Wetting and reactive thin film growth

The wetting process of the GaN(0 0 0 1) surface by Ga is studied in situ in real time by low energy electron microscopy and diffraction. The reversibility of the phase transitions in the wetting layer is examined in detail and the consequences for the growth of GaN layers by reaction with ammonia and activated nitrogen are discussed. It is concluded that the growth of smooth (0 0 0 1)-terminated GaN layers may be considered as quasi-liquid phase epitaxy.     

LEED structure determination of the Ni(1 1 1)(√3×√3)R30°-Sn surface

Quantitative low energy electron diffraction has been used to determine the structure of the Ni(1 1 1)(√3×√3)R30°-Sn surface phase. The results confirm that the surface layer comprises a substitutional alloy of composition Ni₂Sn as previously found by low energy ion scattering (LEIS), and also shows that there is no stacking fault at the substrate/alloy interface as has been found in (√3×√3)R30°-Sb surface alloys on Ag and Cu(1 1 1). The surface alloy layer is rumpled with the Sn atoms 0.45 ± 0.03 Å higher above the substrate than the surrounding Ni atoms. This rumpling amplitude is almost identical to that previously reported on the basis of the LEIS study. Comparison with similar results for Sn-induced surface alloy phases on Ni(1 0 0) and Ni(1 1 0) shows a clear trend to reduced rumpling with reduced surface atomic layer density, an effect which can be rationalised in terms of the different effects of valence electron charge smoothing at the surface.     

阶梯AlGaN外延新型Al_(0.25)Ga_(0.75)N/GaNHEMTs击穿特性分析

为了优化AlGaN/GaN HEMTs器件表面电场,提高击穿电压,本文首次提出了一种新型阶梯AlGaN/GaN HEMTs结构.新结构利用AlGaN/GaN异质结形成的2DEG浓度随外延AlGaN层厚度降低而减小的规律,通过减薄靠近栅边缘外延的AlGaN层,使沟道2DEG浓度分区,形成栅边缘低浓度2DEG区,低的2DEG使阶梯AlGaN交界出现新的电场峰,新电场峰的出现有效降低了栅边缘的高峰电场,优化了AlGaN/GaN HEMTs器件的表面电场分布,使器件击穿电压从传统结构的446 V,提高到新结构的640 V.为了获得与实际测试结果一致的击穿曲线,本文在GaN缓冲层中设定了一定浓度的受主型缺陷,通过仿真分析验证了国际上外延GaN缓冲层时掺入受主型离子的原因,并通过仿真分析获得了与实际测试结果一致的击穿曲线.     

牺牲Ni退火对硅衬底GaN基发光二极管p型接触影响的研究

本文通过在硅衬底发光二极管(LED)薄膜p-GaN表面蒸发不同厚度的Ni覆盖层,将其在N₂ ∶O₂=4 ∶1的气氛中、400℃—750℃的温度范围内进行退火,在去掉薄膜表面Ni覆盖层之后制备Pt/p-GaN欧姆接触层.实验结果表明:退火温度和Ni覆盖层厚度均对硅衬底GaN基LED薄膜p型欧姆接触有重要影响,Ni覆盖退火能够显著降低p型层中Mg受主的激活温度.经牺牲Ni退火后,p型比接触电阻率随退火温度的升高呈先变小后变大的规律,随Ni覆盖层厚度的增加呈先变小后变 关键词： 氮化镓 发光二极管 牺牲Ni退火 p型接触     

分子束外延高Mg掺杂GaN的发光特性

采用分子束外延技术在蓝宝石衬底上制备Ｍｇ掺杂的立方相ｐ－ＧａＮ,并对其不同温度下的光致发光光谱进行了研究．实验观察到高Ｍｇ掺杂ＧａＮ中施主受主对发光的反常温度行为．理论分析表明,高Ｍｇ掺杂ＧａＮ中施主受主对的发光受到陷阱与受主间竞争俘获非平衡空穴过程和空穴隧穿输运过程的影响．     

Degraded model of radiation-induced acceptor defects for GaN-based high electron mobility transistors （HEMTs）

