III-N light emitting diodes fabricated using RF nitrogen gas source MBE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Hove, J. M.; Carpenter, G.; Nelson, E.; Wowchak, A.; Chow, P. P.

1996-07-01

Homo- and heterojunction III-N light emitting diodes using RF atomic nitrogen plasma molecular beam epitaxy have been grown. GaN films deposited on sapphire using this growth technique exhibited an extremely sharp X-ray diffraction with a full width half maximum of 112 arc sec. p-type doping of the nitride films was done with elemental Mg and resulted in as-grown p-type material with resistivities as low as 2 Ω · cm. Both homo- and heterojunction LEDs showed clear rectification. Emission from the GaN homojunction deposited on n-type SiC was peaked at 410 nm while the AlGaNGaN(Zn)AlGaN double heterojunction LEDs emission was centered about 520 nm.

AlGaN/GaN-on-Si monolithic power-switching device with integrated gate current booster

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Sang-Woo; Jo, Min-Gi; Kim, Hyungtak; Cho, Chun-Hyung; Cha, Ho-Young

2017-08-01

This study investigates the effects of a monolithic gate current booster integrated with an AlGaN/GaN-on-Si power-switching device. The integrated gate current booster was implemented by a single-stage inverter topology consisting of a recessed normally-off AlGaN/GaN MOS-HFET and a mesa resistor. The monolithically integrated gate current booster in a switching FET eliminated the parasitic elements caused by external interconnection and enabled fast switching operation. The gate charging and discharging currents were boosted by the integrated inverter, which significantly reduced both rise and fall times: the rise time was reduced from 626 to 41.26 ns, while the fall time was reduced from 554 to 42.19 ns by the single-stage inverter. When the packaged monolithic power chip was tested under 1 MHz hard-switching operation with VDD = 200 V, the switching loss was found to have been drastically reduced, from 5.27 to 0.55 W.

Using gallium as a tracer of aluminum in the Critical Zone: influences on terrestrial cycling from vegetation.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richardson, J. B.; Derry, L. A.

2016-12-01

Aluminum is a major component of primary and secondary aluminosilicate minerals, stabilizes of soil organic matter, and causes toxicity in plants and organisms. However, tracking the pathways and rates of Al cycling has been limited due to the lack of a suitable tracer because it is monoisotopic. Gallium (Ga) holds promise as an effective pseudo-isotope, geochemical tracer of Al (Shiller and Frilot, 1996, GCA). Gallium shares many physicochemical properties with Al. Both are Group 3A elements, with similar atomic radii, oxidation states, and charge densities. To determine fluxes of Al using the Ga/Al ratio, it is important to identify fractionation during weathering, secondary mineral precipitation, organic matter complexation, and vegetation cycling. To determine the extent of Ga/Al fractionation by vegetation, we measured Ga and Al in plant tissues and soils from three sites in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Total Ga and Al were measured in late-season leaves and bolewood from Acer saccharum, Fagus grandifolia, and Picea rubens. In addition, we measured strong acid (16 M HNO3 + 12 M HCl) extractable Ga and Al throughout three Spodosol profiles. Gallium ranged between 0.10 - 0.17 nmol g-1 in plant tissues while soils ranged between 1.20 - 45.10 nmol g-1. Aluminum varied between 0.54 - 2.66 μmol g -1 in plant tissues and 7.70 - 263.60 μmol g -1 in their soils. The Ga/Al ratio varied significantly throughout the Critical Zone: late-season leaves (10 ± 1 nmol/ μmol) and bolewood (12 ± 1 nmol/ μmol), and organic horizons (6 ± 1 nmol/ μmol). Typical Ga/Al ratio in igneous and metamorphosed rocks is 0.10 ± 0.02 nmol/ μmol (Shiller and Frilot, 1996, GCA). Our results suggest that vegetation strongly accumulate Ga over Al during biological uplift. This study is one of the first to assess Ga biogeochemistry in the Critical Zone and more are needed, particularly for abiotic processes.

First principles study of the ground state properties of Si, Ga, and Ge doped Fe50Al50

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pérez, Carlos Ariel Samudio; dos Santos, Antonio Vanderlei

2018-06-01

The first principles calculation of the structural, electronic and associated properties of the Fe50Al50 alloy (B2 phase) doped by s-p elements (Im = Si, Ga, and Ge) are performed as a function of the atomic concentration on the basis of the Full Potential Linear Augmented Plane Wave (FP-LAPW) method as implemented in the WIEN2k code. The Al substitution by Im (Si and Ge) atoms (principally at a concentration of 6.25 at%) induces a pronounced redistribution of the electronic charge leading to a strong Fe-Im interaction with covalent bonding character. At the same time, decrease the lattice volume (V) while increase the bulk modulus (B). For the alloys containing Ga, the Fe-Ga interaction is also observed but the V and B of the alloy are very near to that of pure Fe-Al alloy. The magnetic moment and hyperfine parameters observed at the lattice sites of studied alloys also show variations, they increase or decrease in relation to that in Fe50Al50 according to the Im that substitutes Al.

Ideal square quantum wells achieved in AlGaN/GaN superlattices using ultrathin blocking-compensation pair

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Xiaohong; Xu, Hongmei; Xu, Fuchun

A technique for achieving square-shape quantum wells (QWs) against the intrinsic polar discontinuity and interfacial diffusion through self-compensated pair interlayers is reported. Ultrathin low-and-high % pair interlayers that have diffusion-blocking and self-compensation capacities is proposed to resist the elemental diffusion at nanointerfaces and to grow the theoretically described abrupt rectangular AlGaN/GaN superlattices by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. Light emission efficiency in such nanostructures is effectively enhanced and the quantum-confined Stark effect could be partially suppressed. This concept could effectively improve the quality of ultrathin QWs in functional nanostructures with other semiconductors or through other growth methods.

Accurate calibration for the quantification of the Al content in AlGaN epitaxial layers by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy in a Transmission Electron Microscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amari, H.; Lari, L.; Zhang, H. Y.; Geelhaar, L.; Chèze, C.; Kappers, M. J.; McAleese, C.; Humphreys, C. J.; Walther, T.

2011-11-01

Since the band structure of group III- nitrides presents a direct electronic transition with a band-gap energy covering the range from 3.4 eV for (GaN) to 6.2 eV (for AlN) at room temperature as well as a high thermal conductivity, aluminium gallium nitride (AlGaN) is a strong candidate for high-power and high-temperature electronic devices and short-wavelength (visible and ultraviolet) optoelectronic devices. We report here a study by energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS) of the micro structure and elemental distribution in different aluminium gallium nitride epitaxial layers grown by different research groups. A calibration procedure is out-lined that yields the Al content from EDXS to within ~1 at % precision.

Novel AlInN/GaN integrated circuits operating up to 500 °C

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaska, R.; Gaevski, M.; Jain, R.; Deng, J.; Islam, M.; Simin, G.; Shur, M.

2015-11-01

High electron concentration in 2DEG channel of AlInN/GaN devices is remarkably stable over a broad temperature range, enabling device operation above 500 °C. The developed IC technology is based on three key elements: (1) exceptional quality AlInN/GaN heterostructure with very high carrier concentration and mobility enables IC fast operation in a broad temperature range; (2) heterostructure field effect transistor approach t provides fully planar IC structure which is easy to scale and to combine with the other high temperature electronic components; (3) fabrication advancements including novel metallization scheme and high-K passivation/gate dielectrics enable high temperature operation. The feasibility of the developed technology was confirmed by fabrication and testing of the high temperature inverter and differential amplifier ICs using AlInN/GaN heterostructures. The developed ICs showed stable performance with unit-gain bandwidth above 1 MHz and internal response time 45 ns at temperatures as high as 500 °C.

Structural classification of RAO3( MO) n compounds ( R =Sc, In, Y, or lanthanides; A =Fe(III), Ga, Cr, or Al; M =divalent cation; n = 1-11)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimizuka, Noboru; Mohri, Takahiko

1989-01-01

A series of new compounds RAO3( MO) n ( n = 1-11) having spinel, YbFe 2O 4, or InFeO 3(ZnO) n types of structures were newly synthesized ( R =Sc, In, Y, Lu, Yb, Tm, or Er; A =Fe(III), Ga, Cr, or Al; M =Mg, Mn, Fe(II), Co, Ni, Zn, or Cd) at elevated temperatures. The conditions of synthesis and the lattice constants for these compounds are reported. The stacking sequences of the InO 1.5, (FeZn)O 2.5, and ZnO layers for InFeO 3(ZnO) 10 and the TmO 1.5, (AlZn)O 2.5, and ZnO layers for TmAlO 3(ZnO) 11 are presented, respectively. The crystal structures of the( RAO3) m( MO) n phases ( R =Sc, In, Y, or lanthanide elements; A =Fe(III), Ga, Cr, or Al; M =divalent cation elements; m and n =integer) are classified into four crystal structure types (K 2NiF 4, CaFe 2O 4, YbFe 2O 4, and spinel), based upon the constituent cations R, A, and M

Magnetic properties of doped Mn-Ga alloys made by mechanical milling and heat treatment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brown, Daniel R.; National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Tallahassee, FL 32310; Han, Ke

2016-05-15

Mn-Ga alloys have shown hard magnetic properties, even though these alloys contain no rare-earth metals. However, much work is needed before rare-earth magnets can be replaced. We have examined the magnetic properties of bulk alloys made with partial replacement of both the Mn and Ga elements in the Mn{sub 0.8}Ga{sub 0.2} system. Bulk samples of Mn-Ga-Bi, Mn-Ga-Al, Mn-Fe-Ga and Mn-(FeB)-Ga alloys were fabricated and studied using mechanically milling and heat treatments while altering the atomic percentage of the third element between 2.5 and 20 at%. The ternary alloy exhibits all hard magnetic properties at room temperature with large coercivity. Annealedmore » Mn-Ga-X bulk composites exhibit high coercivities up to 16.6 kOe and remanence up to 9.8 emu/g, that is increased by 115% over the binary system.« less

Temporal behavior of RHEED intensity oscillations during molecular beam epitaxial growth of GaAs and AlGaAs on (111)B GaAs substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yen, Ming Y.; Haas, T. W.

1990-10-01

We present the temporal behavior of intensity oscillations in reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) during molecular beam epitaxial (MBE) growth of GaAs and A1GaAs on (1 1 1)B GaAs substrates. The RHEED intensity oscillations were examined as a function of growth parameters in order to provide the insight into the dynamic characteristics and to identify the optimal condition for the two-dimensional layer-by-layer growth. The most intense RHEED oscillation was found to occur within a very narrow temperature range which seems to optimize the surface migration kinetics of the arriving group III elements and the molecular dissodiative reaction of the group V elements. The appearance of an initial transient of the intensity upon commencement of the growth and its implications are described.

Transition Element Abundances in MORB Basalts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, S.; Humayun, M.; Salters, V. J.; Fields, D.; Jefferson, G.; Perfit, M. R.

2012-12-01

The mineralogy of the mantle sources of basalts is an important, but hard to constrain parameter, especially with the basalts as chemical probes of major element mantle composition. Geophysical models imply that the deep mantle may have significant variations in Fe and Si relative to the ambient mantle sampled by MORB. Some petrological models of sub-ridge melting involve both pyroxenite and peridotite, implying that basalts preferentially sample a pyroxenite endmember. The First-Row Transition Elements (FRTE), Ga and Ge are compatible to moderately incompatible during partial melting, and are sensitive to mineralogical variability in the mantle and thus can provide constraints on mantle source mineralogy for MORB. We have analyzed major elements, FRTE, Ga and Ge on 231 basaltic glasses from the Middle Atlantic Ridge (MAR between -23°S to 36.44°N), 30 Mid-Cayman Rise basaltic glasses, 12 glasses from the Siqueiros Fracture Zone (EPR), 9 glasses from the Blanco Trough, Juan de Fuca ridge, and Galapagos Spreading Centers (EPR), and 4 Indian Ocean MORB. Large spots (150 μm) were precisely (±1%) analyzed by a New Wave UP193FX excimer (193 nm) laser ablation system coupled to a high-resolution ICP-MS at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory using a high ablation rate (50 Hz) to yield blank contributions <1% for all elements, particularly Ge. The data demonstrate that the Ge/Si (6.96 x 10E-6 ± 3%, 1σ) and Fe/Mn (55 ± 2%) ratios for MORB are insensitive to fractional crystallization within the MgO range 6%-10%. MORB have Zn/Fe (9.9 x 10E-4 ± 7%), Ga/Sc (0.37-0.50), Ga/Al (2.2 x 10E-4 ± 11%) ratios, with the variations mostly due to the effects of fractional crystallization. Recent experimental determination of FRTE, Ga and Ge partition coefficients provide a framework within which to interpret these data [1]. Using these new partition coefficients, we have modeled the sensitivity of each element to mineralogical variations in the mantle source. Olivine primarily controls the partitioning of Fe, Zn, Ga and Ge; garnet dominates the Sc abundance; spinel exerts exceptionally strong control over Ga and Zn, and cannot be neglected as a source mineral for these elements. MORB FRTE, Ga and Ge abundances are consistent with partial melting of a spinel peridotite source (<1% garnet) similar to that estimated for DMM, although the abundances of many of these elements need to be better constrained in the model sources. [1] Davis et al. GCA (submitted)

High Operating Temperature Barrier Infrared Detector with Tailorable Cutoff Wavelength

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ting, David Z. (Inventor); Hill, Cory J. (Inventor); Seibel, Alexander (Inventor); Bandara, Sumith Y. (Inventor); Gunapala, Sarath D. (Inventor)

2015-01-01

A barrier infrared detector with absorber materials having selectable cutoff wavelengths and its method of manufacture is described. A GaInAsSb absorber layer may be grown on a GaSb substrate layer formed by mixing GaSb and InAsSb by an absorber mixing ratio. A GaAlAsSb barrier layer may then be grown on the barrier layer formed by mixing GaSb and AlSbAs by a barrier mixing ratio. The absorber mixing ratio may be selected to adjust a band gap of the absorber layer and thereby determine a cutoff wavelength for the barrier infrared detector. The absorber mixing ratio may vary along an absorber layer growth direction. Various contact layer architectures may be used. In addition, a top contact layer may be isolated into an array of elements electrically isolated as individual functional detectors that may be used in a detector array, imaging array, or focal plane array.

Power and stability limitations of resonant tunneling diodes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kidner, C.; Mehdi, I.; East, J. R.; Haddad, G. I.

1990-01-01

Stability criteria for resonant tunneling diodes are investigated. Details of how extrinsic elements, such as series inductance and parallel capacitance, affect the stability are presented. A GaAs/AlAs/InGaAs/AlAs/GaAs double-barrier diode is investigated, showing the effect of different modes of low-frequency oscillation and the extrinsic circuit required for stabilization. The effect of device stabilization on high-frequency power generation is described. The main conclusions of the paper are: (1) stable resonant tunneling diode operation is difficult to obtain, and (2) the circuit and device conditions required for stable operation greatly reduce the amount of power that can be produced by these devices.

Tetragonal-antiprismatic coordination of transition metals in intermetallic compounds: ω1-Mn6Ga29 and its structuralrelationships

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antonyshyn, Iryna; Prots, Yurii; Margiolaki, Irene; Schmidt, Marcus Peter; Zhak, Olga; Oryshchyn, Stepan; Grin, Yuri

2013-03-01

The new phase ω1-Mn6Ga29 was synthesised in single-crystal form from the elements applying the high-temperature centrifugation-aided filtration technique. The crystal structure was determined using diffraction data collected from a twinned specimen: a new prototype, space group P1¯; a=6.3114(2) Å, b=9.9557(3) Å, c=18.920(1) Å, α=90.473(1)°, β=90.847(1)°, γ=90.396(1)°; R1=0.047, wR2=0.117 for 317 variable parameters and 7346 observed reflections; twinning matrix 0 0 -1/3, 0 -1 0, -3 0 0; twin domains ratio 0.830(3):0.170. All manganese atoms in the crystal structure of ω1-Mn6Ga29 are coordinated exclusively by Ga forming distorted tetragonal antiprisms. The monocapped [MnGa8+1] antiprisms condense into pairs by sharing their pseudo-quadratic faces and are interconnected via common apexes and edges to form a 3D framework. The relationship between the crystal structures of ω1-Mn6Ga29 and CuAl2, α-, β-CoSn3, PtSn4, Ti4MnBi2, PdGa5, Rh3Ga16, Rh4Ga21, Al7FeCu2, Co2Al9, and RhBi4 is discussed.

