Elemental steps in the growth of thin β-Ga2O3 films on CoGa(1 0 0)

The oxidation of CoGa(1 0 0) at 700 K was studied by means of high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), scanning tunneling microscopy, low energy electron diffraction and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). At 700 K, thin well-ordered β-Ga₂O₃ films grow on CoGa(1 0 0). The EEL spectrum of the Ga-oxide films exhibit Fuchs–Kliewer phonons at 305, 455, 645, and 785 cm⁻¹. For low oxygen exposure (<0.2 L), the growth of oxide-islands starts at step edges and on defects. The oxide films have the shape of long, rectangular islands and are oriented in the [1 0 0] and [0 1 0] directions of the substrate. For higher oxygen exposure, islands of β-Ga₂O₃ are found also on the terraces. After an exposure of 200 L O₂ at 700 K, the CoGa(1 0 0) surface is homogeneously covered with a thin film of β-Ga₂O₃.     

氧化镓薄膜的制备及其日盲紫外探测性能研究

采用射频磁控溅射方法在蓝宝石单晶衬底上沉积氧化镓(Ga2O3)薄膜,并通过光刻剥离工艺(Lift-off)制备了金属-半导体-金属结构的Ga2O3日盲紫外探测器。对不同温度下沉积的Ga2O3薄膜分析表明,在800℃下获得的薄膜结晶质量最好,薄膜的导电性则随着沉积温度的上升先增大后减小。在800℃制备的β-Ga2O3薄膜的可见光透光率大于90%,光学吸收边在255 nm附近。在10 V偏压下,探测器的暗电流约为1n A,光电流达800 n A,对紫外光响应迅速。器件的响应度达到0.3 A/W,260 nm波长处的响应度是290 nm波长对应响应度的40倍,可实现日盲紫外波段的探测。     

Formation of high quality gallium nitride thin films on Ga-diffused Si(1 1 1) substrate

High quality gallium nitride thin films have been successfully grown on the Ga-diffused Si(1 1 1) substrates through ammoniating Ga₂O₃ thin films deposited by r.f. magnetron sputtering. X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscope (AFM) and photoluminescence (PL) were used to characterize the synthesized samples. The analyses reveal that the formed films are high quality polycrystalline hexagonal gallium nitride. The as-formed GaN films show a flat surface topography with RMS roughness varied from 29 to 48 Å. The strong near-band-edge-emission peak around 368 nm was observed at room temperature. This is a novel method to fabricate GaN thin films based on the direct reaction between Ga₂O₃ and NH₃ on the Ga-diffused Si(1 1 1) substrates.     

Luminescence of molecules adsorbed on surfaces of wide gap materials

We report on the photoluminescence spectra of thin films of chain-like π-conjugated molecules on well-defined surfaces of wide gap inorganic materials. The aim is to study the energy transfer processes across the organic/substrate interface which limit the luminescence of molecules in close contact to substrate surfaces. We discuss quaterthiophene (4 T) adsorbed on the c(2×2)-ZnSe(0 0 1) surface and tetracene (Tc) on the surface of a thin epitaxial Al₂O₃ film on Ni₃Al(1 1 1). For thin films vapor-deposited at low substrate temperatures, we observe no luminescence signal for both systems, which indicates the presence of fast luminescence quenching processes at the organic/inorganic interface. After annealing, luminescence spectra corresponding to those of the bulk crystals are obtained. This can be explained by the formation of 3D-crystallites, which effectively separate most molecules from the organic/inorganic interface.     