Using depletion approximation theory and introducing acceptor defects which can characterize radiation induced deep-level defects in AlGaN/GaN heterostructures, we set up a radiation damage model of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) to separately simulate the effects of several main radiation damage mechanisms and the complete radiation damage effect simultaneously considering the degradation in mobility. Our calculated results, consistent with the experimental results, indicate that thin AlGaN barrier layer, high Al content and high doping concentration are favourable for restraining the shifts of threshold voltage in the AlGaN/GaN HEMT; when the acceptor concentration induced is less than 10¹⁴cm^-3, the shifts in threshold voltage are not obvious; only when the acceptor concentration induced is higher than 10¹⁶cm^-3, will the shifts of threshold voltage remarkably increase; the increase of threshold voltage, resulting from radiation induced acceptor, mainly contributes to the degradation in drain saturation current of the current--voltage (I--V) characteristic, but has no effect on the transconductance in the saturation area.     

Different influences of Schottky metal on the strain and relative permittivity of barrier layer between AlN/GaN and AlGaN/GaN heterostructure Schottky diodes

Ni/Au Schottky contacts on AlN/GaN and AlGaN/GaN heterostructures are fabricated.Based on the measured current–voltage and capacitance-voltage curves,the polarization sheet charge density and relative permittivity are analyzed and calculated by self-consistently solving Schrdinger’s and Poisson’s equations.It is found that the values of relative permittivity and polarization sheet charge density of AlN/GaN diode are both much smaller than the ones of AlGaN/GaN diode,and also much lower than the theoretical values.Moreover,by fitting the measured forward I–V curves,the extracted dislocations existing in the barrier layer of the AlN/GaN diode are found to be much more than those of the AlGaN/GaN diode.As a result,the conclusion can be made that compared with AlGaN/GaN diode the Schottky metal has an enhanced influence on the strain of the extremely thinner AlN barrier layer,which is attributed to the more dislocations.     

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.     

Effect of polarization on two-dimensional carrier distribution in nitride quantum wells

Wide band-gap group-III nitrides are important for the design of optical devices in the blue and blue–green region. Owing to their wurtzite structure, these materials have a strong inherent polarization field that affects carrier distribution, exciton stability and hence influences the optical properties of the devices. So far, carriers have been assumed to have a sheet-like character. In this paper a non sheet-like distribution function for these quasi two-dimensional carriers is proposed that incorporates the effect of the polarization field. Here GaN/InGaN/GaN and AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN quantum wells have been studied. The polarization field causes the electron and hole wave functions to separate out, thus causing decrease of emission strength and strong reduction of exciton binding energy. This treatment explains well the qualitative nature of carrier distribution in the well. The polarization field changes with GaN mole fraction present in the tertiary nitride layer. The effect of mole fraction on carrier distribution has also been studied. It is found that, inside the well, the hole distribution changes a little more with change in mole fraction than the electron distribution, but for all practical purposes the net change in the distribution pattern is negligible.     

Low-temperature activation of Mg-doped GaN with thin Co and Pt films

The activation of metallorganic chemical vapor deposition-grown Mg-doped GaN by N₂ annealing with thin Co and Pt films has been investigated. The Hall effect measurements revealed that both the Co and Pt films enhance activation of Mg acceptors as catalysts at low temperatures. A maximum hole concentration of p-type GaN was achieved at annealing temperature of 600 °C for the samples activated with both the Co and Pt films. It was also revealed that the activation of the acceptors is strongly affected by the thickness of the Co film.     

Photoreflectance investigations of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures with a two dimensional electron gas

Undoped AlGaN/GaN heterostructures with different content and thickness of AlGaN layer are investigated by photoreflectance (PR) spectroscopy. We have observed PR resonances related to an absorption in both GaN and AlGaN layers. The character of these resonances has been analyzed, and PR lines associated with excitonic and band-to-band absorption in the GaN layer and band-to-band absorption in the AlGaN layer have been identified. The transition related to band-to-band absorption possesses characteristic Franz–Keldysh oscillations (FKOs) associated with a built-in electric field. The electric field in the AlGaN layer obtained on the basis of the analysis of FKOs has been found to be in the range of 244–341 kV/cm. The value of the field has been found to decrease with the increase in AlGaN thickness and to increase with the increase in Al concentration. The surface potential for AlGaN layers has been found to increase with the increase in Al mole fraction and has been estimated to be in the range of 1.0–1.7 eV.     