Understanding the Growth Mechanism of GaN Epitaxial Layers on Mechanically Exfoliated Graphite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Tianbao; Liu, Chenyang; Zhang, Zhe; Yu, Bin; Dong, Hailiang; Jia, Wei; Jia, Zhigang; Yu, Chunyan; Gan, Lin; Xu, Bingshe; Jiang, Haiwei

2018-04-01

The growth mechanism of GaN epitaxial layers on mechanically exfoliated graphite is explained in detail based on classic nucleation theory. The number of defects on the graphite surface can be increased via O-plasma treatment, leading to increased nucleation density on the graphite surface. The addition of elemental Al can effectively improve the nucleation rate, which can promote the formation of dense nucleation layers and the lateral growth of GaN epitaxial layers. The surface morphologies of the nucleation layers, annealed layers and epitaxial layers were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, where the evolution of the surface morphology coincided with a 3D-to-2D growth mechanism. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy was used to characterize the microstructure of GaN. Fast Fourier transform diffraction patterns showed that cubic phase (zinc-blend structure) GaN grains were obtained using conventional GaN nucleation layers, while the hexagonal phase (wurtzite structure) GaN films were formed using AlGaN nucleation layers. Our work opens new avenues for using highly oriented pyrolytic graphite as a substrate to fabricate transferable optoelectronic devices.

Understanding the Growth Mechanism of GaN Epitaxial Layers on Mechanically Exfoliated Graphite.

PubMed

Li, Tianbao; Liu, Chenyang; Zhang, Zhe; Yu, Bin; Dong, Hailiang; Jia, Wei; Jia, Zhigang; Yu, Chunyan; Gan, Lin; Xu, Bingshe; Jiang, Haiwei

2018-04-27

The growth mechanism of GaN epitaxial layers on mechanically exfoliated graphite is explained in detail based on classic nucleation theory. The number of defects on the graphite surface can be increased via O-plasma treatment, leading to increased nucleation density on the graphite surface. The addition of elemental Al can effectively improve the nucleation rate, which can promote the formation of dense nucleation layers and the lateral growth of GaN epitaxial layers. The surface morphologies of the nucleation layers, annealed layers and epitaxial layers were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, where the evolution of the surface morphology coincided with a 3D-to-2D growth mechanism. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy was used to characterize the microstructure of GaN. Fast Fourier transform diffraction patterns showed that cubic phase (zinc-blend structure) GaN grains were obtained using conventional GaN nucleation layers, while the hexagonal phase (wurtzite structure) GaN films were formed using AlGaN nucleation layers. Our work opens new avenues for using highly oriented pyrolytic graphite as a substrate to fabricate transferable optoelectronic devices.

Combination of Carrier Concentration Regulation and High Band Degeneracy for Enhanced Thermoelectric Performance of Cu3SbSe4.

PubMed

Zhang, Dan; Yang, Junyou; Jiang, Qinghui; Zhou, Zhiwei; Li, Xin; Xin, Jiwu; Basit, Abdul; Ren, Yangyang; He, Xu; Chu, Weijing; Hou, Jingdi

2017-08-30

The effect of Al-, Ga-, and In-doping on the thermoelectric (TE) properties of Cu 3 SbSe 4 has been comparatively studied on the basis of theoretical prediction and experimental validation. It is found that tiny Al/Ga/In substitution leads to a great enhancement of electrical conductivity with high carrier concentration and also large Seebeck coefficient due to the preserved high band degeneracy and thereby a remarkably high power factor. Ultimately, coupled with the depressed lattice thermal conductivity, all three elements (Al/Ga/In) substituted samples have obtained a highly improved thermoelectric performance with respect to undoped Cu 3 SbSe 4 . Compared to the samples at the same Al/In doping level, the slightly Ga-doped sample presents better TE performance over the wide temperature range, and the Cu 3 Sb 0.995 Ga 0.005 Se 4 sample presents a record high ZT value of 0.9 among single-doped Cu 3 SbSe 4 at 623 K, which is about 80% higher than that of pristine Cu 3 SbSe 4 . This work offers an alternative approach to boost the TE properties of Cu 3 SbSe 4 by selecting efficient dopant to weaken the coupling between electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient.

Correlation of martensitic transformation temperatures of Ni- Mn-Ga/Al-X alloys to non-bonding electron concentration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramudu, M.; Satish Kumar, A.; Seshubai, V.; Rajasekharan, T.

2015-02-01

The martensitic transformation TM of the alloys of Ni-Mn-Ga and Ni-Mn-Al show a general trend of increase with electron per atom ratio (e/a) calculated from the total number of electrons outside the rare gas shell of the atoms. However prediction of TM fails among iron substituted Ni-Mn-Ga alloys and those with In doped for Ga, due to the absence of a useful trend. A scheme of computing modified electron concentration is presented considering only the non-bonding electrons per atom Ne/a of the compounds, based on Pauling's ideas on the electronic structure of metallic elements. Systematic variation of TM with Ne/a is reproduced for a large number of alloys of Ni-Mn-Ga and the anomaly observed for Fe containing alloys with e/a disappears. The non-bonding electron concentration is thus demonstrated to be effective in predicting TM of shape memory alloys of Ni-Mn-Ga-X system including the isoelectronic compounds of Ni-Mn-Ga-In.

Structural classification of RAO/sub 3/(MO)/sub n/ compounds (R = Sc, In, Y, or lanthanides; A = Fe(III), Ga, Cr, or Al; M = divalent cation; n = 1-11)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kimizuka, N.; Mohri, T.

A series of new compounds (RAO/sub 3/MO)/sub n/ (n = 1-11) having spinel, YbFe/sub 2/O/sub 4/, or InFeO/sub 3/(ZnO)/sub n/ types of structures were newly synthesized (R = Sc, In, Y, Lu, Yb, Tm, or Er; A = Fe(III), Ga, Cr, or Al; M = Mg, Mn, Fe(II), Co, Ni, Zn, or Cd) at elevated temperatures. The conditions of synthesis and the lattice constants for these compounds are reported. The stacking sequences of the InO/sub 1.5/, (FeZn)O/sub 2.5/, and ZnO layers for InFeO/sub 3/(ZnO)/sub 10/ and the TmO/sub 1.5/, (AlZn)O/sub 2.5/, and ZnO layers for TmAlO/sub 3/(ZnO)/sub 11/ are presented,more » respectively. The crystal structures of the (RAO/sub 3/)/sub m/(MO)/sub n/ phases R = Sc, In, Y, or lanthanide elements; A = Fe(III), Ga, Cr, or Al; M = divalent cation elements; m and n = integer are classified into four crystal structure types (K/sub 2/NiF/sub 4/, CaFe/sub 2/O/sub 4/, YbFe/sub 2/O/sub 4/, and spinel), based upon the constituent cations R, A, and M.« less

New insights into the application of the valence rules in Zintl phases—Crystal and electronic structures of Ba{sub 7}Ga{sub 4}P{sub 9}, Ba{sub 7}Ga{sub 4}As{sub 9}, Ba{sub 7}Al{sub 4}Sb{sub 9}, Ba{sub 6}CaAl{sub 4}Sb{sub 9}, and Ba{sub 6}CaGa{sub 4}Sb{sub 9}

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

He, Hua; Stoyko, Stanislav; Bobev, Svilen, E-mail: bobev@udel.edu

Crystals of three new ternary pnictides—Ba{sub 7}Al{sub 4}Sb{sub 9}, Ba{sub 7}Ga{sub 4}P{sub 9}, and Ba{sub 7}Ga{sub 4}As{sub 9} have been prepared by reactions of the respective elements in molten Al or Pb fluxes. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies reveal that the three phases are isotypic, crystallizing in the orthorhombic Ba{sub 7}Ga{sub 4}Sb{sub 9}-type structure (space group Pmmn, Pearson symbol oP40, Z=2), for which only the prototype is known. The structure is based on TrPn{sub 4} tetrahedra (Tr=Al, Ga; Pn=P, As, Sb), connected in an intricate scheme into 1D-ribbons. Long interchain Pn–Pn bonds (d{sub P–P}>3.0 Å; d{sub As–As}>3.1 Å; d{sub Sb–Sb}>3.3 Å)more » account for the realization of 2D-layers, separated by Ba{sup 2+} cations. Applying the classic valance rules to rationalize the bonding apparently fails, and Ba{sub 7}Ga{sub 4}Sb{sub 9} has long been known as a metallic Zintl phase. Earlier theoretical calculations, both empirical and ab-initio, suggest that the possible metallic properties originate from filled anti-bonding Pn–Pn states, and the special roles of the “cations” in this crystal structure. To experimentally probe this hypothesis, we sought to synthesize the ordered quaternary phases Ba{sub 6}CaTr{sub 4}Sb{sub 9} (Tr=Al, Ga). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction work confirms Ba{sub 6.145(3)}Ca{sub 0.855}Al{sub 4}Sb{sub 9} and Ba{sub 6.235(3)}Ca{sub 0.765}Ga{sub 4}Sb{sub 9}, with Ca atoms preferably substituting Ba on one of the three available sites. The nuances of the five crystal structures are discussed, and the chemical bonding in Ba{sub 7}Ga{sub 4}As{sub 9} is interrogated by tight-binding linear muffin-tin orbital calculations. - Graphical abstract: The new Zintl phases—Ba{sub 7}Al{sub 4}Sb{sub 9}, Ba{sub 7}Ga{sub 4}P{sub 9}, and Ba{sub 7}Ga{sub 4}As{sub 9}, and their quaternary variants Ba{sub 6}CaTr{sub 4}Sb{sub 9} (Tr=Al, Ga)—crystallize in the Ba{sub 7}Ga{sub 4}Sb{sub 9} structure type. The structures are based on TrPn{sub 4} tetrahedra (a perspective of the crystal structure is shown, as viewed along the c axis). - Highlights: • Ba{sub 7}Al{sub 4}Sb{sub 9}, Ba{sub 7}Ga{sub 4}P{sub 9}, and Ba{sub 7}Ga{sub 4}As{sub 9} are new compounds in the respective phase diagrams. • The quaternary phases Ba{sub 6}CaTr{sub 4}Sb{sub 9} (Tr=Al, Ga) show nearly ordered Ba/Ca distribution. • Very weak Pn–Pn bonds and pairing distortion are observed for Ba{sub 7}Ga{sub 4}Pn{sub 9} (Pn=P, As).« less

Thermal expansion and microstructural analysis of experimental metal-ceramic titanium alloys.

PubMed

Zinelis, Spiros; Tsetsekou, Athena; Papadopoulos, Triantafillos

2003-10-01

Statement of problem Low-fusing porcelains for titanium veneering have demonstrated inferior color stability and metal-ceramic longevity compared to conventional porcelains. This study evaluated the microstructure and thermal expansion coefficients of some experimental titanium alloys as alternative metallic substrates for low-fusing conventional porcelain. Commercially pure titanium (CP Ti) and various metallic elements (Al, Co, Sn, Ga, In, Mn) were used to prepare 8 titanium alloys using a commercial 2-chamber electric-arc vacuum/inert gas dental casting machine (Cyclarc). The nominal compositions of these alloys were the following (wt%): I: 80Ti-18Sn-1.5In-0.5Mn; II: 76Ti-12Ga-7Sn-4Al-1Co; III: 87Ti-13Ga; IV: 79Ti-13Ga-7Al-1Co; V: 82Ti-18In; VI: 75.5Ti-18In-5Al-1Co-0.5Mn; VII: 85Ti-10Sn-5Al; VIII: 78Ti-12Co-7Ga-3Sn. Six rectangular wax patterns for each test material (l = 25 mm, w = 3 mm, h = 1 mm) were invested with magnesia-based material and cast with grade II CP Ti (control) and the 8 experimental alloys. The porosity of each casting was evaluated radiographically, and defective specimens were discarded. Two cast specimens from CP Ti and alloys I-VIII were embedded in epoxy resin and, after metallographic grinding and polishing, were studied by means of scanning electron microscopy and wavelength dispersive electron probe microanalysis. One specimen of each material was utilized for the determination of coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) with a dilatometer operating from room temperature up to 650 degrees C at a heating rate of 5 degrees C/minute. Secondary electron images (SEI) and compositional backscattered electron images (BEI-COMPO) revealed that all cast specimens consisted of a homogeneous matrix except Alloy VIII, which contained a second phase (possibly Ti(2)Co) along with the titanium matrix. The results showed that the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) varied from 10.1 to 13.1 x 10(-6)/ degrees C (25 degrees -500 degrees C), depending on the elemental composition. The CTE of titanium can be considerably changed by alloying. Two-phase alloys were developed when alloying elements were added in concentrations greater than the maximum solubility limit in alpha-titanium phase.

Involvement of Fumarase C and NADH Oxidase in Metabolic Adaptation of Pseudomonas fluorescens Cells Evoked by Aluminum and Gallium Toxicity▿

PubMed Central

Chenier, Daniel; Beriault, Robin; Mailloux, Ryan; Baquie, Mathurin; Abramia, Gia; Lemire, Joseph; Appanna, Vasu

2008-01-01

Iron (Fe) is a critical element in all aerobic organisms as it participates in a variety of metabolic networks. In this study, aluminum (Al) and gallium (Ga), two Fe mimetics, severely impeded the ability of the soil microbe Pseudomonas fluorescens to perform oxidative phosphorylation. This was achieved by disrupting the activity and expression of complexes I, II, and IV. These toxic metals also inactivated aconitase (ACN) and fumarase A (FUM A), two tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes dependent on Fe for their catalytic activity, while FUM C, an Fe-independent enzyme, displayed an increase in activity and expression under these stressed situations. Furthermore, in the Al- and Ga-exposed cells, the activity and expression of an H2O-forming NADH oxidase were markedly increased. The incubation of the Al- and Ga-challenged cells in an Fe-containing medium led to the recovery of the affected enzymatic activities. Taken together, these data provide novel insights into how environmental pollutants such as Al and Ga interfere with cellular Fe metabolism and also illustrate the ability of Pseudomonas fluorescens to modulate metabolic networks to combat this situation. PMID:18469122

Adsorption of sugars on Al- and Ga-doped boron nitride surfaces: A computational study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darwish, Ahmed A.; Fadlallah, Mohamed M.; Badawi, Ashraf; Maarouf, Ahmed A.

2016-07-01

Molecular adsorption on surfaces is a key element for many applications, including sensing and catalysis. Non-invasive sugar sensing has been an active area of research due to its importance to diabetes care. The adsorption of sugars on a template surface study is at the heart of matter. Here, we study doped hexagonal boron nitride sheets (h-BNNs) as adsorbing and sensing template for glucose and glucosamine. Using first principles calculations, we find that the adsorption of glucose and glucosamine on h-BNNs is significantly enhanced by the substitutional doping of the sheet with Al and Ga. Including long range van der Waals corrections gives adsorption energies of about 2 eV. In addition to the charge transfer occurring between glucose and the Al/Ga-doped BN sheets, the adsorption alters the size of the band gap, allowing for optical detection of adsorption. We also find that Al-doped boron nitride sheet is better than Ga-doped boron nitride sheet to enhance the adsorption energy of glucose and glucosamine. The results of our work can be potentially utilized when designing support templates for glucose and glucosamine.

Impact of an AlAs window layer upon the optical properties of Al x Ga1-x As photodiodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, T.; Chen, X. J.; Johnson, E. B.; Christian, J. F.; Lee, K.; Hammig, M. D.

2016-05-01

Recently developed advanced scintillators, which have the ability to distinguish gamma-ray interaction events from those that accompany neutron impact, require improved quantum efficiency in the blue to near UV region of the spectrum. We utilize GaAs/Al0.8Ga0.2As photodiode elements as components in a wide band-gap solid-state photomultiplier as a lower-cost, lower logistical burden, and higher quantum efficiency replacement for the photomultiplier tube. An AlAs window layer is employed as a means to increase the diode’s optical performance. Relative to structures absent the window layer, simulations and measurements demonstrate that the AlAs layer produces a spatial coincidence between regions of large drift fields with regions of high photon absorption. In addition to the AlAs layer, secondary ion mass spectrometry measurements show that an unexpected high degree of inter-diffusion of GaAs and AlAs quenches the photon-detection efficiency, a decrease that can be avoided by its post-growth removal. With the AlAs layer, the peak external quantum efficiency of 49% is achieved at 450 nm with 10 V reverse bias, which does not fully deplete the device. Simulations show that full depletion can result in efficiencies exceeding 90%. In order to enhance the optical response, a simple anti-reflective coating layer is designed using the existing passivation layer components that successfully minimizes the reflection at the wavelength range of interest (300 nm-500 nm).

