Correlations between photoluminescence and Hall mobility in GaN/sapphire grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

We have investigated photoluminescence (PL) and electron Hall mobility for unintentionally doped GaN epitaxial layers grown by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on c-plane Al₂O₃ substrates. Four GaN films having identical dislocation density but remarkably different electron Hall mobility were exploited. At low temperature (12 K), a PL line associated with a bound exciton was observed and strong correlations were found between the Hall mobility and the PL intensity of the exciton transition. That is, relative PL intensity of the bound exciton to a donor-bound exciton monotonously increased with decreasing the electron mobility of the GaN films. This correlation was interpreted in terms of electrical compensation. Efforts to find the chemical origin of the PL line led to the conclusion that the BE line originated neither from threading dislocations nor from extrinsic point defects. Intrinsic acceptors such as Ga vacancy and GaN anti-site were suspected as plausible origin.     

Control of the morphology of InGaN/GaN quantum wells grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

Various techniques for morphological evolution of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well (MQW) structures grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition have been evaluated. Atomic force microscopy, photoluminescence (PL) and X-ray diffraction measurements have been used for characterization. It is shown that inclusions, that are generated into the V-defects in the InGaN quantum wells (QW), can be removed by introducing a small amount of hydrogen during the growth of GaN barriers. This hydrogen treatment results in partial loss of indium from the QWs, but smooth surface morphology of the MQW structure and improved optical quality of InGaN wells are obtained. The density of the V-defects could be reduced by reducing the dislocation density of the underlying GaN buffer.     

Influence of AlGaN/GaN/InGaN superlattice on the characteristics of LEDs grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

This study examined the influence of strain-compensated triple AlGaN/GaN/InGaN superlattice structures (SLs) in n-GaN on the structural, electrical and optical characteristics of LEDs by analyzing the etch pits density (EPD), stress measurement, high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD), sheet resistance, photoluminescence (PL) and light–current–voltage (L–I–V). EPD, stress measurement and HRXRD studies showed that the insertion of AlGaN/GaN/InGaN SLs during the growth of n-GaN effectively distributed and compensated for the strong compressive stress, and decreased the dislocation density in n-GaN. The operating voltage at 20 mA for the LEDs grown with SLs decreased to 3.18 V from 3.4 V for the LEDs grown without SLs. In addition, a decrease in the spectral blue shift compared to the LEDs grown without SLs was observed in the LEDs grown with the SLs.     

XPS and electroluminescence studies on SrS1−xSex and ZnS1−xSex thin films deposited by atomic layer deposition technique

SrS_1−xSe_x and ZnS_1−xSe_x thin films were deposited by the atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique using elemental selenium as the Se source, thus avoiding use of H₂Se or organometallic selenium compounds. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that the films were solid solutions and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data showed that the surface of both ZnS_1−xSe_x and SrS_1−xSe_x were covered with an oxide and carbon-containing contaminants from exposure to air. The oxidation of SrS_1−xSe_x extended into the film and peak shifts from sulfate were found on the surface. Luminance measurements showed that emission intensity of the ZnS_1−xSe_x:Mn alternating current thin film electroluminescent (ACTFEL) devices at fixed voltage was almost the same as that of the ZnS:Mn device, while emission intensity of the SrS_1−xSe_x:Ce devices decreased markedly as compared to the SrS:Ce device. Emission colors of the devices were altered only slightly due to selenium addition.     

Material characteristics of metalorganic chemical vapor deposition of Bi2Te3 films on GaAs substrates

Metal organic chemical vapor deposition has been investigated for growth of Bi₂Te₃ films on (0 0 1) GaAs substrates using trimethylbismuth and diisopropyltelluride as metal organic sources. The results of surface morphology, electrical and thermoelectric properties as a function of growth parameters are given. The surface morphologies of Bi₂Te₃ films were strongly dependent on the deposition temperatures. Surface morphologies varied from step-flow growth mode to island coalescence structures depending on deposition temperature. In-plane carrier concentration and electrical Hall mobility were highly dependent on precursor's ratio of VI/V and deposition temperature. By optimizing growth parameters, we could clearly observe an electrically intrinsic region of the carrier concentration at the temperature higher than 240 K. The high Seebeck coefficient (of −160 μVK⁻¹) and good surface morphology of this material is promising for Bi₂Te₃-based thermoelectric thin film and two-dimensional supperlattice device applications.     