Characterization of vertical Au/β-Ga_2O_3 single-crystal Schottky photodiodes with MBE-grown high-resistivity epitaxial layer

High-resistivity β-Ga_2O_3 thin films were grown on Si-doped n-type conductive β-Ga_2O_3 single crystals by molecular beam epitaxy(MBE).Vertical-type Schottky diodes were fabricated,and the electrical properties of the Schottky diodes were studied in this letter.The ideality factor and the series resistance of the Schottky diodes were estimated to be about1.4 and 4.6×10~6 Ω.The ionized donor concentration and the spreading voltage in the Schottky diodes region are about4×10~(18)cm~(-3) and 7.6 V,respectively.The ultra-violet(UV) photo-sensitivity of the Schottky diodes was demonstrated by a low-pressure mercury lamp illumination.A photoresponsivity of 1.8 A/W and an external quantum efficiency of8.7 ×10~2%were observed at forward bias voltage of 3.8 V,the proper driving voltage of read-out integrated circuit for UV camera.The gain of the Schottky diode was attributed to the existence of a potential barrier in the i-n junction between the MBE-grown highly resistive β-Ga_2O_3 thin films and the n-type conductive β-Ga_2O_3 single-crystal substrate.     

超宽禁带半导体β-Ga_2O_3及深紫外透明电极、日盲探测器的研究进展

β-Ga_2O_3是一种新型的超宽禁带氧化物半导体,禁带宽度约为4.9 eV,对应日盲区,对波长大于253 nm的深紫外一可见光具有高的透过率,是天然的日盲紫外探测及深紫外透明电极材料.本文介绍了Ga_20_3材料的晶体结构、基本物性与器件应用,并综述了β-Ga_2O_3在深紫外透明导电电极和日盲紫外探测器中的最新研究进展.Sn掺杂的Ga_2O_3薄膜电导率可达到32.3 S/cm,透过率大于88%,但离商业化的透明导电电极还存在较大差距.在日盲紫外探测器应用方面,基于异质结结构的器件展现出更高的光响应度和更快的响应速度,ZnO/Ga_2O_3核/壳微米线的探测器综合性能最佳,在-6 V偏压下其对254 nm深紫外光的光响应度达1.3×10~3A/W,响应时间为20μs.     

Dramatic reduction in dark current of β-Ga2O3 ultraviolet photodectors via β-(Al0.25Ga0.75)2O3 surface passivation

Solar-blind ultraviolet photodetectors with metal-semiconductor-metal structure were fabricated based on β -(Al_0.25Ga_0.75)₂O₃/β -Ga₂O₃ film grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. It was known that various surface states increase dark current and a large number of defects can hinder the transport of carriers, resulting in low switching ratio and low responsivity of the device. In this work, β -(Al_0.25Ga_0.75)₂O₃ films are used as surface passivation materials. Owning to its wide band gap, we obtain excellent light transmission and high lattice matching with β -Ga₂O₃. We explore the change and mechanism of the detection performance of the β -Ga₂O₃ detector after β -(Al_0.25Ga_0.75)₂O₃ surface passivation. It is found that under the illumination with 254 nm light at bias 5 V, the β -(Al_0.25Ga_0.75)₂O₃/β -Ga₂O₃ photodetectors show dark current of just 18 pA and high current on/off ratio of 2.16×10⁵. The dark current is sharply reduced about 50 times after passivation of the β -Ga₂O₃ surface, and current on/off ratio increases by approximately 2 times. It is obvious that β -Ga₂O₃ detectors with β -(Al_0.25Ga_0.75)₂O₃ surface passivation can offer superior detector performance.     

Self-assembly of β-Ga2O3 nanobelts

Self-assembly of β-Ga₂O₃ (beta-gallium oxide) nanobelts with diameters of 50–100 nm and lengths of tens to hundreds of microns have been studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Under appropriate conditions such as nanobelts concentration, controlled solvent evaporation, β-Ga₂O₃ nanobelts assemble into a fan-like structure on the substrate. A tendency of these nanobelts to align parallel to each other was also observed. The mechanism behind the formation of self-assembly of β-Ga₂O₃ nanobelts has been proposed on the basis of lateral capillary forces.     