Non-volatile magnetic random access memory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Katti, Romney R. (Inventor); Stadler, Henry L. (Inventor); Wu, Jiin-Chuan (Inventor)

1994-01-01

Improvements are made in a non-volatile magnetic random access memory. Such a memory is comprised of an array of unit cells, each having a Hall-effect sensor and a thin-film magnetic element made of material having an in-plane, uniaxial anisotropy and in-plane, bipolar remanent magnetization states. The Hall-effect sensor is made more sensitive by using a 1 m thick molecular beam epitaxy grown InAs layer on a silicon substrate by employing a GaAs/AlGaAs/InAlAs superlattice buffering layer. One improvement avoids current shunting problems of matrix architecture. Another improvement reduces the required magnetizing current for the micromagnets. Another improvement relates to the use of GaAs technology wherein high electron-mobility GaAs MESFETs provide faster switching times. Still another improvement relates to a method for configuring the invention as a three-dimensional random access memory.

Phase relations in the pseudobinary systems RAO3-R2Ti2O7 (R: rare earth element and Y, A: Fe, Ga, Al, Cr and Mn) and syntheses of new compounds R(A1-xTix)O3+x/2 (2/3≤x≤3/4) at elevated temperatures in air

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Francisco; Jacobo-Herrera, Ivan; Alvarez-Montaño, Victor; Kimizuka, Noboru; Kurashina, Keiji; Michiue, Yuichi; Matsuo, Yoji; Mori, Shigeo; Ikeda, Naoshi; Medrano, Felipe

2017-07-01

Phase relations in the pseudo-binary systems RFeO3-R2Ti2O7 (R: Lu, Ho and Dy), RGaO3-R2Ti2O7 (R: Lu and Er), LuAlO3-Lu2Ti2O7 and RAO3-R2Ti2O7 (R: Lu and Yb. A: Cr and Mn) at elevated temperatures in air were determined by means of a classic quenching method. There exist Lu(Fe1-xTix)O3+x/2, R(Ga1-xTix)O3+x/2 (R: Lu and Er) and Lu(Al1-xTix)O3+x/2 (2/3≤ x≤3/4) having the Yb(Fe1-xTix)O3+x/2-type of crystal structure (x=0.72, space group: R3m, a(Å)=17.9773 and c(Å)=16.978 as a hexagonal setting) in these pseudo binary systems. Eighteen compounds R(A1-xTix)O3+x/2 (R: Lu-Sm and Y, A: Fe, Ga and Al) were newly synthesized and their lattice constants as a hexagonal setting were measured by means of the X-ray powder diffraction method. The R occupies the octahedral site and both A and Ti does the trigonalbipyramidal one in these compounds. Relation between lattice constants for the rhombic R(A1-xTix)O3+x/2 and the monoclinic In(A1-xTix)O3+x/2 are as follows, ah≈5 x bm, ch≈3 x cm x sin β and am=31/2 x bm, where ah and ch are the lattice constants as a hexagonal setting for R(A1-xTix)O3+x/2 and am, bm, cm and β are those of the monoclinic In(A1-xTix)O3+x/2. Crystal structural relationships among α-InGaO3 (hexagonal, high pressure form, space group: P63/mmc), InGaO3 (rhombic, hypothetical), (RAO3)n(BO)m and RAO3(ZnO)m (R: Lu-Ho, Y and In, A: Fe, Ga, and Al, B: divalent cation element, m, n: natural number), the orthorhombic-and monoclinic In(A1-xTix)O3+x/2 (A: Fe, Ga, Al, Cr and Mn) and the hexagonal-and rhombic R(A1-xTix)O3+x/2 (R: Lu-Sm and Y, A: Fe, Ga and Al) are schematically presented. We concluded that the crystal structures of both the α-InGaO3 (high pressure form, hexagonal, space group: P63/mmc) and the hypothetical InGaO3 (rhombic) are the key structures for constructing the crystal structures of these compounds having the cations with CN=5.

Galvanizing and Galvannealing Behavior of CMnSiCr Dual-Phase Steels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Ko-Chun; Chu, Peng-Wei; Lin, Chao-Sung; Chen, Hon-Bor

2013-06-01

Alloying elements, such as Mn, Mo, Si, and Cr, are commonly used to enhance the strength of advanced high-strength steels. Those elements also play an important role in the hot-dip galvanizing (GI) and galvannealing (GA) process. In this study, two kinds of CMnSiCr dual-phase steels were galvanized and galvannealed using a hot-dip simulator to investigate the effect of the alloying elements on the microstructure of the GI and GA coatings. The results showed that the dual-phase steels had good galvanizability because no bare spots were observed and the Fe-Zn phases were readily formed at the interface. However, the alloying reaction during the GA process was significantly hindered. XPS analysis showed that external oxidation occurred under an extremely low dew point [213 K to 203 K (-60 °C to -70 °C)] atmosphere during the annealing prior to hot dipping. However, most of the oxides were reduced during the GI process. After the GI process, the Al was present as solid solutes in the Fe-Zn phase, suggesting that the Fe-Zn phase was formed from the transformation of the Fe-Al inhibition alloy. Meanwhile, the solubility of Si in the ζ phase was extremely low. With continued GA reaction, the ζ phase transformed into the δ phase, which contained approximately 1.0 at.pct Si. The Si also diffused into the Zn layer during the GA reaction. Hence, the ζ phase did not homogeneously nucleate at the steel substrate/Zn coating interface, but was found at the area away from the interface. Therefore, the Fe-Zn phases on the CMnSiCr dual-phase steels were relatively non-uniform compared to those on interstitial-free steel.

Modeling of aluminum/gallium interdiffusion in aluminum gallium arsenide/gallium arsenide heterostructure materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tai, Cheng-Yu

There is considerable interest in interdiffusion in III-IV based structures, such as AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunctions and superlattices (SL). This topic is of practical and fundamental interest since it relates to the stability of devices based on superlattices and heterojunctions, as well as to fundamental diffusion theory. The main goals of this study are to obtain the Al/Ga interdiffusivity, to understand Al/Ga interdiffusion behavior, and to understand how Si doping enhances the diffusion in AlGaAs/GaAs structures. Our first approach entails experimental studies of Al/Ga interdiffusion using Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) samples of AlGaAs/GaAs structures, with or without Si doping. SUPREM-IV.GS was used to model the Fermi-level dependencies and extract the diffusivities. The experimental results show that Al/Ga interdiffusion in undoped AlGaAs/GaAs structures is small, but can be greatly enhanced in doped materials. The extracted Al/Ga interdiffusivity values match well with the Al/Ga interdiffusivity values reported by other groups, and they appear to be composition-independent. The interdiffusivity values are smaller than published Ga self-diffusivity values which are often mistakenly assumed to be equivalent to the interdiffusivity. Another set of Al/Ga interdiffusion experiments using AlAs/GaAs SL were performed to study Al/Ga interdiffusion. The experimental results are consistent with the previously discussed heterostructure results. Using Darken's analysis and treating the AlAs/GaAs SL material as a non-ideal solution, ALAMODE was used to model our SL disordering results explicitly. Assuming that the Al/Ga interdiffusivity is different from the Ga and Al self-diffusivities, we extracted the Al self-diffusivity and the Al activity coefficient as a function of composition using published Ga self-diffusivity values. The simulation results fit well with the experimental results. The extracted Al self-diffusivity value is close to the extracted Al/Ga interdiffusivity but different from the Ga self-diffusivity. The last part of this thesis focuses on modeling localized Al/Ga disordering in AlGaAs/GaAs devices. We present a localized disordering process as a solution to controlling the lateral oxidation process in AlGaAs/GaAs materials. SUPREM can predict these localized disordering results and can help to design an annealing process corresponding to the required aperture size in devices.

Elevated temperature dependence of the anisotropic visible-to-ultraviolet dielectric function of monoclinic β-Ga2O3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mock, A.; VanDerslice, J.; Korlacki, R.; Woollam, J. A.; Schubert, M.

2018-01-01

We report on the temperature dependence of the dielectric tensor elements of n-type conductive β-Ga2O3 from 22 °C to 550 °C in the spectral range of 1.5 eV-6.4 eV. We present the temperature dependence of the excitonic and band-to-band transition energy parameters using a previously described eigendielectric summation approach [A. Mock et al., Phys. Rev. B 96, 245205 (2017)]. We utilize a Bose-Einstein analysis of the temperature dependence of the observed transition energies and reveal electron coupling with average phonon temperature in excellent agreement with the average over all longitudinal phonon plasmon coupled modes reported previously [M. Schubert et al., Phys. Rev. B 93, 125209 (2016)]. We also report a linear temperature dependence of the wavelength independent Cauchy expansion coefficient for the anisotropic below-band-gap monoclinic dielectric tensor elements.

Recovery of gallium and vanadium from gasification fly ash.

PubMed

Font, Oriol; Querol, Xavier; Juan, Roberto; Casado, Raquel; Ruiz, Carmen R; López-Soler, Angel; Coca, Pilar; García Peña, Francisco

2007-01-31

The Puertollano Integrated Coal Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) Power Plant (Spain) fly ash is characterized by a relatively high content of Ga and V, which occurs mainly as Ga2O3 and as Ga3+ and V3+ substituting for Al3+ in the Al-Si fly ash glass matrix. Investigations focused on evaluating the potential recovery of Ga and V from these fly ashes. Several NaOH based extraction tests were performed on the IGCC fly ash, at different temperatures, NaOH/fly ash (NaOH/FA) ratios, NaOH concentrations and extraction times. The optimal Ga extraction conditions was determined as 25 degrees C, NaOH 0.7-1 M, NaOH/FA ratio of 5 L/kg and 6 h, attaining Ga extraction yields of 60-86%, equivalent to 197-275 mg of Ga/kg of fly ash. Re-circulation of leachates increased initial Ga concentrations (25-38 mg/L) to 188-215 mg/L, while reducing both content of impurities and NaOH consumption. Carbonation of concentrated Ga leachate demonstrated that 99% of the bulk Ga content in the leachate precipitates at pH 7.4. At pH 10.5 significant proportions of impurities, mainly Al (91%), co-precipitate while >98% of the bulk Ga remains in solution. A second carbonation of the remaining solution (at pH 7.5) recovers the 98.8% of the bulk Ga. Re-dissolution (at pH 0) of the precipitate increases Ga purity from 7 to 30%, this being a suitable Ga end product for further purification by electrolysis. This method produces higher recovery efficiency than currently applied for Ga on an industrial scale. In contrast, low V extraction yields (<64%) were obtained even when using extreme alkaline extraction conditions, which given the current marked price of this element, limits considerably the feasibility of V recovery from IGCC fly ash.

Analysis of Moderately Siderophile Elements in Angrites: Implications for Core Formation of the Angrite Parent Body

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Righter, K.; Shirai, N.; Irving, A.J.

2009-01-01

Angrites are an enigmatic group of achondrites, that constitute the largest group of basalts not affiliated with the Moon, Mars or Vesta (HEDs). Chemically, angrites are exceptionally refractory element- enriched (e.g., Al, Ca) and volatile element-depleted (e.g., Na and K) achondrites. Highly volatile siderophile and chalcophile elements (Zn, Ge and Se) may be less depleted than alkalis and Ga taken to imply a fractionation of plagiophile elements. Core formation on the angrite parent body (APB) is not well understood due to the dearth of moderately siderophile element (Ga, Ge, Mo, Sb, W) data for angrites, with the exception of Ni and Co [2]. In particular, there are no data for Mo abundances of angrites, while Sb and W abundances are reported for only 3 angrites, and have not always been determined on the same sample. The recent increase in angrite numbers (13) has greatly increased our knowledge of the compositional diversity of the angrite parent body (APB). In this study, we report new Co, Ni, Ga, Mo, Sb and W abundances for angrites by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in order to place constraints on core formation of the APB.

Experimental evidences for reducing Mg activation energy in high Al-content AlGaN alloy by MgGa δ doping in (AlN)m/(GaN)n superlattice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xiao; Wang, Wei; Wang, Jingli; Wu, Hao; Liu, Chang

2017-03-01

P-type doping in high Al-content AlGaN alloys is a main challenge for realizing AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet optoelectronics devices. According to the first-principles calculations, Mg activation energy may be reduced so that a high hole concentration can be obtained by introducing nanoscale (AlN)5/(GaN)1 superlattice (SL) in Al0.83Ga0.17N disorder alloy. In this work, experimental evidences were achieved by analyzing Mg doped high Al-content AlGaN alloys and Mg doped AlGaN SLs as well as MgGa δ doped AlGaN SLs. Mg acceptor activation energy was significantly reduced from 0.378 to 0.331 eV by using MgGa δ doping in SLs instead of traditional doping in alloys. This new process was confirmed to be able to realize high p-type doping in high Al-content AlGaN.

Experimental evidences for reducing Mg activation energy in high Al-content AlGaN alloy by MgGa δ doping in (AlN)m/(GaN)n superlattice.

PubMed

Wang, Xiao; Wang, Wei; Wang, Jingli; Wu, Hao; Liu, Chang

2017-03-14

P-type doping in high Al-content AlGaN alloys is a main challenge for realizing AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet optoelectronics devices. According to the first-principles calculations, Mg activation energy may be reduced so that a high hole concentration can be obtained by introducing nanoscale (AlN) 5 /(GaN) 1 superlattice (SL) in Al 0.83 Ga 0.17 N disorder alloy. In this work, experimental evidences were achieved by analyzing Mg doped high Al-content AlGaN alloys and Mg doped AlGaN SLs as well as Mg Ga δ doped AlGaN SLs. Mg acceptor activation energy was significantly reduced from 0.378 to 0.331 eV by using Mg Ga δ doping in SLs instead of traditional doping in alloys. This new process was confirmed to be able to realize high p-type doping in high Al-content AlGaN.

Characterisation of a natural quartz crystal as a reference material for microanalytical determination of Ti, Al, Li, Fe, Mn, Ga and Ge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Audetat, Andreas; Garbe-Schonberg, Dieter; Kronz, Andreas; Pettke, Thomas; Rusk, Brian G.; Donovan, John J.; Lowers, Heather

2015-01-01

A natural smoky quartz crystal from Shandong province, China, was characterised by laser ablation ICP-MS, electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and solution ICP-MS to determine the concentration of twenty-four trace and ultra trace elements. Our main focus was on Ti quantification because of the increased use of this element for titanium-in-quartz (TitaniQ) thermobarometry. Pieces of a uniform growth zone of 9 mm thickness within the quartz crystal were analysed in four different LA-ICP-MS laboratories, three EPMA laboratories and one solution-ICP-MS laboratory. The results reveal reproducible concentrations of Ti (57 ± 4 μg g-1), Al (154 ± 15 μg g-1), Li (30 ± 2 μg g-1), Fe (2.2 ± 0.3 μg g-1), Mn (0.34 ± 0.04 μg g-1), Ge (1.7 ± 0.2 μg g-1) and Ga (0.020 ± 0.002 μg g-1) and detectable, but less reproducible, concentrations of Be, B, Na, Cu, Zr, Sn and Pb. Concentrations of K, Ca, Sr, Mo, Ag, Sb, Ba and Au were below the limits of detection of all three techniques. The uncertainties on the average concentration determinations by multiple techniques and laboratories for Ti, Al, Li, Fe, Mn, Ga and Ge are low; hence, this quartz can serve as a reference material or a secondary reference material for microanalytical applications involving the quantification of trace elements in quartz.