Theoretical study of Ni adsorption on the GaN(0 0 0 1) surface

First-principles pseudo-potential calculations within density-functional theory framework are performed in order to study the structural and electronic properties of nickel adsorption and diffusion on a GaN(0 0 0 1)-2×2 surface. The adsorption energies and potential energy surfaces are investigated for a Ni adatom on the Ga-terminated (0 0 0 1) surface of GaN. This surface is also used to study the effect of the nickel surface coverage. The results show that the most stable positions of a Ni adatom on GaN(0 0 0 1) are at the H₃ sites and T₄ sites, for low and high Ni coverage respectively. In addition, confirming previous experimental results, we have found that the growth of Ni monolayers on the GaN(0 0 0 1) surface is possible.     

Improving Ni/GaN Schottky diode performance through interfacial passivation layer formed via ultraviolet/ozone treatment

Electrical passivation has a significant effect on metal-semiconductor (MS) device operations including performance and reliability. In this study, the improvement in performance of Ni/GaN Schottky diodes (SDs) through an ultraviolet/ozone (UV/O₃) interface treatment is investigated and the mechanism of carrier conduction at the MS junction interfaces is analyzed. The formation of surface oxide layer at the MS interface through the UV/O₃ treatment is confirmed by the measurements using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, contact angle, and atomic force microscopy. The atomic intensity and surface energy increased and surface roughness improved through the implementation of oxide layer. Electrical measurements reveal reduced leakage and improved breakdown voltage and are used to determine the Schottky barrier height and Richardson constant of the Ni/GaN MS SDs. The enhancement in the entire performance of the MS SDs is attributed to the passivation of defect centers at the dislocation-related pits through the formation of oxide layer with the UV/O₃ treatment, which thereby improves the carrier transfer properties of Ni/GaN SDs.     

Desorption induced GaN quantum dots on (0001) AlN by MOVPE

GaN quantum dots (QDs) are realized on (0001) AlN templates by growing a thin GaN layer on an AlN buffer layer and applying a subsequent desorption step without ammonia present. A growth interruption (GRI), which is commonly applied after the GaN growth allowing for QD formation, is systematically investigated regarding the temperature, duration and initial GaN coverage. Without GRI the initial GaN layer exhibits a two‐dimensional nonuniform growth at the step edges. In this study, the surface morphology only changes significantly if the GRI is performed without ammonia exposure. Thus, an initial two‐dimensional GaN layer can be shaped into three‐dimensional nanostructures. Presented coverage studies by atomic force microscopy (AFM) show desorption as the main driving force for island evolution. By tailoring the growth parameters, GaN QDs can be achieved. Uncapped GaN samples exhibit QDs with 1.2 nm in height and 30 nm in diameter. Additionally, capped GaN QDs exhibit excitonic luminescence lines at about 4.3 eV with FWHM down to 2 meV and an excitonic fine structure splitting of 7 meV. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Growth studies of m-GaN layers on LiAlO2 by MOCVD

This paper reports that the m-plane GaN layer is grown on （200）-plane LiAlO2 substrate by metal-organic chemical wpour deposition （MOCVD） method. Tetragonal-shaped crystallites appear at the smooth surface. Raman measurement illuminates the compressive stress in the layer which is released with increasing the layer＇s thickness. The high transmittance （80%）, sharp band edge and excitonic absorption peak show that the GaN layer has good optical quality. The donor acceptor pair emission peak located at -3.41 eV with full-width at half maximum of 120 meV and no yellow peaks in the photoluminescence spectra partially show that no Li incorporated into GaN layer from the LiAlO2 substrate.     

Characterisation of defects in p-GaN by admittance spectroscopy

Mg-doped GaN films have been grown on (0 0 0 1) sapphire using metal organic vapour phase epitaxy. Use of different buffer layer strategies caused the threading dislocation density (TDD) in the GaN to be either approximately 2×10⁹ cm⁻² or 1×10¹⁰ cm⁻². Frequency-dependent capacitance and conductance measurements at temperatures up to 450 K have been used to study the electronic states associated with the Mg doping, and to determine how these are affected by the TDD. Admittance spectroscopy of the films finds a single impurity-related acceptor level with an activation energy of 160±10 meV for [Mg] of about 1×10¹⁹ cm⁻³, and 120±10 eV as the Mg precursor flux decreased. This level is thought to be associated with the Mg acceptor state. The TDD has no discernible effect on the trap detected by admittance spectroscopy. We compare these results with cathodoluminescence measurements reported in the literature, which reveal that most threading dislocations are non-radiative recombination centres, and discuss possible reasons why our admittance spectroscopy have not detected electrically active defects associated with threading dislocations.     