Characterization of hetero-interfaces between group III nitrides formed by PLD and various substrates

We have grown group III nitride epitaxial films on various substrates by pulsed laser deposition and investigated structural properties of the surfaces and the hetero-interfaces using grazing incidence angle X-ray reflectivity (GIXR) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). It has been found that hetero-interfaces between PLD AlN and conventional substrates such as Al₂O₃ and Si are quite abrupt (about 0.5 nm) probably due to a less reactive growth ambience. However, we observed a thin interfacial layer (less than 10 nm) at the hetero-interface between AlN and (Mn,Zn)Fe₂O₄. The surface roughness of AlN is mainly determined by the extent of the lattice mismatch. It has been also found that the roughness at the hetero-interface between GaN and AlN formed by PLD coincides with the surface roughness of the AlN layer.     

薄膜厚度对射频磁控溅射β-Ga2O3薄膜光电性能的影响

本文在室温下利用射频磁控溅射技术在(001)蓝宝石衬底上制备了不同厚度的β-Ga₂O₃薄膜,随后将其置于氩气气氛中800℃退火1 h.利用XRD,SEM,UV-Vis分光光度计、PL光致发光光谱仪和Keithley 4200-SCS半导体表征系统等考察薄膜厚度对所得氧化镓薄膜相组成、表面形貌、光学性能以及光电探测性能的影响.结果表明,随着薄膜厚度的增加,薄膜结晶质量提高,840 nm薄膜最佳,1050 nm薄膜结晶质量略有降低.不同厚度β-Ga₂O₃薄膜在波长200—300 nm日盲区域内均具有明显的紫外光吸收,禁带宽度随着薄膜厚度的增加而增加.PL谱中各发光峰峰强随着薄膜厚度的增加而减小,表明氧空位及其相关缺陷受到抑制.在β-Ga₂O₃薄膜基础上制备出日盲紫外光电探测器的探测性能(光暗电流比,响应度,探测率,外量子效率)也随薄膜厚度的增加呈先增后减的趋势.厚度约为840 nm的β-Ga₂O₃紫外光电探测器,在5...     

Aspects of annealing and free surface crystallization of YBCO thin films

We describe a method of high temperature annealing in which the control of oxygen partial pressure is the principal experimental determinant in obtaining highly c oriented thin films of YBa₂Cu₃O_{7 − δ} on YSZ. Film crystallization, morphology and substrate interactions are discussed with detailed reference to the equilibria existing in the YBCO system. A model based on the melt-assisted crystallization of the precursor tetragonal compound, beginning at the free film surface, is used to explain the observed c texturing. Excellent Josephson coupling between grains of YBa₂Cu₃O_{7 − δ} in our films is related to melt-assisted growth. We discuss the adverse effects of annealing in pure oxygen at high temperatures.     

Formation of Ca-doped YBa2Cu4O8 phase in thin films

Ca-doped YBa₂Cu₄O₈ (124) thin films are prepared on (100) SrTiO₃ substrates by annealing the amorphous films deposited using a pulsed laser deposition technique. The X-ray diffraction measurements show that the Ca-doped YBa₂Cu₄O₈ phase is formed by annealing below 800°C at a oxygen pressure of 1 atm. The 124 films have c-axis orientation normal to the substrates. As the Ca content increases, the proportion of the 123 impurity phase in the samples increases. The onset temperature of superconductivity of the Y(Ca)Ba₂Cu₄O₈ films increases from 79 K to 88 K with an increase Ca-substitution for 5 to 10% of Y.     

X-ray diffraction studies of epitaxy in orthorhombic- DyMnO3/Er1Ba2Cu3O7-δ thin film heterostructures on LaAlO3 (100) substrates