MAX phase – Alumina composites via elemental and exchange reactions in the Ti{sub n+1}AC{sub n} systems (A=Al, Si, Ga, Ge, In and Sn)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cuskelly, Dylan, E-mail: dylan.cuskelly@uon.edu.au; Richards, Erin; Kisi, Erich, E-mail: Erich.Kisi@newcastle.edu.au

2016-05-15

Extension of the aluminothermal exchange reaction synthesis of M{sub n+1}AX{sub n} phases to systems where the element ‘A’ is not the reducing agent was investigated in systems TiO{sub 2}–A–Al–C for A=Al, Si, Ga, Ge, In and Sn as well as Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3}–Ga–Al–C. MAX phase-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} composites were made in all systems except those with A=Ga or In. The effectiveness of conversion to MAX phases was generally in the range 63–96% without optimisation of starting ratios. Optimisation in the Ti–Si–C system gave a MAX phase component with >98% Ti{sub 3}SiC{sub 2}. - Graphical abstract: A range of Ti{sub n+1}AX{submore » n} phases with different A elements were synthesised directly from the M oxide via exchange reactions. The process has now been shown to be general in all the systems marked in green in the table. - Highlights: • Ti{sub n+1}AC{sub n} phases were produced via a single step exchange reaction. • 3 MAX phase systems were successful via this method for the first time. • Cr{sub 2}GeC was also able to be produced via an exchange reaction. • The interconversion reaction in MAX phases is more general than previously thought.« less

The influence of doping element on structural and luminescent characteristics of ZnS thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kryshtab, T.; Khomchenko, V. S.; Andraca-Adame, J. A.; Rodionov, V. E.; Khachatryan, V. B.; Tzyrkunov, Yu. A.

2006-10-01

For the fabrication of green and blue emitting ZnS structures the elements of I, III, and VII groups (Cu, Al, Ga, Cl) are used as dopants. The influence of type of impurity, doping technique, and type of substrate on crystalline structure and surface morphology together with luminescent properties was investigated. The doping of thin films was realized during the growth process and/or post-deposition thermal treatment. ZnS thin films were deposited by physical (EBE) and chemical (MOCVD) methods onto glass or ceramic (BaTiO 3) substrates. Closed spaced evaporation and thermodiffusion methods were used for the post-deposition doping of ZnS films. X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and measurements of photoluminescent (PL) spectra were used for the investigations. It was shown that the doping by the elements of I (Cu) and III (Al, Ga) groups does not change the crystal structure during the thermal treatment up to 1000 ∘C, whereas simultaneous use of the elements of I (Cu) and VII (Cl) groups leads to decrease of the phase transition temperature to 800 ∘C. The presence of impurities in the growth process leads to a grain size increase. At post-deposition treatment Ga and Cl act as activators of recrystallization process. The transition of ZnS sphalerite lattice to wurtzite one leads to the displacement of the blue emission band position towards the short-wavelength range by 10 nm.

Experimental evidences for reducing Mg activation energy in high Al-content AlGaN alloy by MgGa δ doping in (AlN)m/(GaN)n superlattice

PubMed Central

Wang, Xiao; Wang, Wei; Wang, Jingli; Wu, Hao; Liu, Chang

2017-01-01

P-type doping in high Al-content AlGaN alloys is a main challenge for realizing AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet optoelectronics devices. According to the first-principles calculations, Mg activation energy may be reduced so that a high hole concentration can be obtained by introducing nanoscale (AlN)5/(GaN)1 superlattice (SL) in Al0.83Ga0.17N disorder alloy. In this work, experimental evidences were achieved by analyzing Mg doped high Al-content AlGaN alloys and Mg doped AlGaN SLs as well as MgGa δ doped AlGaN SLs. Mg acceptor activation energy was significantly reduced from 0.378 to 0.331 eV by using MgGa δ doping in SLs instead of traditional doping in alloys. This new process was confirmed to be able to realize high p-type doping in high Al-content AlGaN. PMID:28290480

Melting depths associated with Jack Hills zircons crystallization as revealed by in situ trace element measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Profeta, L.; Ducea, M. N.; Gehrels, G. E.

2016-12-01

The Jack Hills zircons hosted within the Narryer Gneiss Complex, Yilgarn craton have ages from 4.4 Ga up to Mesoarchean. These zircons crystallized from low temperature granitoid magmas (Harrison, 2009). Here, we use trace element measurements obtained simultaneously with U-Pb ages using LA-ICP-MS on 276 Jack Hills zircons in order to estimate the depth of melting. La/Yb are converted to whole rock equivalent values using newly determined REE -whole rock partition coefficients (Chapman et al., 2016). La/Yb are subsequently transformed into depth estimates using the correlation between whole rock La/Yb and crustal thickness put forward in Profeta et al. (2015) for modern arcs. Our data pertains to 4.2 to 3.2 Ga zircons, which are supplemented with previously published data on 4.4.-4.3 Ga zircons (Peck et al. 2001). Depth estimates are averaged over 100 Ma bins, revealing a remarkably constant trend throughout the investigated period with values around 50 ± 10 km. We interpret that these depths may not be the result of a thick continental crust, as is the case for modern arcs, but rather the existence of different melting conditions during the Hadean and Paleoarchean due to elevated thermal regimes within the mantle. The high La/Yb whole rock ratios (with computed values greater than 10) coupled with elevated mantle temperatures point towards granitoid generation from partial melting of hydrated basalts (e.g. Martin et al., 2014). [1] Harrison, T.M., Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 37, 479-505 (2009). [2] Chapman, J. B. et al., Chem. Geol. 439, 59-70 (2016). doi: 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2016.06.014. [3] Profeta, L. et al., Sci. Rep. 5, 17786 (2015). doi: 10.1038/srep17786 [4] Peck, W. et al., Cosmochim. Acta 65, 4215-4229 (2001). doi: 10.1016/S0016-7037(01)00711-6 [5] Martin, H. et al. Lithos 198, 1-13 (2014). doi: 10.1016/j.lithos.2014.02.017

Characterization of N-polar AlN in GaN/AlN/(Al,Ga)N heterostructures grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Haoran; Mazumder, Baishakhi; Bonef, Bastien; Keller, Stacia; Wienecke, Steven; Speck, James S.; Denbaars, Steven P.; Mishra, Umesh K.

2017-11-01

In GaN/(Al,Ga)N high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMT), AlN interlayer between GaN channel and AlGaN barrier suppresses alloy scattering and significantly improves the electron mobility of the two-dimensional electron gas. While high concentrations of gallium were previously observed in Al-polar AlN interlayers grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition, the N-polar AlN (Al x Ga1-x N) films examined by atom probe tomography in this study exhibited aluminum compositions (x) equal to or higher than 95% over a wide range of growth conditions. The also investigated AlN interlayer in a N-polar GaN/AlN/AlGaN/ S.I. GaN HEMT structure possessed a similarly high x content.

Recent advances in the science and technology for solid state lighting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munkholm, Anneli

2003-03-01

Recent development of high power light emitting diodes (LEDs) has enabled fabrication of solid state devices with efficiencies that surpass that of incandescent light, as well as providing a total light output significantly exceeding that of conventional indicator LEDs. This breakthrough in high flux is opening up new applications for use of high power LEDs, such as liquid crystal display backlighting and automotive headlights. Some of the key elements to this technological breakthrough are the flip-chip device design, power packaging and phosphor coating technology, which will be discussed. In addition to device design improvements, our fundamental knowledge of the III-nitride material system is improving and has resulted in higher internal quantum efficiencies. Strain plays a significant role in complex AlInGaN heterostructures used in current devices. Using a multi-beam optical strain sensor (MOSS) system to measure the wafer curvature in situ, we have characterized the strain during metal-organic chemical vapor deposition of III-nitrides. Strain measurements of InGaN, AlGaN and Si-doped GaN films on GaN will be presented.

Simulation of thermal management in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs with integrated diamond heat spreaders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, A.; Tadjer, M. J.; Calle, F.

2013-05-01

We investigated the impact of diamond heat spreading layers on the performance of AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility-transistors (HEMTs). A finite element method was used to simulate the thermal and electrical characteristics of the devices under dc and pulsed operation conditions. The results show that the device performance can be improved significantly by optimized heat spreading, an effect strongly dependent on the lateral thermal conductivity of the initial several micrometers of diamond deposition. Of crucial importance is the proximity of the diamond layer to the heat source, which makes this method advantageous over other thermal management procedures, especially for the device in pulsed operation. In this case, the self-heating effect can be suppressed, and it is not affected by either the substrate or its thermal boundary resistance at the GaN/substrate at wider pulses. The device with a 5 µm diamond layer can present 10.5% improvement of drain current, and the self-heating effect can be neglected for a 100 ns pulse width at 1 V gate and 20 V drain voltage.

Diffraction contrast near heterostructure boundaries--its nature and its application.

PubMed

Bangert, U; Harvey, A J

1993-03-01

Two phenomena of diffraction contrast arising at or near III-V compound heterostructure boundaries are described and quantitatively analyzed. In the first observation alpha/delta-fringe contrast at boundaries inclined to the electron beam is discussed. Theoretical fringe profiles are generated according to the theory by Gevers et al. in 1964, which are then compared with experimental profiles. Applications to the characterization of AlGaAs/GaAs and InGaAsP/InP interfaces regarding composition, abruptness, and lattice tilt are presented. In the second study a new and very sensitive characterization technique for the direct determination of the strain in strained-layer structures is described. The method uses electron microscope images of 90 degrees-wedges, which exhibit a shift in the thickness contours due to strain relaxation at the edge, and compares these to images which are obtained theoretically by implementing finite element strain calculations in wedges in the dynamical theory of diffraction contrast. The considerable potential of this method is demonstrated on the strain analysis of strained GaInAs/GaAs structures.

Study of Radiation Hardness of Lattice Matched AlInN/GaN HEMT Heterostructures

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-10-01

Challenges .............................................. 6 2.4. Gamma Ray Irradiation of AlInN/GaN & AlGaN/GaN HEMT Structures...8 2.4.1. Characterization of Irradiated AlInN/GaN and AlGaN/GaN HEMT Heterostructures .................... 8 2.4.2. APT of Baseline Un... Irradiated Lattice Matched AlInN/GaN HEMT Heterostructures ................... 9 2.4.3. APT of Gamma- Irradiated Lattice Matched AlInN/GaN HEMT

Current transport mechanism in graphene/AlGaN/GaN heterostructures with various Al mole fractions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandit, Bhishma; Seo, Tae Hoon; Ryu, Beo Deul; Cho, Jaehee

2016-06-01

The current transport mechanism of graphene formed on AlxGa1-xN/GaN heterostructures with various Al mole fractions (x = 0.15, 0.20, 0.30, and 0.40) is investigated. The current-voltage measurement from graphene to AlGaN/GaN shows an excellent rectifying property. The extracted Schottky barrier height of the graphene/AlGaN/GaN contacts increases with the Al mole fraction in AlGaN. However, the current transport mechanism deviates from the Schottky-Mott theory owing to the deterioration of AlGaN crystal quality at high Al mole fractions confirmed by reverse leakage current measurement.

Retention Patterns for Army National Guard Units Attending the National Training Center

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-04-01

which are more difficult, Table 2.1 NTC ROUNDOUT BATTALION SCHEDULE ARNG UNIT STATE DATES 1-108 AR GA 9-22 September 󈨗 2-136 INF (M) MN 19 April-8 May...1984 1-121 INF (M) GA 3-22 October 󈨘 2-121 INF (M) GA 18 March-6 April 󈨙 2-152 AR AL 1-20 June 󈨙 2-120 INF (M) NC 26 June-15 July 󈨙 3-156 INF...roundout unit to the 24th Infantry Division headquartered at Fort Stewart, Georgia. Elements of the unit are located in Tifton , Valdosta, Fitzgerald and

Physical and electrical characterizations of AlGaN/GaN MOS gate stacks with AlGaN surface oxidation treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamada, Takahiro; Watanabe, Kenta; Nozaki, Mikito; Shih, Hong-An; Nakazawa, Satoshi; Anda, Yoshiharu; Ueda, Tetsuzo; Yoshigoe, Akitaka; Hosoi, Takuji; Shimura, Takayoshi; Watanabe, Heiji

2018-06-01

The impacts of inserting ultrathin oxides into insulator/AlGaN interfaces on their electrical properties were investigated to develop advanced AlGaN/GaN metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) gate stacks. For this purpose, the initial thermal oxidation of AlGaN surfaces in oxygen ambient was systematically studied by synchrotron radiation X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (SR-XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Our physical characterizations revealed that, when compared with GaN surfaces, aluminum addition promotes the initial oxidation of AlGaN surfaces at temperatures of around 400 °C, followed by smaller grain growth above 850 °C. Electrical measurements of AlGaN/GaN MOS capacitors also showed that, although excessive oxidation treatment of AlGaN surfaces over around 700 °C has an adverse effect, interface passivation with the initial oxidation of the AlGaN surfaces at temperatures ranging from 400 to 500 °C was proven to be beneficial for fabricating high-quality AlGaN/GaN MOS gate stacks.

AlGaN/GaN heterostructures with an AlGaN layer grown directly on reactive-ion-etched GaN showing a high electron mobility (>1300 cm2 V-1 s-1)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Akio; Makino, Shinya; Kanatani, Keito; Kuzuhara, Masaaki

2018-04-01

In this study, the metal-organic-vapor-phase-epitaxial growth behavior and electrical properties of AlGaN/GaN structures prepared by the growth of an AlGaN layer on a reactive-ion-etched (RIE) GaN surface without regrown GaN layers were investigated. The annealing of RIE-GaN surfaces in NH3 + H2 atmosphere, employed immediately before AlGaN growth, was a key process in obtaining a clean GaN surface for AlGaN growth, that is, in obtaining an electron mobility as high as 1350 cm2 V-1 s-1 in a fabricated AlGaN/RIE-GaN structure. High-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) were successfully fabricated with AlGaN/RIE-GaN wafers. With decreasing density of dotlike defects observed on the surfaces of AlGaN/RIE-GaN wafers, both two-dimensional electron gas properties of AlGaN/RIE-GaN structures and DC characteristics of HEMTs were markedly improved. Since dotlike defect density was markedly dependent on RIE lot, rather than on growth lot, surface contaminations of GaN during RIE were believed to be responsible for the formation of dotlike defects and, therefore, for the inferior electrical properties.

Comparison of trap characteristics between AlGaN/GaN and AlGaN/InGaN/GaN heterostructure by frequency dependent conductance measurement

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chakraborty, Apurba, E-mail: apurba.chakraborty86@gmail.com; Biswas, Dhrubes; Advanced Technology Development Centre, IIT Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302

2015-02-23

Frequency dependent conductance measurement is carried out to observe the trapping effect in AlGaN/InGaN/GaN double heterostructure and compared that with conventional AlGaN/GaN single heterostructure. It is found that the AlGaN/InGaN/GaN diode structure does not show any trapping effect, whereas single heterostructure AlGaN/GaN diode suffers from two kinds of trap energy states in near depletion to higher negative voltage bias region. This conductance behaviour of AlGaN/InGaN/GaN heterostructure is owing to more Fermi energy level shift from trap energy states at AlGaN/InGaN junction compare to single AlGaN/GaN heterostructure and eliminates the trapping effects. Analysis yielded interface trap energy state in AlGaN/GaN ismore » to be with time constant of (33.8–76.5) μs and trap density of (2.38–0.656) × 10{sup 12 }eV{sup −1} cm{sup −2} in −3.2 to −4.8 V bias region, whereas for AlGaN/InGaN/GaN structure no interface energy states are found and the extracted surface trap energy concentrations and time constants are (5.87–4.39) ×10{sup 10} eV{sup −1} cm{sup −2} and (17.8–11.3) μs, respectively, in bias range of −0.8–0.0 V.« less

Metal/Silicate Partitioning of P, Ga, and W at High Pressures and Temperatures: Dependence on Silicate Melt Composition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bailey, Edward; Drake, Michael J.

2004-01-01

The distinctive pattern of element concentrations in the upper mantle provides essential evidence in our attempts to understand the accretion and differentiation of the Earth (e.g., Drake and Righter, 2002; Jones and Drake, 1986; Righter et al., 1997; Wanke 1981). Core formation is best investigated through use of metal/silicate partition coefficients for siderophile elements. The variables influencing partition coefficients are temperature, pressure, the major element compositions of the silicate and metal phases, and oxygen fugacity. Examples of studies investigating the effects of these variables on partitioning behavior are: composition of the metal phase by Capobianco et al. (1999) and Righter et al. (1997); silicate melt composition by Watson (1976), Walter and Thibault (1995), Hillgren et al. (1996), Jana and Walker (1997), and Jaeger and Drake (2000); and oxygen fugacity by Capobianco et al. (1999), and Walter and Thibault (1995). Here we address the relative influences of silicate melt composition, pressure and temperature.