Effects of growth temperature on the properties of ZnO/GaAs prepared by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

A series of ZnO films were grown on GaAs(0 0 1) substrates at different growth temperatures in the range 250–720°C by metalorganic chemical vapor depostion. Field emission scanning electron microscopy was utilized to investigate the surface morphology of ZnO films. The crystallinity of ZnO films was investigated by the double-crystal X-ray diffractometry. The optical and electrical properties of ZnO films were also investigated using room-temperature photoluminescence and Hall measurements. Arrhenius plots of the growth rate versus reciprocal temperature revealed the kinetically limited growth behavior depending on the growth temperature. It was found that the surface morphology, structural, optical and electrical properties of the films were improved with increasing growth temperature to 650°C. All the properties of the film grown at 720°C were degraded due to the decomposition of ZnO film.     

InP/InGaAlAs distributed Bragg reflectors grown by low-pressure metal organic chemical vapor deposition

Long-wavelength vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) are considered the best candidate for the future low-cost reliable light sources in fiber communications. However, the absence of high refractive index contrast in InP-lattice-matched materials impeded the development of 1.3–1.5 μm VCSELs. Although wafer fusions provided the alternative approaches to integrate the InP-based gain materials with the GaAs/AlAs materials for their inherent high refractive index contrast, the monolithic InP-based lattice-matched distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) are still highly attractive and desirable. In this report, we demonstrate InP/InGaAlAs DBRs with larger refractive index contrast than InP/InGaAsP and InAlAs/InGaAlAs DBRs. The switching between InP and InGaAlAs layers and growth rate control have been done by careful growth interruption technique and accurate in situ optical monitoring in low-pressure metal organic chemical vapor deposition. A 35 pairs 1.55 μm centered InP/InGaAlAs DBRs has the stopband of more than 100 nm and the highest reflectivity of more than 99%. A VCSEL structure incorporating 35 pairs InP/InGaAlAs DBR as the bottom mirror combined with a 2λ thick periodic gain cavity and 10 pairs SiO₂/TiO₂ top dielectric mirrors was fabricated. The VCSELs lased at 1.56 μm by optical pumping at room temperature with the threshold pumping power of 30 mW.     

Electrical and optical properties of Cd1−xZnxS (0x0.18) grown by chemical bath deposition

Cd_1−xZn_xS films with 0x0.18 were grown by chemical bath deposition technique on glass substrates from an aqueous solution containing cadmium and zinc sulfate, ammonia and thiourea. Microstructural features, obtained from X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements, reveal a predominance of Wurtzite structure and an homogenous microstructure formed by densely microcrystallines for all the samples studied. Cd_1−xZn_xS semiconductor was found to be resistive and of n-type. Also, the electron density decreases with increased x and the mobility reaches a maximum around x=0.12. Which means that the Cd_1−xZn_xS films at this composition are of high crystalline quality, i.e. having reduced intrinsic defect concentrations.     

Oriented polycrystalline α-HgI2 thick films grown by physical vapor deposition

This work investigates the growth of polycrystalline α-HgI₂ thick films from physical vapor deposition. By varying the growth conditions, the as-deposited thick films are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, current–voltage and photoconductivity measurements. The growth mechanism and its effects to the properties of these polycrystalline α-HgI₂ thick films are then discussed. Finally, the best deposition conditions for polycrystalline α-HgI₂ thick films compactly formed by separated columnar monocrystallines with uniform orientation along c-direction and with good crystallinity are reported.     