The heteroepitaxy in DyMnO₃/Er₁Ba₂Cu₃O_7-δ bilayer thin films on LaAlO₃ (100) substates was characterized by four-circle X-ray diffractometry. The Er₁Ba₂Cu₃O_7-δ thin films on LaAlO₃ (100) substrates were prepared by molecular-beam deposition (MBD) and post-growth annealing in wet and dry O₂ at 880°C, whereas the DyMnO₃ thin films on the Er₁Ba₂Cu₃O_7-δ/LaAlO₃ (100) heterostructure were deposited by MBD and post-growth annealing in dry O₂ at 750°C. The conventional X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns as well as pole figures (φ-scans) for specific (hkl) reflections were acquired. The Er₁Ba₂Cu₃O_7-δ thin film in the DyMnO₃/Er₁Ba₂Cu₃O_7-δ/LaAlO₃ (100) heterostructure showed [001] oriented epitaxial growth, as expected. The DyMnO₃ thin film on the Er₁Ba₂Cu₃O_7-δ epilayer in the heterostructure grew with (110) epitaxy in its metastable orthorhombic phase (lattice constants: a_o=5.272 Å, b_o=5.795 Å and c_o=7.38 Å). The heteroepitaxial relationships at the orthorhombic-DyMnO O₃ (110) /Er₁Ba₂Cu₃O_7-δ (001) interface was determined as the following: DyMnO₃ (110) Er₁Ba₂Cu₃O_7-δ (001), DyMnO₃ [1 0] ¶r; Er₁Ba₂Cu₃O_7-δ[100] or Er₁Ba₂Cu₃O_7-δ[010], and DyMnO₃ [001] ¶r; Er₁Ba₂Cu₃O _7-δ[010] or Er₁Ba₂Cu₃O_7-δ [100].     

铥、铽及铕离子掺杂的BaAl2O4膜的阴极射线发光特性

利用喷雾热解法合成了Tm、Tb及Eu离子掺杂的铝酸钡(BaAl₂O₄)发光膜,研究了合成条件对其结构和发光特性的影响.在退火温度达到700℃时,生成了BaAl₂O₄膜.Tm³⁺和Tb³⁺掺杂的BaAl₂O₄膜分别发蓝光和绿光,而Eu³⁺掺杂的BaAl₂O₄膜的发光既有Eu²⁺的特征发射——宽的蓝光发射带,也有Eu³⁺的特征发射——窄的红光发射峰.BaAl₂O₄:Tm³⁺的发射主峰位于462nm,在电压为5kV和电流密度为57μA/cm²的条件下,其阴极射线发光(CL)亮度可达25cd/m²,效率可达0.11lm/W.BaAl₂O₄:Tb³⁺的发射主峰位于549nm,在相同的条件下,其阴极射线发光亮度可达120cd/m²,效率可达0.55lm/W.BaAl₂O₄:Eu³⁺的发射主峰位于616nm,其阴极射线发光亮度为50cd/m²,效率为0.23lm/W.BaAl₂O₄:Eu²⁺发蓝光,峰值位于452nm,其阴极射线发光亮度为640cd/m²,效率为2.93lm/W.     

Crystal structure of YBa2Cu3O7−x thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition with substrate bias voltage

The crystal structure of YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x thin films has been investigated by cross-section transmission electron microscopy. The samples were deposited on MgO (100) substrates at 670°C with substrate bias voltages of ±300 V. For the unbiased case, c-axis, a-axis and (103) oriented domains normal to the substrate surface were observed. In this film, the c-axis oriented domains are dominant, but the crystal often exhibits a longer c-lattice constant than that of the YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x system, so extra cationic layers are inserted in the YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x intrinsic stacking sequence. For the case of −300 V, rotated domains were dominant in the entire film; however, c-axis oriented domains also grow from the substrate surface. Small-angle semicoherent grain boundaries between them were observed. In the case of +300 V, all the grains show c-axis oriented YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x. The degree of preferential orientation of the grains is reduced at negative bias voltage of −300 V and the structure defects are reduced by applying a positive bias of +300 V.     