The chemistry of hydrothermal magnetite: a review

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nadoll, Patrick; Angerer, Thomas; Mauk, Jeffrey L.; French, David; Walshe, John

2014-01-01

Magnetite (Fe3O4) is a well-recognized petrogenetic indicator and is a common accessory mineral in many ore deposits and their host rocks. Recent years have seen an increased interest in the use of hydrothermal magnetite for provenance studies and as a pathfinder for mineral exploration. A number of studies have investigated how specific formation conditions are reflected in the composition of the respective magnetite. Two fundamental questions underlie these efforts — (i) How can the composition of igneous and, more importantly, hydrothermal magnetite be used to discriminate mineralized areas from barren host rocks, and (ii) how can this assist exploration geologists to target ore deposits at greater and greater distances from the main mineralization? Similar to igneous magnetite, the most important factors that govern compositional variations in hydrothermal magnetite are (A) temperature, (B) fluid composition — element availability, (C) oxygen and sulfur fugacity, (D) silicate and sulfide activity, (E) host rock buffering, (F) re-equilibration processes, and (G) intrinsic crystallographic controls such as ionic radius and charge balance. We discuss how specific formation conditions are reflected in the composition of magnetite and review studies that investigate the chemistry of hydrothermal and igneous magnetite from various mineral deposits and their host rocks. Furthermore, we discuss the redox-related alteration of magnetite (martitization and mushketovitization) and mineral inclusions in magnetite and their effect on chemical analyses. Our database includes published and previously unpublished magnetite minor and trace element data for magnetite from (1) banded iron formations (BIF) and related high-grade iron ore deposits in Western Australia, India, and Brazil, (2) Ag–Pb–Zn veins of the Coeur d'Alene district, United States, (3) porphyry Cu–(Au)–(Mo) deposits and associated (4) calcic and magnesian skarn deposits in the southwestern United States and Indonesia, and (5) plutonic igneous rocks from the Henderson Climax-type Mo deposit, United States, and the un-mineralized Inner Zone Batholith granodiorite, Japan. These five settings represent a diverse suite of geological settings and cover a wide range of formation conditions. The main discriminator elements for magnetite are Mg, Al, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Zn, and Ga. These elements are commonly present at detectable levels (10 to > 1000 ppm) and display systematic variations. We propose a combination of Ni/(Cr + Mn) vs. Ti + V, Al + Mn vs. Ti + V, Ti/V and Sn/Ga discriminant plots and upper threshold concentrations to discriminate hydrothermal from igneous magnetite and to fingerprint different hydrothermal ore deposits. The overall trends in upper threshold values for the different settings can be summarized as follows: (I) BIF (hydrothermal) — low Al, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Zn, Ga and Sn; (II) Ag–Pb–Zn veins (hydrothermal) — high Mn and low Ga and Sn; (III) Mg-skarn (hydrothermal) — high Mg and Mn and low Al, Ti, Cr, Co, Ni and Ga; (IV) skarn (hydrothermal) — high Mg, Al, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni and Zn and low Sn; (V) porphyry (hydrothermal) — high Ti and V and low Sn; (VI) porphyry (igneous) — high Ti, V and Cr and low Mg; and (VII) Climax-Mo (igneous) — high Al, Ga and Sn and low Mg and Cr.

High-Temperature Active Soldering of SiC Particle-Reinforced Al-MMC Using a Novel ZnAlGaMgTi Filler Metal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Biqiang; Zhang, Guifeng; Zhang, Linjie; Xu, Tingting

2017-10-01

In order to broaden the application of SiC particle-reinforced aluminum matrix composite in electronics packaging, newly developed ZnAlGaMgTi filler with a low melting point of 418-441 °C was utilized as filler metal for active soldering of aluminum matrix composites (70 vol.%, SiCp/Al-MMCs) for the first time. The effect of loading pressure on joint properties of ZnAlGaMgTi active filler was investigated. The experimental results indicated that novel filler could successfully solder Al-MMCs, and the presence of Mg in the filler enhanced the penetration of Zn, while the forming of Zn-rich barrier layer influenced the active element MPD (melting point depressant) diffusion into parent composite, and the bulk-like (Mg-Si)-rich phase and Ti-containing phase were readily observed at the interface and bond seam. With the increase in loading pressure, the runout phenomenon appeared more significant, and the filler foil thickness and the Zn penetration depth varied pronouncedly. Sound joints with maximum shear strength of 29.6 MPa were produced at 480 °C at 1 MPa, and the crack occurred adjacent to the boundary of SiC particle and then propagated along the interface. A novel model describing the significant mutual diffusion of Al and Zn atoms between the parent material and solder was proposed.

Effects of GaN/AlGaN/Sputtered AlN nucleation layers on performance of GaN-based ultraviolet light-emitting diodes

PubMed Central

Hu, Hongpo; Zhou, Shengjun; Liu, Xingtong; Gao, Yilin; Gui, Chengqun; Liu, Sheng

2017-01-01

We report on the demonstration of GaN-based ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (UV LEDs) emitting at 375 nm grown on patterned sapphire substrate (PSS) with in-situ low temperature GaN/AlGaN nucleation layers (NLs) and ex-situ sputtered AlN NL. The threading dislocation (TD) densities in GaN-based UV LEDs with GaN/AlGaN/sputtered AlN NLs were determined by high-resolution X-ray diffraction (XRD) and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which revealed that the TD density in UV LED with AlGaN NL was the highest, whereas that in UV LED with sputtered AlN NL was the lowest. The light output power (LOP) of UV LED with AlGaN NL was 18.2% higher than that of UV LED with GaN NL owing to a decrease in the absorption of 375 nm UV light in the AlGaN NL with a larger bandgap. Using a sputtered AlN NL instead of the AlGaN NL, the LOP of UV LED was further enhanced by 11.3%, which is attributed to reduced TD density in InGaN/AlInGaN active region. In the sputtered AlN thickness range of 10–25 nm, the LOP of UV LED with 15-nm-thick sputtered AlN NL was the highest, revealing that optimum thickness of the sputtered AlN NL is around 15 nm. PMID:28294166

Oxygen-induced Al surface segregation in Al(x)Ga(1-x)As and the effect of Y overlayers on the oxidation of the Y/Al(x)Ga(1-x)As interface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mesarwi, A.; Ignatiev, A.

1992-01-01

The oxidation of Al(x)Ga(1-x)As (x = 0.15, AlGaAs) was studied by AES and XPS at 350 C and different oxygen exposures (up to 5 x 10 exp 4 L). Also studied were the effects of yttrium overlayers (theta = 3 ML) on the oxidation of the AlGaAs surface. Substantial oxygen-induced Al surface segregation has been observed for both yttriated and nonyttriated AlGaAs surfaces which increased with increasing oxygen exposure. Also observed is a significant Y-enhanced oxidation of the AlGaAs surface. Oxidation of the yttriated AlGaAs surface was found to be a factor of 4 greater than that of the nonyttriated surface. Also, while oxidation of the nonyttriated AlGaAs yielded mainly Al2O(x) (x less than 3) and only little Ga2O3, the yttriated AlGaAs surface oxide layer was principally Ga2O3 and stoichiometric Al2O3. However, both the yttriated and nonyttriated surfaces were found to contain metallic As within the oxide layer.

Biogeochemical Cycling of Fe, S, C, N, and Mo in the 3.2 Ga ocean: Constraints from DXCL-DP Black Shales from Pilbara, Western Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamaguchi, K. E.; Naraoka, H.; Ikehara, M.; Ito, T.; Kiyokawa, S.

2014-12-01

Records of geochemical cycling of bio-essential, redox-sensitive elements have keys to decipher mysteries of the co-evolution of Earth and life. To obtain insight into biogeochemical cycling of those elements and early evolution of microbial biosphere from high-quality samples, we drilled through Mesoarchean strata in coastal Pilbara (Dixon Island-Cleaverville Drilling Project, see Yamaguchi et al., 2009; Kiyokawa et al., 2012), and obtained 3.2 Ga old drillcores (CL1, CL2, and DX) of sulfide-rich black shales in the Cleaverville Group, Pilbara Supergroup. We conducted a systematic geochemical study involving sequential extractions of Fe, S, C, and N for phase-dependent contents (e.g., pyrite-Fe, reactive-Fe, highly reactive-Fe, unreactive-Fe, pyrite-S, sulfate-S, organic-S, elemental-S, Corg, Ccarb, Norg, and Nclay) and their stable isotope compositions, micro FT-IR and laser Raman spectroscopy for extracted kerogen, in addition to major and trace (redox-sensitive; e.g., Mo) element analysis, for >100 samples. Here we integrate our recent multidisciplinary investigations into the redox state of ocean and nature of microbial biosphere in the ocean 3.2 Ga ago. All of the obtained data are very difficult to explain only by geochemical processes in strictly anoxic environments, where both atmosphere and oceans were completely anoxic, like an environment before the inferred "Great Oxidation Event" when pO2 was lower than 0.00001 PAL (e.g., Holland, 1994). Our extensive data set consistently suggests that oxygenic photosynthesis, bacterial sulfate reduction, and microbially mediated redox-cycling of nitrogen, possibly involving denitrification and N2-fixation, are very likely to have been operating, and may be used as a strong evidence for at least local and temporal existence of oxidized environment as far back as 3.2 Ga ago. Modern-style biogeochemical cycling of Fe, S, C, N, and Mo has been operating since then. The atmosphere-hydrosphere system 3.2 Ga ago would have been sufficiently oxidized to allow redox-cycling of elements during deposition of the sediments, ~800 Ma earlier than commonly thought. Our suggestions have far-reaching and astrobiological implications for earlier evolution of the surface environment, especially redox state, and marine microbial biosphere.

Improving hole injection efficiency by manipulating the hole transport mechanism through p-type electron blocking layer engineering.

PubMed

Zhang, Zi-Hui; Ju, Zhengang; Liu, Wei; Tan, Swee Tiam; Ji, Yun; Kyaw, Zabu; Zhang, Xueliang; Hasanov, Namig; Sun, Xiao Wei; Demir, Hilmi Volkan

2014-04-15

The p-type AlGaN electron blocking layer (EBL) is widely used in InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for electron overflow suppression. However, a typical EBL also reduces the hole injection efficiency, because holes have to climb over the energy barrier generated at the p-AlGaN/p-GaN interface before entering the quantum wells. In this work, to address this problem, we report the enhancement of hole injection efficiency by manipulating the hole transport mechanism through insertion of a thin GaN layer of 1 nm into the p-AlGaN EBL and propose an AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN-type EBL outperforming conventional AlGaN EBLs. Here, the position of the inserted thin GaN layer relative to the p-GaN region is found to be the key to enhancing the hole injection efficiency. InGaN/GaN LEDs with the proposed p-type AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN EBL have demonstrated substantially higher optical output power and external quantum efficiency.

Integrating AlInN interlayers into InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells for enhanced green emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Wei; Al Muyeed, Syed Ahmed; Song, Renbo; Wierer, Jonathan J.; Tansu, Nelson

2018-05-01

Significant enhancement in green emission by integrating a thin AlInN barrier layer, or interlayer (IL), in an InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well (MQW) is demonstrated. The MQWs investigated here contains 5 periods of an InGaN QW, a 1 nm thick AlInN IL, and a 10 nm thick GaN barrier grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. To accommodate the optimum low-pressure (20 Torr) growth of the AlInN layer a growth flow sequence with changing pressure is devised. The AlInN IL MQWs are compared to InGaN/AlGaN/GaN MQWs (AlGaN IL MQWs) and conventional InGaN/GaN MQWs. The AlInN IL MQWs provide benefits that are similar to AlGaN ILs, by aiding in the formation of abrupt heterointerfaces as indicated by X-ray diffraction omega-2theta (ω-2θ) scans, and also efficiency improvements due to high temperature annealing schedules during barrier growth. Room temperature photoluminescence of the MQW with AlInN ILs shows similar performance to MQWs with AlGaN ILs, and ˜4-7 times larger radiative efficiency (pump intensity dependent) at green wavelengths than conventional InGaN/GaN MQWs. This study shows the InGaN-based MQWs with AlInN ILs are capable of achieving superior performance to conventional InGaN MQWs emitting at green wavelengths.

Evolution of AlGaN deep level defects as a function of alloying and compositional grading and resultant impact on electrical conductivity

DOE PAGES

Armstrong, Andrew M.; Allerman, Andrew A.

2017-07-24

AlGaN:Si epilayers with uniform Al compositions of 60%, 70%, 80%, and 90% were grown by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy along with a compositionally graded, unintentionally doped (UID) AlGaN epilayer with the Al composition varying linearly between 80% and 100%. The resistivity of AlGaN:Si with a uniform composition increased significantly for the Al content of 80% and greater, whereas the graded UID-AlGaN film exhibited resistivity equivalent to 60% and 70% AlGaN:Si owing to polarization-induced doping. Deep level defect studies of both types of AlGaN epilayers were performed to determine why the electronic properties of uniform-composition AlGaN:Si degraded with increased Al content,more » while the electronic properties of graded UID-AlGaN did not. The deep level density of uniform-composition AlGaN:Si increased monotonically and significantly with the Al mole fraction. Conversely, graded-UID AlGaN had the lowest deep level density of all the epilayers despite containing the highest Al composition. These findings indicate that Si doping is an impetus for point defect incorporation in AlGaN that becomes stronger with the increasing Al content. However, the increase in deep level density with the Al content in uniform-composition AlGaN:Si was small compared to the increase in resistivity. This implies that the primary cause for increasing resistivity in AlGaN:Si with the increasing Al mole fraction is not compensation by deep levels but rather increasing activation energy for the Si dopant. As a result, the graded UID-AlGaN films maintained low resistivity because they do not rely on thermal ionization of Si dopants.« less

Evolution of AlGaN deep level defects as a function of alloying and compositional grading and resultant impact on electrical conductivity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Armstrong, Andrew M.; Allerman, Andrew A.

AlGaN:Si epilayers with uniform Al compositions of 60%, 70%, 80%, and 90% were grown by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy along with a compositionally graded, unintentionally doped (UID) AlGaN epilayer with the Al composition varying linearly between 80% and 100%. The resistivity of AlGaN:Si with a uniform composition increased significantly for the Al content of 80% and greater, whereas the graded UID-AlGaN film exhibited resistivity equivalent to 60% and 70% AlGaN:Si owing to polarization-induced doping. Deep level defect studies of both types of AlGaN epilayers were performed to determine why the electronic properties of uniform-composition AlGaN:Si degraded with increased Al content,more » while the electronic properties of graded UID-AlGaN did not. The deep level density of uniform-composition AlGaN:Si increased monotonically and significantly with the Al mole fraction. Conversely, graded-UID AlGaN had the lowest deep level density of all the epilayers despite containing the highest Al composition. These findings indicate that Si doping is an impetus for point defect incorporation in AlGaN that becomes stronger with the increasing Al content. However, the increase in deep level density with the Al content in uniform-composition AlGaN:Si was small compared to the increase in resistivity. This implies that the primary cause for increasing resistivity in AlGaN:Si with the increasing Al mole fraction is not compensation by deep levels but rather increasing activation energy for the Si dopant. As a result, the graded UID-AlGaN films maintained low resistivity because they do not rely on thermal ionization of Si dopants.« less

Kinetic instability of AlGaN alloys during MBE growth under metal-rich conditions on m-plane GaN miscut towards the -c axis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirazi-HD, M.; Diaz, R. E.; Nguyen, T.; Jian, J.; Gardner, G. C.; Wang, H.; Manfra, M. J.; Malis, O.

2018-04-01

AlxGa1-xN layers with Al-composition above 0.6 (0.6 < x < 0.9) grown under metal-rich conditions by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on m-plane GaN miscut towards the -c axis are kinetically unstable. Even under excess Ga flux, the effective growth rate of AlGaN is drastically reduced, likely due to suppression of Ga-N dimer incorporation. The defect structure generated during these growth conditions is studied with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy scanning transmission electron microscopy as a function of Al flux. The AlGaN growth results in the formation of thin Al(Ga)N layers with Al-composition higher than expected and lower Al-composition AlGaN islands. The AlGaN islands have a flat top and are elongated along the c-axis (i.e., stripe-like shape). Possible mechanisms for the observed experimental results are discussed. Our data are consistent with a model in which Al-N dimers promote release of Ga-N dimers from the m-plane surface.