Study on optimal growth conditions of a-plane GaN grown on r-plane sapphire by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

Non-polar a-plane GaN thin films were grown on r-plane sapphire substrates by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. In order to obtain a-plane GaN films with better crystal quality and surface morphology, detailed comparisons between different growth conditions were investigated. The results showed that high-temperature and low-pressure conditions facilitating two-dimensional growth could lead to a fully coalesced a-plane GaN layer with a very smooth surface. The best mean roughness of the surface morphology was 10.5 Å. Various thickness values of AlN nucleation layers and the V/III ratios for growth of the a-plane GaN bulk were also studied to determine the best condition for obtaining a smooth surface morphology of the a-plane GaN layer.     

GaN/GaAs(1 0 0) superlattices grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy using dimethylhydrazine precursor

Superlattices of cubic gallium nitride (GaN) and gallium arsenide (GaAs) were grown on GaAs(1 0 0) substrates using metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) with dimethylhydrazine (DMHy) as nitrogen source. Structures grown at low temperatures with varying layer thicknesses were characterized using high resolution X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. Several growth modes of GaAs on GaN were observed: step-edge, layer-by-layer 2D, and 3D island growth. A two-temperature growth process was found to yield good crystal quality and atomically flat surfaces. The results suggest that MOVPE-grown thin GaN layers may be applicable to novel GaAs heterostructure devices.     

A study of growth and morphological features of TiOxNy thin films prepared by MOCVD

The growth and morphological features of MOCVD TiO_xN_y films have been characterized to evaluate the effect of various process parameters on film growth. XRD analysis of the films deposited at 600°C on Si(1 1 1) and mica show a TiN(1 1 1) peak at 2θ=36.6°, but only anatase peaks are detected below 550°C. Above 650°C, both anatase and rutile peaks are detected. The presence of ammonia is not effective below 550°C as the deposited film is mostly TiO₂. Also, ammonia does not play any role in homogeneous nucleation in the gas phase, as evident by the deposition of anatase/rutile particles above 650°C. The following changes in the morphological features are observed by varying process parameters. By increasing the ratio of titanium-isopropoxide to ammonia flow, the cluster shape changes from angular to rounded; dilution of the flow results in larger elongated clusters; increase in flow rate at constant precursor to ammonia ratios, changes the cluster shape from rounded to elongated and the cluster size deceases. Deposition at higher temperatures results in finer clusters with a slower growth rate and eventually results in a very thin film with particle deposition at 650°C and above.     

The photoluminescence of ZnO thin films grown on Si (1 0 0) substrate by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

High-quality ZnO thin films have been grown on a Si(1 0 0) substrate by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) using a zinc organic source (Zn(C₂H₅)₂) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) gas mixtures at a temperature of 180°C. A strong free exciton emission with a weak defect-band emission in the visible region is observed. The characteristics of photoluminescence (PL) of ZnO, as well as the exciton absorption peak in the absorption spectra, are closely related to the gas flow rate ratio of Zn(C₂H₅)₂ to CO₂. Full-widths at half-maximum of the free exciton emission as narrow as 93.4 meV have been achieved. Based on the temperature dependence of the PL spectra from 83 to 383 K, the exciton binding energy and the transition energy of free excitons at 0 K were estimated to be 59.4 meV and 3.36 eV, respectively.     

Structural and optical properties of quaternary AlInGaN epilayers grown by MOCVD with various TMGa flows

AlInGaN quaternary epilayers have been grown with various TMGa flows by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition to investigate the influence of growth rate on the structural and optical properties. Triple-axis X-ray diffraction measurements show AlInGaN epilayers have good crystalline quality. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements show that the emission intensity of AlInGaN epilayers is twenty times stronger than that of AlGaN epilayer with comparable Al content. V-shaped pits are observed at the surface of AlInGaN epilayers by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). High growth rate leads to increased density and size of V-shaped pits, but crystalline quality is not degraded.     