On the origin of 1.5 μm luminescence in porous silicon coated with sol–gel derived erbium-doped Fe2O3 films

Sol–gel derived Fe₂O₃ films containing about 10 wt% of Er₂O₃ were deposited on porous silicon by dipping or by a spin-on technique followed by thermal processing at 1073 K for 15 min. The samples were characterized by means of PL, SEM and X-ray diffraction analyses. They exhibit strong room-temperature luminescence at 1.5 μm related to erbium in the sol–gel derived host. The luminescence intensity increases by a factor of 1000 when the samples are cooled from 300 to 4.2 K. After complete removal of the erbium-doped film by etching and partial etching the porous silicon, the erbium-related luminescence disappears. Following this, luminescence at 1.5 μm originating from optically active dislocations (“D-lines”) in porous silicon was detected. The influence of the conditions of synthesis on luminescence at 1.5 μm is discussed.     

Defect versus nanocrystal luminescence emitted from room temperature and hot-implanted SiO2 layers

Silicon nanocrystals have been synthesized in SiO₂ matrix using Si ion implantation. Si ions were implanted into 300-nm-thick SiO₂ films grown on crystalline Si at energies of 30–55 keV, and with doses of 5×10¹⁵, 3×10¹⁶, and 1×10¹⁷ cm⁻². Implanted samples were subsequently annealed in an N₂ ambient at 500–1100°C during various periods. Photoluminescence spectra for the sample implanted with 1×10¹⁷ cm⁻² at 55 keV show that red luminescence (750 nm) related to Si-nanocrystals clearly increases with annealing temperature and time in intensity, and that weak orange luminescence (600 nm) is observed after annealing at low temperatures of 500°C and 800°C. The luminescence around 600 nm becomes very intense when a thin SiO₂ sample is implanted at a substrate temperature of 400°C with an energy of 30 keV and a low dose of 5×10¹⁵ cm⁻². It vanishes after annealing at 800°C for 30 min. We conclude that this luminescence observed around 600 nm is caused by some radiative defects formed in Si-implanted SiO₂.     

Structure and optical properties of sol–gel derived Gd2O3 waveguide films

Pure and rare earth doped gadolinium oxide (Gd₂O₃) waveguide films were prepared by a simple sol–gel process and dip-coating method. Gd₂O₃ was successfully synthesized by hydrolysis of gadolinium acetate. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) were used to study the thermal chemistry properties of dried gel. Structure of Gd₂O₃ films annealed at different temperature ranging from 400 to 750 °C were investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that Gd₂O₃ starts crystallizing at about 400 °C and the crystallite size increases with annealing temperature. Oriented growth of (4 0 0) face of Gd₂O₃ has been observed when the films were deposited on (1 0 0) Si substrate and annealed at 750 °C. The laser beam (λ=632.8 nm) was coupled into the film by a prism coupler and propagation loss of the film measured by scattering-detection method is about 2 dB/cm. Luminescence properties of europium ions doped films were measured and are discussed.     

Microstructure and transport properties of YBa2Cu3O7−δ films produced by laser ablation from a BaF2/Y2O3/CuO target

The effects of varying the temperature and duration of the post-deposition anneal in watersaturated oxygen were investigated for YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ films of varying thickness. The films were produced by laser ablation from pressed powder targets consisting of BaF₂,Y₂O₃, and CuO mixtures. This technique produces superconducting films with a highly textured surface. The films were fabricated on SrTiO₃ substrates and were analyzed with X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and temperature dependent resistivity. Critical current density (J_c) measurements were performed in magnetic fields up to 1 T. For film thickness on the order of 900 nm, completely c-axis oriented films were obtained with a 60 min anneal at 850°C. Thinner films required less annealing, either shorter times or lower temperatures, to achieve similar results, indicating that the optimal annealing conditions are dependent on film thickness.     

Luminescence properties of β-(Ga1−xInx)2O3 solid solutions

In this work, luminescence properties of β-(Ga_1−xIn_x)₂O₃ solid solutions were investigated with the purpose of making the new thermoluminophors for ultraviolet (UV) dosimetry. The doping of aliovalent cation admixture (Mg, Mo) in the β-Ga₂O₃ ceramic sample brings about the appearance of high-temperature thermoluminescence glow peaks with a maximum at 395 and 435 K. The maximum of the thermoluminophor photosensitivity shifts when the composition of solid solution changes.