Band offsets of non-polar A-plane GaN/AlN and AlN/GaN heterostructures measured by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy.

PubMed

Sang, Ling; Zhu, Qin Sheng; Yang, Shao Yan; Liu, Gui Peng; Li, Hui Jie; Wei, Hong Yuan; Jiao, Chun Mei; Liu, Shu Man; Wang, Zhan Guo; Zhou, Xiao Wei; Mao, Wei; Hao, Yue; Shen, Bo

2014-01-01

The band offsets of non-polar A-plane GaN/AlN and AlN/GaN heterojunctions are measured by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy. A large forward-backward asymmetry is observed in the non-polar GaN/AlN and AlN/GaN heterojunctions. The valence-band offsets in the non-polar A-plane GaN/AlN and AlN/GaN heterojunctions are determined to be 1.33 ± 0.16 and 0.73 ± 0.16 eV, respectively. The large valence-band offset difference of 0.6 eV between the non-polar GaN/AlN and AlN/GaN heterojunctions is considered to be due to piezoelectric strain effect in the non-polar heterojunction overlayers.

Theoretical investigations on the d-p hybridized aromaticity, photoelectron spectroscopy and neutral salts of the LaX2- (X=Al, Ga, In) clusters.

PubMed

Chen, Jing; Yang, Huan; Wang, Jing; Cheng, Shi-Bo

2018-05-30

We present an extensive density functional theory (DFT) calculations on the geometrical and electronic structures of the triatomic LaX 2 - (X=Al, Ga, In) clusters. Various trail structures and spin states have been attempted to determine the lowest-energy geometries of these La-doped metal clusters. The ground states of all three clusters are calculated to possess the trigonal structures with the singlet multiplicities. The calculations on molecular orbitals (MOs) and nucleus-independent chemical shift (NICS) values have been performed to examine the aromatic characteristics of the LaX 2 - (X=Al, Ga, In) clusters. The present calculations disclose that all these metal clusters are doubly aromatic, namely d-p hybridized σ and π aromaticity resulting from the effective overlap between the 5d atomic orbital of the La atom and the p orbitals of the IIIA group elements. Theoretical vertical detachment energies (VDEs) were also calculated to simulate the photoelectron spectra (PES) of the clusters. In addition, by adding the alkali cations (Li + and Na + ) into the LaX 2 - (X=Al, Ga, In) clusters, the geometries and electronic structures of the corresponding neutral salts have also been investigated to gain more insights in the potential of using these aromatic anions as building blocks. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of Ga Addition on Morphology and Recovery of Primary Si During Al-Si Alloy Solidification Refining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jingwei; Bai, Xiaolong; Li, Yanlei; Ban, Boyuan; Chen, Jian

2015-12-01

The effect of Ga addition on alloy macrostructure, morphology and recovery rate of primary Si during the Al-Si-Ga alloy solvent refining process of silicon was studied in this work. The addition of Ga to Al-Si alloy could change the morphology of the primary Si. The average plate thickness of the primary Si increases with increase of Ga content. With the increase of Ga content, the average plate length of the primary Si crystals becomes larger when the Ga content is less than 5% in the Al-30%Si-xGa alloy, but becomes smaller when the Ga content exceeds 5%. Al-Si-Ga alloys consist of three types, primary Si, GaxAl1-x, (α-Al+Si+β-Ga) eutectic. (111) is the preferred growth surface of the plate-like primary Si. The recovery rate of the primary Si increases with the increase of Ga content. When the Ga content increased to 20% in Al-30%Si-xGa alloy, the relative recovery rate of the primary Si increased to 50.41% than that in Al-30%Si alloy.

Asymmetrical design for non-relaxed near-UV AlGaN/GaN distributed Bragg reflectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moudakir, T.; Abid, M.; Doan, B.-T.; Demarly, E.; Gautier, S.; Orsal, G.; Jacquet, J.; Ougazzaden, A.; Genty, F.

2010-10-01

Towards the development of high efficient GaN-based Vertical Cavity devices, the fabrication of cracks-free high reflective semiconductor mirrors is still an issue. For near-UV operating devices, one of the best solution is the use of AlGaN/GaN materials family. With a relatively high Al molar fraction in AlGaN, a large enough index contrast can be achieved to fabricate high reflectivity mirrors. However, the lattice mismatch between AlGaN and GaN increases with the Al molar fraction and induces a lot of cracks in the structure which affect its optical and electrical properties. Moreover, for a regrowth of an active layer on the top of the mirror, it is necessary to suppress crack generations to achieve a smooth surface. In this work, asymmetrical designs were investigated for the modeling of fully-strained AlGaN/GaN distributed Bragg Reflectors with crack-free surfaces. First, the critical thickness of MOVPE-grown AlGaN on GaN-on-sapphire templates was experimentally determined and modeled. Then, several AlGaN/GaN mirrors with various Al molar fractions and asymmetry factors were simulated demonstrating that non relaxed DBRs could be obtained with adequate parameters. Finally, it has also been shown that there is a best suited Al molar fraction in AlGaN for each DBR centering wavelength.

AlGaN-Cladding-Free m-Plane InGaN/GaN Laser Diodes with p-Type AlGaN Etch Stop Layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farrell, Robert M.; Haeger, Daniel A.; Hsu, Po Shan; Hardy, Matthew T.; Kelchner, Kathryn M.; Fujito, Kenji; Feezell, Daniel F.; Mishra, Umesh K.; DenBaars, Steven P.; Speck, James S.; Nakamura, Shuji

2011-09-01

We present a new method of improving the accuracy and reproducibility of dry etching processes for ridge waveguide InGaN/GaN laser diodes (LDs). A GaN:Al0.09Ga0.91N etch rate selectivity of 11:1 was demonstrated for an m-plane LD with a 40 nm p-Al0.09Ga0.91N etch stop layer (ESL) surrounded by Al-free cladding layers, establishing the effectiveness of AlGaN-based ESLs for controlling etch depth in ridge waveguide InGaN/GaN LDs. These results demonstrate the potential for integrating AlGaN ESLs into commercial device designs where accurate control of the etch depth of the ridge waveguide is necessary for stable, kink-free operation at high output powers.

P-type gallium nitride

DOEpatents

Rubin, M.; Newman, N.; Fu, T.; Ross, J.; Chan, J.

1997-08-12

Several methods have been found to make p-type gallium nitride. P-type gallium nitride has long been sought for electronic devices. N-type gallium nitride is readily available. Discovery of p-type gallium nitride and the methods for making it will enable its use in ultraviolet and blue light-emitting diodes and lasers. pGaN will further enable blue photocathode elements to be made. Molecular beam epitaxy on substrates held at the proper temperatures, assisted by a nitrogen beam of the proper energy produced several types of p-type GaN with hole concentrations of about 5{times}10{sup 11} /cm{sup 3} and hole mobilities of about 500 cm{sup 2} /V-sec, measured at 250 K. P-type GaN can be formed of unintentionally-doped material or can be doped with magnesium by diffusion, ion implantation, or co-evaporation. When applicable, the nitrogen can be substituted with other group III elements such as Al. 9 figs.

P-type gallium nitride

DOEpatents

Rubin, Michael; Newman, Nathan; Fu, Tracy; Ross, Jennifer; Chan, James

1997-01-01

Several methods have been found to make p-type gallium nitride. P-type gallium nitride has long been sought for electronic devices. N-type gallium nitride is readily available. Discovery of p-type gallium nitride and the methods for making it will enable its use in ultraviolet and blue light-emitting diodes and lasers. pGaN will further enable blue photocathode elements to be made. Molecular beam epitaxy on substrates held at the proper temperatures, assisted by a nitrogen beam of the proper energy produced several types of p-type GaN with hole concentrations of about 5.times.10.sup.11 /cm.sup.3 and hole mobilities of about 500 cm.sup.2 /V-sec, measured at 250.degree. K. P-type GaN can be formed of unintentionally-doped material or can be doped with magnesium by diffusion, ion implantation, or co-evaporation. When applicable, the nitrogen can be substituted with other group III elements such as Al.

Precise Analysis of Gallium Isotopic Composition by MC-ICP-MS.

PubMed

Yuan, Wei; Chen, Jiu Bin; Birck, Jean-Louis; Yin, Zuo Ying; Yuan, Sheng Liu; Cai, Hong Ming; Wang, Zhong Wei; Huang, Qiang; Wang, Zhu Hong

2016-10-04

Though an isotope approach could be beneficial for better understanding the biogeochemical cycle of gallium (Ga), an analogue of the monoisotopic element aluminum (Al), the geochemistry of Ga isotopes has not been widely elaborated. We developed a two-step method for purifying Ga from geological (biological) samples for precise measurement of Ga isotope ratio using multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS). Ga was thoroughly separated from other matrix elements using two chromatographic columns loaded with AG 1-X4 and Ln-spec resin, respectively. The separation method was carefully calibrated using both synthetic and natural samples and validated by assessing the extraction yield (99.8 ± 0.8%, 2SD, n = 23) and the reproducibility (2SD uncertainty better than 0.05‰, n = 116) of the measured isotopic ratio (expressed as δ 71 Ga). The validation of the whole protocol, together with instrumental analysis, was confirmed by the investigation of the matrix effect, the result of a standard addition experiment, and the comparison of Ga isotope measurement on two mass spectrometers-Nu Plasma II and Neptune Plus. Although the measurements using the sample-standard bracketing (SSB) correction method on both instruments resulted in identical δ 71 Ga values for reference materials, the modified empirical external normalization (MEEN) method gave relatively better precision compared to SSB on Neptune. Our preliminary results showed large variation of δ 71 Ga (up to 1.83‰) for 10 standards, with higher values in industrially produced materials, implying potential application of Ga isotopes.

Room-temperature ferromagnetic transitions and the temperature dependence of magnetic behaviors in FeCoNiCr-based high-entropy alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Na, Suok-Min; Yoo, Jin-Hyeong; Lambert, Paul K.; Jones, Nicholas J.

2018-05-01

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) containing multiple principle alloying elements exhibit unique properties so they are currently receiving great attention for developing innovative alloy designs. In FeCoNi-based HEAs, magnetic behaviors strongly depend on the addition of alloying elements, usually accompanied by structural changes. In this work, the effect of non-magnetic components on the ferromagnetic transition and magnetic behaviors in equiatomic FeCoNiCrX (X=Al, Ga, Mn and Sn) HEAs was investigated. Alloy ingots of nominal compositions of HEAs were prepared by arc melting and the button ingots were cut into discs for magnetic measurements as functions of magnetic field and temperature. The HEAs of FeCoNiCrMn and FeCoNiCrSn show typical paramagnetic behaviors, composed of solid solution FCC matrix, while the additions of Ga and Al in FeCoNiCr exhibit ferromagnetic behaviors, along with the coexistence of FCC and BCC phases due to spinodal decomposition. The partial phase transition in both HEAs with the additions of Ga and Al would enhance ferromagnetic properties due to the addition of the BCC phase. The saturation magnetization for the base alloy FeCoNiCr is 0.5 emu/g at the applied field of 20 kOe (TC = 104 K). For the HEAs of FeCoNiCrGa and FeCoNiCrAl, the saturation magnetization significantly increased to 38 emu/g (TC = 703 K) and 25 emu/g (TC = 277 K), respectively. To evaluate the possibility of solid solution FCC and BCC phases in FeCoNiCr-type HEAs, we introduced a parameter of valence electron concentration (VEC). The proposed rule for solid solution formation by the VEC was matched with FeCoNiCr-type HEAs.

The Impact of GaN/Substrate Thermal Boundary Resistance on a HEMT Device

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-11-01

stack between the GaN and Substrate layers. The University of Bristol recently reported that this TBR in commercial devices on Silicon Carbide ( SiC ...Circuit RF Radio Frequency PA Power Amplifier SiC Silicon Carbide FEA Finite Element Analysis heff Effective Heat transfer Coefficient (W/m 2 K...substrate material switched from sapphire to silicon , and by another factor of two from silicon to SiC . TABLE 1: SAMPLE RESULTS FROM DOUGLAS ET AL. FOR

Cathodoluminescence study on local high-energy emissions at dark spots in AlGaN/AlGaN multiple quantum wells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurai, Satoshi; Imura, Nobuto; Jin, Li; Miyake, Hideto; Hiramatsu, Kazumasa; Yamada, Yoichi

2018-06-01

We investigated the spatial distribution of luminescence near threading dislocations in AlGaN/AlGaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) by cathodoluminescence mapping. Emission at the higher-energy side of the AlGaN MQW peak was locally observed near the threading dislocations, which were not accompanied by any surface V-pits. Such higher-energy emission was not observed in the AlGaN epilayers. The energy difference between the AlGaN MQW peak and the higher-energy emission peak increased with increasing barrier-layer Al composition. These results suggest that the origin of the higher-energy emission is likely local thickness fluctuation around dislocations in very thin AlGaN MQWs.

Influence of the AlN nucleation layer on the properties of AlGaN/GaN heterostructure on Si (1 1 1) substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Lei; Dong, Xun; Li, Zhonghui; Luo, Weike; Ni, Jinyu

2018-07-01

AlGaN/GaN heterostructures were grown on Si (1 1 1) substrates with different AlN nucleation layers (NL) by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The results indicate that the growth temperature of AlN NL has a noticeable influence on the structural, electronic and optical properties of the AlGaN/GaN heterostructures. Optimizing the growth temperature to 1040 °C led to quasi-2D smooth surface of the AlN NL with providing sufficient compressive stress to suppress cracking of the subsequent GaN layer during the cooling process, resulting in improved crystalline quality of GaN layer and superior two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) performance of the AlGaN/GaN heterostructure.

Group-III nitride based high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) with barrier/spacer layer

DOEpatents

Chavarkar, Prashant; Smorchkova, Ioulia P.; Keller, Stacia; Mishra, Umesh; Walukiewicz, Wladyslaw; Wu, Yifeng

2005-02-01

A Group III nitride based high electron mobility transistors (HEMT) is disclosed that provides improved high frequency performance. One embodiment of the HEMT comprises a GaN buffer layer, with an Al.sub.y Ga.sub.1-y N (y=1 or y 1) layer on the GaN buffer layer. An Al.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x N (0.ltoreq.x.ltoreq.0.5) barrier layer on to the Al.sub.y Ga.sub.1-y N layer, opposite the GaN buffer layer, Al.sub.y Ga.sub.1-y N layer having a higher Al concentration than that of the Al.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x N barrier layer. A preferred Al.sub.y Ga.sub.1-y N layer has y=1 or y.about.1 and a preferred Al.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x N barrier layer has 0.ltoreq.x.ltoreq.0.5. A 2DEG forms at the interface between the GaN buffer layer and the Al.sub.y Ga.sub.1-y N layer. Respective source, drain and gate contacts are formed on the Al.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x N barrier layer. The HEMT can also comprising a substrate adjacent to the buffer layer, opposite the Al.sub.y Ga.sub.1-y N layer and a nucleation layer between the Al.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x N buffer layer and the substrate.

Pure AlN layers in metal-polar AlGaN/AlN/GaN and AlN/GaN heterostructures grown by low-temperature ammonia-based molecular beam epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaun, Stephen W.; Mazumder, Baishakhi; Fireman, Micha N.; Kyle, Erin C. H.; Mishra, Umesh K.; Speck, James S.

2015-05-01

When grown at a high temperature (820 °C) by ammonia-based molecular beam epitaxy (NH3-MBE), the AlN layers of metal-polar AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructures had a high GaN mole fraction (∼0.15), as identified by atom probe tomography in a previous study (Mazumder et al 2013 Appl. Phys. Lett. 102 111603). In the study presented here, growth at low temperature (<740 °C) by NH3-MBE yielded metal-polar AlN layers that were essentially pure at the alloy level. The improved purity of the AlN layers grown at low temperature was correlated to a dramatic increase in the sheet density of the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at the AlN/GaN heterointerface. Through application of an In surfactant, metal-polar AlN(3.5 nm)/GaN and AlGaN/AlN(2.5 nm)/GaN heterostructures grown at low temperature yielded low 2DEG sheet resistances of 177 and 285 Ω/□, respectively.

Enhanced sheet carrier densities in polarization controlled AlInN/AlN/GaN/InGaN field-effect transistor on Si (111)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hennig, J., E-mail: jonas.hennig@ovgu.de; Dadgar, A.; Witte, H.