The tri-methyl-Sb flow and the surfactant time effect on InGaAsN/GaAs-strained MQWs grown by MOCVD

The tri-methyl-Sb flow and the surfactant time dependence of photocurrent (PC) spectra was studied on InGaAsN/GaAs-strained multiple quantum wells (MQWs) structures grown by using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The structural properties of InGaAsN/GaAs-strained MQWs were investigated by using high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD). In the case of InGaAsN/GaAs-strained MQWs, an increase in compressive strain from an analysis of the satellite peaks in HRXRD was observed on increasing the tri-methyl-Sb flow and the surfactant time. For InGaAsN/GaAs-strained MQWs, the peaks observed in the photocurrent spectra were preliminarily assigned to electron–heavy hole (e₁–hh) and electron–light hole (e₁–lh) fundamental excitonic transitions. Their peaks are red-shifted with increasing tri-methyl-Sb flow and surfactant time. But the photocurrent peak is blue-shifted at the surfactant time of . It seems to be due to the improvement of structure properties at interface owing to a surfactant-suppressing surface diffusion phenomenon during growth. We compared this with the result of the experimental energies for InGaAsN/GaAs-strained MQWs.     

Growth of InAs on GaAs(1 0 0) by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition employing in situ generated arsine radicals

InAs was grown by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on vicinal GaAs(1 0 0) substrates misoriented by 2° toward [0 0 1]. We observed InAs crystal growth, at substrate temperatures down to 300°C, employing in situ plasma-generated arsine radicals as the arsenic source. The in situ generated arsine was produced by placing solid arsenic downstream of a microwave driven hydrogen plasma. Trimethylindium (TMIn) feedstock carried by hydrogen gas was used as the indium source. The Arrhenius plot of InAs growth rate vs. reciprocal substrate temperature displayed an activation energy of 46.1 kcal/mol in the temperature range of 300–350°C. This measured activation energy value is very close to the energy necessary to remove the first methyl radical from the TMIn molecule, which has never been reported in prior InAs growth to the best of authors’ knowledge. The film growth mechanism is discussed. The crystallinity, infrared spectrum, electrical properties and impurity levels of grown InAs are also presented.     

Structural,electrical and optical properties of SnO2 films deposited on Y-stabilized ZrO2 (1 0 0) substrates by MOCVD

SnO₂ films have been deposited on Y-stabilized ZrO₂ (YSZ) (1 0 0) substrates at different substrate temperatures (500–800 °C) by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Structural, electrical and optical properties of the films have been investigated. The films deposited at 500 and 600 °C are epitaxial SnO₂ films with orthorhombic columbite structure, and the HRTEM analysis shows a clear epitaxial relationship of columbite SnO₂(1 0 0)||YSZ(1 0 0). The films deposited at 700 and 800 °C have mixed-phase structures of rutile and columbite SnO₂. The carrier concentration of the films is in the range from 1.15×10¹⁹ to 2.68×10¹⁹ cm⁻³, and the resistivity is from 2.48×10⁻² to 1.16×10⁻² Ω cm. The absolute average transmittance of the films in the visible range exceeds 90%. The band gap of the obtained SnO₂ films is about 3.75–3.87 eV.     

Polar dependence of impurity incorporation and yellow luminescence in GaN films grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

We have investigated the unintentional impurities, oxygen and carbon, in GaN films grown on c-plane, r-plane as well as m-plane sapphire by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. The GaN layer was analyzed by secondary ion mass spectroscopy. The different trend of the incorporation of oxygen and carbon has been explained in the polar (0 0 0 1), nonpolar (1 1 2¯ 0) and semipolar (1 1 2¯ 2) GaN by a combination of the atom bonding structure and the origin direction of the impurities. Furthermore, it has been found that there is a stronger yellow luminescence (YL) in GaN with higher concentration of carbon, suggesting that C-involved defects are originally responsible for the YL.