Study of the magnetism and the magnetic anisotropy of Fe layers in Ni/Fe/Ni(1 1 1) by Mössbauer spectroscopy

The hyperfine field and the magnetic anisotropy of a Fe layer as a function of thickness have been investigated in several Ni/⁵⁷Fe_x/Ni(1 1 1) trilayers with relatively thick Ni layers by Mössbauer spectroscopy. For Fe layers with thickness below 16 Å, the Mössbauer spectra show always the presence of two ferromagnetic phases with high-spin state. In the range between 6 and 8 Å, also a ferromagnetic phase with low-spin state and a paramagnetic phase have been found. The evolution of the mean hyperfine field of the ⁵⁷Fe nuclei is used to study the Fe growth. A structural FCCBCC phase transition is found to begin with an iron thickness of 8 Å. The easy direction of the magnetization is found out-of-plane for Fe interlayer with FCC structure, and perfectly in plane for Fe interlayer with BCC structure.     

Fast hydrogen sorption kinetics for ball-milled Mg2Ni alloys☆

The sorption kinetics of Mg₂Ni alloys are strongly improved using two different surface treatments. One consists of the preparation of tailor-made Mg₂Ni/C composites by ball-milling with previously ground carbons. The strong reducing character of carbon, allowing for the reduction of NiO initially present at the alloy surface, leads to the partial removal of the oxide layer that strongly hinders the hydrogen migration throughout the alloy surface on desorption, whereas resulting Ni particles act as catalysts during the absorption process. The second surface treatment deals with the deposition of Pd particles on the alloy surface using the polyol process. The catalytic effect of Pd is responsible for an important enhancement of the absorption kinetic, whereas Pd particles probably act as hydrogen pumps, during the desorption process, leading to a faster hydrogen release. By combining both techniques, desorption rates as high as 2.7 wt% in 60 min and 2.9 wt% in 30 min are obtained at 150 and 200 °C, respectively.     

Comparison of electrical characteristic between AlN/GaN and AlGaN/GaN heterostructure Schottky diodes

Ni/Au Schottky contacts on AlN/GaN and AlGaN/GaN heterostructures are fabricated.Based on the measured current–voltage and capacitance–voltage curves,the electrical characteristics of AlN/GaN Schottky diode,such as Schottky barrier height,turn-on voltage,reverse breakdown voltage,ideal factor,and the current-transport mechanism,are analyzed and then compared with those of an AlGaN/GaN diode by self-consistently solving Schrdinger’s and Poisson’s equations.It is found that the dislocation-governed tunneling is dominant for both AlN/GaN and AlGaN/GaN Schottky diodes.However,more dislocation defects and a thinner barrier layer for AlN/GaN heterostructure results in a larger tunneling probability,and causes a larger leakage current and lower reverse breakdown voltage,even though the Schottky barrier height of AlN/GaN Schottky diode is calculated to be higher that of an AlGaN/GaN diode.     

Effect of longitudinal heat conduction on the catalytic ignition of carbon monoxide in a boundary layer

The catalytic ignition of dry carbon monoxide and air in a boundary layer flow over a palladium plate is studied in this paper. The heterogeneous reaction mechanism is modelled with the dissociative adsorption of the molecular oxygen and the non-dissociative adsorption of CO, together with a surface reaction of the Langmuir-Hinshelwood type and the desorption reaction of the adsorbed product, CO₂(s). The critical condition for catalytic ignition, represented by the ignition Damköhler number, has been deduced using high activation energy asymptotics of the desorption kinetics of the most efficiently adsorbed reactant, CO(s). Longitudinal heat conduction along the plate has been considered and its influence on the ignition temperature has been evaluated. This influence is rather weak, indicating that the flat plate boundary layer flow configuration is a robust device to determine the critical conditions for catalytic ignition.