2015-07-15

We report on GaN based field-effect transistor (FET) structures exhibiting sheet carrier densities of n = 2.9 10{sup 13} cm{sup −2} for high-power transistor applications. By grading the indium-content of InGaN layers grown prior to a conventional GaN/AlN/AlInN FET structure control of the channel width at the GaN/AlN interface is obtained. The composition of the InGaN layer was graded from nominally x{sub In} = 30 % to pure GaN just below the AlN/AlInN interface. Simulations reveal the impact of the additional InGaN layer on the potential well width which controls the sheet carrier density within the channel region of the devices.more » Benchmarking the In{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}N/GaN/AlN/Al{sub 0.87}In{sub 0.13}N based FETs against GaN/AlN/AlInN FET reference structures we found increased maximum current densities of I{sub SD} = 1300 mA/mm (560 mA/mm). In addition, the InGaN layer helps to achieve broader transconductance profiles as well as reduced leakage currents.« less

Self-assembling of impurity clusters in AlN:(Ga, BV, CV), (BV, CV = P, As; P, Sb; As, Sb)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elyukhin, V. A.

2015-11-01

The self-assembling conditions of arrays of tetrahedral impurity clusters of two types in zinc blende AlN:(Ga, BV, CV), (BV, CV = P, As; P, Sb; As, Sb) are represented. Doping with one cation and two anion isoelectronic impurities transforms AlN into AlN-rich GaxAl1-xBVyCVzN1-y-z alloy of GaBV, GaCV, GaN, AlBV, AlCV and AlN. The cause of self-assembling is the preference of GaBV, GaCV and AlN bonding over that of GaN, AlBV, AlCV. The conditions are considered from 0 °C to 1000 °C in the dilute and ultra dilute limits for the cation and anion impurities, correspondingly. The temperature ranges between the cluster occurrence and self-assembling completion when the same anion impurities are in clusters are very small. 1P4Ga and 1As4Ga cluster occurrence temperatures are equal, correspondingly, to 797 °C and 736 °C at Ga content 2% and P and As contents 0.01%. 1P4Ga and 1Sb4Ga cluster occurrence temperatures are equal, correspondingly, to 976 °C and 736 °C at the same impurity contents. The cluster densities in AlN:(Ga, As, Sb) are close to those in AlN:(Ga, P, Sb). The results demonstrate that studied semiconductors are promising materials to produce arrays of identical ∼1 nm low band gap objects of two types embedded in the wide band gap matrix.

Inductively Coupled Plasma and Electron Cyclotron Resonance Plasma Etching of InGaAlP Compound Semiconductor System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abernathy, C.R.; Hobson, W.S.; Hong, J.

1998-11-04

Current and future generations of sophisticated compound semiconductor devices require the ability for submicron scale patterning. The situation is being complicated since some of the new devices are based on a wider diversity of materials to be etched. Conventional IUE (Reactive Ion Etching) has been prevalent across the industry so far, but has limitations for materials with high bond strengths or multiple elements. IrI this paper, we suggest high density plasmas such as ECR (Electron Cyclotron Resonance) and ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma), for the etching of ternary compound semiconductors (InGaP, AIInP, AlGaP) which are employed for electronic devices like heterojunctionmore » bipolar transistors (HBTs) or high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs), and photonic devices such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and lasers. High density plasma sources, opeiating at lower pressure, are expected to meet target goals determined in terms of etch rate, surface morphology, surface stoichiometry, selectivity, etc. The etching mechanisms, which are described in this paper, can also be applied to other III-V (GaAs-based, InP-based) as well as III-Nitride since the InGaAIP system shares many of the same properties.« less

Growth of crack-free GaN films on Si(111) substrate by using Al-rich AlN buffer layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Yuan; Cong, Guangwei; Liu, Xianglin; Lu, Da-Cheng; Zhu, Qinsheng; Wang, Xiaohui; Wu, Jiejun; Wang, Zhanguo

2004-11-01

GaN epilayers were grown on Si(111) substrate by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. By using the Al-rich AlN buffer which contains Al beyond stoichiometry, crack-free GaN epilayers with 1 μm thickness were obtained. Through x-ray diffraction (XRD) and secondary ion mass spectroscopy analyses, it was found that a lot of Al atoms have diffused into the under part of the GaN epilayer from the Al-rich AlN buffer, which results in the formation of an AlxGa1-xN layer at least with 300 nm thickness in the 1 μm thick GaN epilayer. The Al fraction x was estimated by XRD to be about 2.5%. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy depth analysis was also applied to investigate the stoichiometry in the Al-rich buffer before GaN growth. It is suggested that the underlayer AlxGa1-xN originated from Al diffusion probably provides a compressive stress to the upper part of the GaN epilayer, which counterbalances a part of tensile stress in the GaN epilayer during cooling down and consequently reduces the cracks of the film effectively. The method using the Al diffusion effect to form a thick AlGaN layer is really feasible to achieve the crack-free GaN films and obtain a high crystal quality simultaneously.

Interface trap of p-type gate integrated AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field effect transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Kyu Sang

2017-09-01

In this work, the impact of trap states at the p-(Al)GaN/AlGaN interface has been investigated for the normally-off mode p-(Al)GaN/AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors (HFETs) by means of frequency dependent conductance. From the current-voltage (I-V) measurement, it was found that the p-AlGaN gate integrated device has higher drain current and lower gate leakage current compared to the p-GaN gate integrated device. We obtained the interface trap density and the characteristic time constant for the p-type gate integrated HFETs under the forward gate voltage of up to 6 V. As a result, the interface trap density (characteristic time constant) of the p-GaN gate device was lower (longer) than that of the p-AlGaN. Furthermore, it was analyzed that the trap state energy level of the p-GaN gate device was located at the shallow level relative to the p-AlGaN gate device, which accounts for different gate leakage current of each devices.

Enhanced thermoelectric transport in modulation-doped GaN/AlGaN core/shell nanowires.

PubMed

Song, Erdong; Li, Qiming; Swartzentruber, Brian; Pan, Wei; Wang, George T; Martinez, Julio A

2016-01-08

The thermoelectric properties of unintentionally n-doped core GaN/AlGaN core/shell N-face nanowires are reported. We found that the temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity is consistent with thermally activated carriers with two distinctive donor energies. The Seebeck coefficient of GaN/AlGaN nanowires is more than twice as large as that for the GaN nanowires alone. However, an outer layer of GaN deposited onto the GaN/AlGaN core/shell nanowires decreases the Seebeck coefficient at room temperature, while the temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity remains the same. We attribute these observations to the formation of an electron gas channel within the heavily-doped GaN core of the GaN/AlGaN nanowires. The room-temperature thermoelectric power factor for the GaN/AlGaN nanowires can be four times higher than the GaN nanowires. Selective doping in bandgap engineered core/shell nanowires is proposed for enhancing the thermoelectric power.

Mineralogical and geochemical characterization of weathering profiles developed on mylonites in the Fodjomekwet-Fotouni section of the Cameroon Shear Zone (CSZ), West Cameroon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tematio, P.; Tchaptchet, W. T.; Nguetnkam, J. P.; Mbog, M. B.; Yongue Fouateu, R.

2017-07-01

The mineralogical and geochemical investigation of mylonitic weathering profiles in Fodjomekwet-Fotouni was done to better trace the occurrence of minerals and chemical elements in this area. Four representative soil profiles were identified in two geomorphological units (upland and lowland) differentiating three weathering products (organo-mineral, mineral and weathered materials). Weathering of these mylonites led to some minerals association such as vermiculite, kaolinite, goethite, smectite, halloysite, phlogopite and gibbsite. The minerals in a decreasing order of abundance are: quartz (24.2%-54.8%); kaolinite (8.4%-36.0%); phlogopite (5.5%-21.9%); goethite (7.8%-16.1%); vermiculite (6.7%-15.7%); smectite (10.2%-11.9%); gibbsite (9.0%-11.8%) and halloysite (5.6%-11.5%) respectively. Patterns of chemical elements allow highlighting three behaviors (enriched elements, depleted elements and elements with complex behavior), depending on the landscape position of the profiles. In the upland weathering products, K, Cr and REEs are enriched; Ca, Mg, Na, Mn, Rb, S and Sr are depleted while Si, Al, Fe, Ti, Ba, Co, Cu, Ga, Mo, Nb, Ni, Pb, Sc, V, Y, Zn and Zr portray a complex behavior. Contrarily, the lowland weathering profiles enriched elements are Fe, Ti, Co, Cr, Cu, V, Zr, Pr, Sm, Tb, Dy, Er and Yb; while depleted elements are Ca, Mg, K, Na, Mn, Ba, Ga, S, Sr, Y, Zn, La, Ce and Nd; and Si, Al, Mo, Nb, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sc evidenced complex behaviors. In all the studied weathering products, the REEs fractionation was also noticeable with a landscape-position dependency, showing light REEs (LREEs) enrichment in the upland areas and heavy REEs (HREEs) in lowland areas. SiO2, Al2O3 and Fe2O3 are positively correlated with most of the traces and REEs (Co, Cu, Nb, Ni, Mo, Pb, Sc, V, Zn, Zr, La, Ce, Sm, Tb, Dy, Er, Yb), pointing to the fact that they may be incorporated into newly formed clay minerals and oxides. Ba, Cr, Ga, Rb, S, Sr, Y, Pr and Nd behave like alkalis and alkaline earths, and are thus highly mobile during weathering.

Ohmic contact formation between metal and AlGaN/GaN heterostructure via graphene insertion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sung Park, Pil; Reddy, Kongara M.; Nath, Digbijoy N.; Yang, Zhichao; Padture, Nitin P.; Rajan, Siddharth

2013-04-01

A simple method for the creation of Ohmic contact to 2D electron gas in AlGaN/GaN high electron-mobility transistors using Cr/graphene layer is demonstrated. A weak temperature dependence of this Ohmic contact observed in the range 77 to 300 K precludes thermionic emission or trap-assisted hopping as possible carrier-transport mechanisms. It is suggested that the Cr/graphene combination acts akin to a doped n-type semiconductor in contact with AlGaN/GaN heterostructure, and promotes carrier transport along percolating Al-lean paths through the AlGaN layer. This use of graphene offers a simple method for making Ohmic contacts to AlGaN/GaN heterostructures, circumventing complex additional processing steps involving high temperatures. These results could have important implications for the fabrication and manufacturing of AlGaN/GaN-based microelectronic and optoelectronic devices/sensors of the future.

Growth Optimization of Metal-polar III-Nitride High-electron-mobility Transistor Structures by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaun, Stephen William

GaN-based high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) will play an important role in the next generation of high-frequency amplifiers and power-switching devices. Since parasitic conduction (leakage) through the GaN buffer layer and (Al,Ga,In)N barrier reduces the efficiency of operation, HEMT performance hinges on the epitaxial quality of these layers. Increasing the sheet charge density and mobility of the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) is also essential for reducing the channel resistance and improving output. The growth conditions applied in plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE) and ammonia-based molecular beam epitaxy (NH3-MBE) that result in high-quality metal-polar HEMT structures are described. The effects of threading dislocations on the gate leakage and channel conductivity of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs were studied in detail. For this purpose, a series of HEMT structures were grown on GaN templates with threading dislocation densities (TDDs) that spanned three orders of magnitude. There was a clear trend of reduced gate leakage with reduced TDD for HEMTs grown by Ga-rich PAMBE; however, a reduction in TDD also entailed an increase in buffer leakage. By reducing the unintentionally doped (UID) GaN buffer thickness and including an AlGaN back barrier, a HEMT regrown by Ga-rich PAMBE on low-TDD free-standing (FS) GaN (~5 x 107 cm-2 TDD) yielded a three-terminal breakdown voltage greater than 50 V and a power output (power-added efficiency) of 6.7 W/mm (50 %) at 4 GHz with a 40 V drain bias. High TDD was then shown to severely degrade the 2DEG mobility of AlxGa1-xN/GaN (x = 0.24, 0.12, 0.06) and AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructures grown by Ga-rich PAMBE. By regrowing on low-TDD FS GaN and including a 2.5 nm AlN interlayer, an Al0.24Ga0.76N/AlN/GaN heterostructure achieved a room temperature (RT) 2DEG sheet resistance of 169 Ω/□. As evidenced by atom probe tomography, the AlN interlayer grown by Ga-rich PAMBE was pure with abrupt interfaces. The pure AlN interlayer greatly reduced alloy-related scattering. When AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructures were grown by NH3-MBE at 820 °C, the 2DEG sheet density was lower than expected. These AlN interlayers were shown to have a significant concentration of Ga impurities by atom probe tomography. The source of these impurities was most likely the decomposition of the underlying GaN layers, as reduction of the growth temperature below 750 °C yielded a much lower concentration of Ga impurities. Flux optimization and application of an In surfactant was necessary to reduce the interface roughness in AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructures grown by NH3-MBE at low temperature, yielding sheet resistances below 300 Ω/□. The growth of InAlN/(GaN)/(AlN)/GaN heterostructures with lattice-matched In0.17Al0.83N barriers by N-rich PAMBE is also described. Through flux optimization, the columnar microstructure previously observed in N-rich PAMBE-grown InAlN layers was eliminated. By including a 3 nm AlN interlayer and 2 nm GaN interlayer, an In0.17Al0.83N/GaN/AlN/GaN heterostructure regrown on low-TDD FS GaN achieved an exceptionally low RT 2DEG sheet resistance of 145 Ω/□.

Optical spin orientation of minority holes in a modulation-doped GaAs/(Ga,Al)As quantum well

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koudinov, A. V.; Dzhioev, R. I.; Korenev, V. L.; Sapega, V. F.; Kusrayev, Yu. G.

2016-04-01

The optical spin orientation effect in a GaAs/(Ga,Al)As quantum well containing a high-mobility two-dimensional electron gas was found to be due to spin-polarized minority carriers, the holes. The observed oscillations of both the intensity and polarization of the photoluminescence in a magnetic field are well described in a model whose main elements are resonant absorption of the exciting light by the Landau levels and mixing of the heavy- and light-hole subbands. After subtraction of these effects, the observed influence of magnetic fields on the spin polarization can be well interpreted by a standard approach of the optical orientation method. The spin relaxation of holes is controlled by the Dyakonov-Perel' mechanism. Deceleration of the spin relaxation by the magnetic field occurs through the Ivchenko mechanism—due to the cyclotron motion of holes. Mobility of holes was found to be two orders of magnitude smaller than that of electrons, being determined by the scattering of holes by the electron gas.

Surface passivation and self-regulated shell growth in selective area-grown GaN-(Al,Ga)N core-shell nanowires.

PubMed

Hetzl, Martin; Winnerl, Julia; Francaviglia, Luca; Kraut, Max; Döblinger, Markus; Matich, Sonja; Fontcuberta I Morral, Anna; Stutzmann, Martin

2017-06-01

The large surface-to-volume ratio of GaN nanowires implicates sensitivity of the optical and electrical properties of the nanowires to their surroundings. The implementation of an (Al,Ga)N shell with a larger band gap around the GaN nanowire core is a promising geometry to seal the GaN surface. We investigate the luminescence and structural properties of selective area-grown GaN-(Al,Ga)N core-shell nanowires grown on Si and diamond substrates. While the (Al,Ga)N shell allows a suppression of yellow defect luminescence from the GaN core, an overall intensity loss due to Si-related defects at the GaN/(Al,Ga)N interface has been observed in the case of Si substrates. Scanning transmission electron microscopy measurements indicate a superior crystal quality of the (Al,Ga)N shell along the nanowire side facets compared to the (Al,Ga)N cap at the top facet. A nucleation study of the (Al,Ga)N shell reveals a pronounced bowing of the nanowires along the c-direction after a short deposition time which disappears for longer growth times. This is assigned to an initially inhomogeneous shell nucleation. A detailed study of the proceeding shell growth allows the formulation of a strain-driven self-regulating (Al,Ga)N shell nucleation model.

Cryogenic operation of pseudomorphic AlGaAs/InGaAs single-quantum-well MODFETs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Masselink, W. T.; Ketterson, A.; Klem, J.; Kopp, W.; Morkoc, H.

