorption coefficient (up to 10³ cm⁻¹) above the fundamental absorption edge. The grown crystals were of p-type with an electrical resistivity of 120 Ω cm and carrier concentration 1.52×10¹⁵ cm⁻³. Analysis of optical absorption and diffuse reflectance spectra showed the presence of a wide absorption band in the wavelength range 300-1200 nm, which closely matches with a significant part of solar radiation spectrum. The obtained results were discussed to assess the suitability of the SnS crystal for the fabrication of optoelectronic devices.     

Characterization of optical properties of Porous Silicon using Photoacoustic Technique

Photoacoustic absorption spectra of the porous silicon samples (P-Si) of different thickness and porosity percentage were measured at different modulation frequency. The absorption edge of the P-Si layer for all samples shows a blue shift from that of crystalline silicon (C-Si) at 1.1 eV. At low modulation frequency the estimated energy gap (1.88 eV) is almost the same for all samples and the PA signal increases as the porosity percentage increases. At the higher modulation frequency, the spectra show an increase in the energy gap indicating the effect of quantum confinement as the porosity increasing. The Raman shifts of the P-Si samples are correlated with the particle size leading to an estimated average particle size. The quantum confinement interpretation of the PA results is in agreement with the Raman measurements that indicate the presence of such nanostructure in the P-Si layer.     

The influence of using different substrates on the structural and optical characteristics of ZnO thin films

ZnO thin films with thikness d = 100 nm were deposited onto different substrates such as glass, kapton, and silicon by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The structural analyses of the films indicate they are polycrystalline and have a wurtzite (hexagonal) structure.The ZnO layer deposited on kapton substrate shows a stronger orientation of the crystallites with (0 0 2) plane parallel to the substrate surface, as compared with the other two samples of ZnO deposited on glass and silicon, respectively.All three layers have nanometer-scale values for roughness, namely 1.7 nm for ZnO/glass, 2.4 nm for ZnO/silicon, and 6.8 nm for ZnO/kapton. The higher value for the ZnO layer deposited on kapton substrate makes this sample suitable for solar cells applications. Transmission spectra of these thin films are strongly influenced by deposition conditions. With our deposition conditions the transparent conducting ZnO layer has a good transmission (78-88%) in VIS and NIR domains. The values of the energy gap calculated from the absorption spectra are 3.23 eV for ZnO sample deposited onto glass substrate and 3.30 eV for the ZnO sample deposited onto kapton polymer foil substrate. The influence of deposition arrangement and oxidation conditions on the structural, morphological, and optical properties of the ZnO films is discussed in the present paper.     

Fabrication of p-CuGaS2/n-ZnO:Al heterojunction light-emitting diode grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy and helicon-wave-excited-plasma sputtering methods

Greenish-white electroluminescence (EL) was observed from the heterojunction light-emitting diodes (LEDs) composed of p-type (001) CuGaS₂ chalcopyrite semiconductor epilayers and preferentially (0001)-oriented polycrystalline n-type ZnO thin films. The CuGaS₂ layers were grown on a (001) GaP substrate by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy and the ZnO films were deposited by the surface-damage-free helicon-wave-excited-plasma sputtering method. The n-ZnO/p-CuGaS₂ LED structure was designed to enable an electron injection from the n-type wider band gap material forming a TYPE-I heterojunction. The EL spectra exhibited emission peaks and bands between 1.6 and 2.5 eV, although their higher energy portions were absorbed by the GaP substrate. Since the spectral lineshape resembled that of the photoluminescence from identical CuGaS₂ epilayers, the EL was assigned to originate from p-CuGaS₂.     

Simulation and fabrication study of porous silicon photonic crystal

The present work reports design and fabrication of porous silicon based one-dimensional (1D) photonic crystal. Distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) is a 1D photonic crystal composed of multilayer stack of high and low refractive index layers. Design of porous silicon DBR is a complex one and requires appropriate control in optical parameters of its constituent layers. In order to design DBR, two porous silicon single layer samples were fabricated using current density of 10 and 50 mA/cm². Optical characterization of single layer samples showed series of interference fringes. Reflective interferometric Fourier transform spectroscopy (RIFTS) method was employed to determine optical constants of porous silicon single layers. DBR simulation was carried out based on transfer matrix method. DBR was then fabricated using optical parameters obtained from RIFTS method. Reflection bandwidth of prepared DBR was found to be 216 nm, which is comparable to the simulated value of 203 nm.     

Comparative study of the oxidation of thin porous silicon layers studied by reflectometry, spectroscopic ellipsometry and secondary ion mass spectroscopy

We present a systematic study on ultrathin porous silicon (PS) layers (40–120 nm) of different porosities, formed by electrochemical etching and followed by thermal oxidation treatment (300°C and 600°C) and by electrochemical oxidation. The oxidised and non-oxidised PS layers have been analysed by spectroscopic reflectometry (SR), spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). The SR and SE spectra were fitted by a multiparameter fit program and the composition and the thickness of the PS layers were evaluated by different optical models. PS layers, formed electrochemically in the outermost layer of a p/n⁺ monocrystalline silicon junction were successfully evaluated using a gradient porosity optical model. The non-oxidised PS, formed in p-type silicon, can be well described by a simple optical model (one-layer of two-components, silicon and voids). The spectra of the oxidised PS layers can be fitted better using an optical model with three interdependent components (crystalline-silicon, silicon-dioxide, voids). The SIMS results give a strong support for the optical model used for SR and SE.