1985-01-01

The 77 K operation of AlGaAs/InGaAs MODFETs has been investigated. The structures, grown by MBE, make use of a 200 A undoped In(0.15)Ga(0.85)As quantum well for electron confinement and an Si-doped Al(0.15)Ga(0.85)As top barrier. The MODFETs with 1 micron gate lengths exhibit extrinsic transconductances of 360 mS/mm and maximum currents of 310 mA/mm at 77 K. The use of a low Al mole fraction AlGaAs/InGaAs heterojunction makes it possible to avoid the persistent trapping effects encountered in AlGaAs/GaAs MODFETs without sacrificing device performance.

Reducing Mg Acceptor Activation-Energy in Al0.83Ga0.17N Disorder Alloy Substituted by Nanoscale (AlN)5/(GaN)1 Superlattice Using MgGa δ-Doping: Mg Local-Structure Effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, Hong-Xia; Shi, Jun-Jie; Zhang, Min; Jiang, Xin-He; Huang, Pu; Ding, Yi-Min

2014-10-01

Improving p-type doping efficiency in Al-rich AlGaN alloys is a worldwide problem for the realization of AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet optoelectronic devices. In order to solve this problem, we calculate Mg acceptor activation energy and investigate its relationship with Mg local structure in nanoscale (AlN)5/(GaN)1 superlattice (SL), a substitution for Al0.83Ga0.17N disorder alloy, using first-principles calculations. A universal picture to reduce acceptor activation energy in wide-gap semiconductors is given for the first time. By reducing the volume of the acceptor local structure slightly, its activation energy can be decreased remarkably. Our results show that Mg acceptor activation energy can be reduced significantly from 0.44 eV in Al0.83Ga0.17N disorder alloy to 0.26 eV, very close to the Mg acceptor activation energy in GaN, and a high hole concentration in the order of 1019 cm-3 can be obtained in (AlN)5/(GaN)1 SL by MgGa δ-doping owing to GaN-monolayer modulation. We thus open up a new way to reduce Mg acceptor activation energy and increase hole concentration in Al-rich AlGaN.

Reducing Mg acceptor activation-energy in Al(0.83)Ga(0.17)N disorder alloy substituted by nanoscale (AlN)₅/(GaN)₁ superlattice using Mg(Ga) δ-doping: Mg local-structure effect.

PubMed

Zhong, Hong-xia; Shi, Jun-jie; Zhang, Min; Jiang, Xin-he; Huang, Pu; Ding, Yi-min

2014-10-23

Improving p-type doping efficiency in Al-rich AlGaN alloys is a worldwide problem for the realization of AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet optoelectronic devices. In order to solve this problem, we calculate Mg acceptor activation energy and investigate its relationship with Mg local structure in nanoscale (AlN)5/(GaN)1 superlattice (SL), a substitution for Al(0.83)Ga(0.17)N disorder alloy, using first-principles calculations. A universal picture to reduce acceptor activation energy in wide-gap semiconductors is given for the first time. By reducing the volume of the acceptor local structure slightly, its activation energy can be decreased remarkably. Our results show that Mg acceptor activation energy can be reduced significantly from 0.44 eV in Al(0.83)Ga(0.17)N disorder alloy to 0.26 eV, very close to the Mg acceptor activation energy in GaN, and a high hole concentration in the order of 10(19) cm(-3) can be obtained in (AlN)5/(GaN)1 SL by Mg(Ga) δ-doping owing to GaN-monolayer modulation. We thus open up a new way to reduce Mg acceptor activation energy and increase hole concentration in Al-rich AlGaN.

Electron mobility in InGaN channel heterostructure field effect transistor structures with different barriers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, J.; Leach, J. H.; Ni, X.; Wu, M.; Shimada, R.; Özgür, Ü.; Morkoç, H.

2007-12-01

InGaN possesses higher electron mobility and velocity than GaN, and therefore is expected to lead to relatively better performances for heterostructure field effect transistors (HFETs). However, the reported mobilities for AlGaN /InGaN HFETs are lower than GaN channel HFETs. To address this issue, we studied the effect of different barriers on the Hall mobility for InGaN channel HFETs grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition. Unlike the conventional AlGaN barrier, the AlInN barrier can be grown at the same temperature as the InGaN channel layer, alleviating some of the technological roadblocks. Specifically, this avoids possible degradation of the thin InGaN channel during AlGaN growth at high temperatures; and paves the way for better interfaces. An undoped In0.18Al0.82N/AlN/In0.04Ga0.96N HFET structure exhibited a μH=820cm2/Vs, with a ns=2.12×1013cm-2 at room temperature. Moreover, with an In-doped AlGaN barrier, namely, Al0.24In0.01Ga0.75N, grown at 900°C, the μH increased to 1230cm2/Vs with a ns of 1.09×1013cm-2 for a similar InGaN channel. Furthermore, when the barrier was replaced by Al0.25Ga0.75N grown at 1030°C, μH dropped to 870cm2/Vs with ns of 1.26×1013cm-2 at room temperature. Our results suggest that to fully realize the potential of the InGaN channel HFETs, AlInN or AlInGaN should be used as the barrier instead of the conventional AlGaN barrier.

Growth and optical characteristics of Tm-doped AlGaN layer grown by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takatsu, J.; Fuji, R.; Tatebayashi, J.; Timmerman, D.; Lesage, A.; Gregorkiewicz, T.; Fujiwara, Y.

2018-04-01

We report on the growth and optical properties of Tm-doped AlGaN layers by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy (OMVPE). The morphological and optical properties of Tm-doped GaN (GaN:Tm) and Tm-doped AlGaN (AlGaN:Tm) were investigated by Nomarski differential interference contrast microscopy and photoluminescence (PL) characterization. Nomarski images reveal an increase of surface roughness upon doping Tm into both GaN and AlGaN layers. The PL characterization of GaN:Tm shows emission in the near-infrared range originating from intra-4f shell transitions of Tm3+ ions. In contrast, AlGaN:Tm also exhibits blue light emission from Tm3+ ions. In that case, the wider band gap of the AlGaN host allows energy transfer to higher states of the Tm3+ ions. With time-resolved PL measurements, we could distinguish three types of luminescent sites of Tm3+ in the AlGaN:Tm layer, having different decay times. Our results confirm that Tm ions can be doped into GaN and AlGaN by OMVPE, and show potential for the fabrication of novel high-color-purity blue light emitting diodes.

Insulator-semiconductor interface fixed charges in AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor devices with Al2O3 or AlTiO gate dielectrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le, Son Phuong; Nguyen, Duong Dai; Suzuki, Toshi-kazu

2018-01-01

We have investigated insulator-semiconductor interface fixed charges in AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) devices with Al2O3 or AlTiO (an alloy of Al2O3 and TiO2) gate dielectrics obtained by atomic layer deposition on AlGaN. Analyzing insulator-thickness dependences of threshold voltages for the MIS devices, we evaluated positive interface fixed charges, whose density at the AlTiO/AlGaN interface is significantly lower than that at the Al2O3/AlGaN interface. This and a higher dielectric constant of AlTiO lead to rather shallower threshold voltages for the AlTiO gate dielectric than for Al2O3. The lower interface fixed charge density also leads to the fact that the two-dimensional electron concentration is a decreasing function of the insulator thickness for AlTiO, whereas being an increasing function for Al2O3. Moreover, we discuss the relationship between the interface fixed charges and interface states. From the conductance method, it is shown that the interface state densities are very similar at the Al2O3/AlGaN and AlTiO/AlGaN interfaces. Therefore, we consider that the lower AlTiO/AlGaN interface fixed charge density is not owing to electrons trapped at deep interface states compensating the positive fixed charges and can be attributed to a lower density of oxygen-related interface donors.

effect of the parameters of AlN/GaN/AlGaN and AlN/GaN/InAlN heterostructures with a two-dimensional electron gas on their electrical properties and the characteristics of transistors on their basis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tsatsulnikov, A. F., E-mail: andrew@beam.ioffe.ru; Lundin, V. W.; Zavarin, E. E.

The effect of the layer thickness and composition in AlGaN/AlN/GaN and InAlN/AlN/GaN transistor heterostructures with a two-dimensional electron gas on their electrical and the static parameters of test transistors fabricated from such heterostructures are experimentally and theoretically studied. It is shown that the use of an InAlN barrier layer instead of AlGaN results in a more than twofold increase in the carrier concentration in the channel, which leads to a corresponding increase in the saturation current. In situ dielectric-coating deposition on the InAlN/AlN/GaN heterostructure surface during growth process allows an increase in the maximum saturation current and breakdown voltages whilemore » retaining high transconductance.« less

On the AlxGa1-xN/AlyGa1-yN/AlxGa1-xN (x>y) p-electron blocking layer to improve the hole injection for AlGaN based deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Chunshuang; Tian, Kangkai; Fang, Mengqian; Zhang, Yonghui; Li, Luping; Bi, Wengang; Zhang, Zi-Hui

2018-01-01

This work proposes the [0001] oriented AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet (DUV) light-emitting diode (LED) possessing a specifically designed p-electron blocking layer (p-EBL) to achieve the high internal quantum efficiency. Both electrons and holes can be efficiently injected into the active region by adopting the Al0.60Ga0.40N/Al0.50Ga0.50N/Al0.60Ga0.40N structured p-EBL, in which a p-Al0.50Ga0.50N layer is embedded into the p-EBL. Moreover, the impact of different thicknesses for the p-Al0.50Ga0.50N insertion layer on the hole and electron injections has also been investigated. Compared with the DUV LED with the bulk p-Al0.60Ga0.40N as the EBL, the proposed LED architectures improve the light output power if the thickness of the p-Al0.50Ga0.50N insertion layer is properly designed.

Performance Analysis of GaN Capping Layer Thickness on GaN/AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors.

PubMed

Sharma, N; Periasamy, C; Chaturvedi, N

2018-07-01

In this paper, we present an investigation of the impact of GaN capping layer and AlGaN layer thickness on the two-dimensional (2D)-electron mobility and the carrier concentration which was formed close to the AlGaN/GaN buffer layer for Al0.25Ga0.75N/GaN and GaN/Al0.25Ga0.75N/GaN heterostructures deposited on sapphire substrates. The results of our analysis clearly indicate that expanding the GaN capping layer thickness from 1 nm to 100 nm prompts an increment in the electron concentration at hetero interface. As consequence of which drain current was additionally increments with GaN cap layer thicknesses, and eventually saturates at approximately 1.85 A/mm for capping layer thickness greater than 40 nm. Interestingly, for the same structure, the 2D-electron mobility, decrease monotonically with GaN capping layer thickness, and saturate at approximately 830 cm2/Vs for capping layer thickness greater than 50 nm. A device with a GaN cap layer didn't exhibit gate leakage current. Furthermore, it was observed that the carrier concentration was first decrease 1.03 × 1019/cm3 to 6.65 × 1018/cm3 with AlGaN Layer thickness from 5 to 10 nm and after that it increases with the AlGaN layer thickness from 10 to 30 nm. The same trend was followed for electric field distributions. Electron mobility decreases monotonically with AlGaN layer thickness. Highest electron mobility 1354 cm2/Vs were recorded for the AlGaN layer thickness of 5 nm. Results obtained are in good agreement with published experimental data.

Corrosion and Discharge Behaviors of Al-Mg-Sn-Ga-In in Different Solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, Hanqing; Yin, Xiang; Yan, Yang; Dai, Yilong; Fan, Sufeng; Qiao, Xueyan; Yu, Kun

2016-08-01

Al-0.5 wt.%Mg-0.08 wt.%Sn-0.05 wt.%Ga-0.05 wt.%In and Al-0.5 wt.%Mg-0.08 wt.%Sn-0.05 wt.%Ga alloys were prepared by melting, casting and cold rolling. Corrosion and discharge behaviors of the two experimental alloys were investigated by electrochemical measurement, self-corrosion rate measurement, air battery testing, and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that Al-Mg-Sn-Ga-In alloy exhibited higher electrochemical activity than Al-Mg-Sn-Ga alloy in 2 M NaCl solution, while it showed lower electrochemical activity than Al-Mg-Sn-Ga alloy in 4 M NaOH solution. By comparison with the air battery based on Al-Mg-Sn-Ga alloy, the battery with Al-Mg-Sn-Ga-In alloy cannot exhibit better discharge performance in 4 M NaOH electrolyte. However, the performance of the air battery based on Al-Mg-Sn-Ga-In alloy was greatly improved due to the In-rich inclusions and the uniform corroded morphology in 2 M NaCl electrolyte. Thus, Al-Mg-Sn-Ga-In alloy was a good anode material for Al-air battery in 2 M NaCl electrolyte.

Electron mobility enhancement in metalorganic-vapor-phase-epitaxy-grown InAlN high-electron-mobility transistors by control of surface morphology of spacer layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamada, Atsushi; Ishiguro, Tetsuro; Kotani, Junji; Nakamura, Norikazu

2018-01-01

We demonstrated low-sheet-resistance metalorganic-vapor-phase-epitaxy-grown InAlN high-electron-mobility transistors using AlGaN spacers with excellent surface morphology. We systematically investigated the effects of AlGaN spacer growth conditions on surface morphology and electron mobility. We found that the surface morphology of InAlN barriers depends on that of AlGaN spacers. Ga desorption from AlGaN spacers was suppressed by increasing the trimethylaluminum (TMA) supply rate, resulting in the small surface roughnesses of InAlN barriers and AlGaN spacers. Moreover, we found that an increase in the NH3 supply rate also improved the surface morphologies of InAlN barriers and AlGaN spacers as long as the TMA supply rate was high enough to suppress the degradation of GaN channels. Finally, we realized a low sheet resistance of 185.5 Ω/sq with a high electron mobility of 1210 cm2 V-1 s-1 by improving the surface morphologies of AlGaN spacers and InAlN barriers.

On the increased efficiency in InGaN-based multiple quantum wells emitting at 530-590 nm with AlGaN interlayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koleske, D. D.; Fischer, A. J.; Bryant, B. N.; Kotula, P. G.; Wierer, J. J.

2015-04-01

InGaN/AlGaN/GaN-based multiple quantum wells (MQWs) with AlGaN interlayers (ILs) are investigated, specifically to examine the fundamental mechanisms behind their increased radiative efficiency at wavelengths of 530-590 nm. The AlzGa1-zN (z 0.38) IL is 1-2 nm thick, and is grown after and at the same growth temperature as the 3 nm thick InGaN quantum well (QW). This is followed by an increase in temperature for the growth of a 10 nm thick GaN barrier layer. The insertion of the AlGaN IL within the MQW provides various benefits. First, the AlGaN IL allows for growth of the InxGa1-xN QW well below typical growth temperatures to achieve higher x (up to 0.25). Second, annealing the IL capped QW prior to the GaN barrier growth improves the AlGaN IL smoothness as determined by atomic force microscopy, improves the InGaN/AlGaN/GaN interface quality as determined from scanning transmission electron microscope images and x-ray diffraction, and increases the radiative efficiency by reducing non-radiative defects as determined by time-resolved photoluminescence measurements. Finally, the AlGaN IL increases the spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization induced electric fields acting on the InGaN QW, providing an additional red-shift to the emission wavelength as determined by Schrodinger-Poisson modeling and fitting to the experimental data. The relative impact of increased indium concentration and polarization fields on the radiative efficiency of MQWs with AlGaN ILs is explored along with implications to conventional longer wavelength emitters.

Room-temperature mobility above 2200 cm{sup 2}/V·s of two-dimensional electron gas in a sharp-interface AlGaN/GaN heterostructure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Jr-Tai, E-mail: jrche@ifm.liu.se; Persson, Ingemar; Nilsson, Daniel

A high mobility of 2250 cm{sup 2}/V·s of a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in a metalorganic chemical vapor deposition-grown AlGaN/GaN heterostructure was demonstrated. The mobility enhancement was a result of better electron confinement due to a sharp AlGaN/GaN interface, as confirmed by scanning transmission electron microscopy analysis, not owing to the formation of a traditional thin AlN exclusion layer. Moreover, we found that the electron mobility in the sharp-interface heterostructures can sustain above 2000 cm{sup 2}/V·s for a wide range of 2DEG densities. Finally, it is promising that the sharp-interface AlGaN/GaN heterostructure would enable low contact resistance fabrication, less impurity-related scattering, andmore » trapping than the AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructure, as the high-impurity-contained AlN is removed.« less

Ohmic contacts to Al-rich AlGaN heterostructures

DOE PAGES

Douglas, E. A.; Reza, S.; Sanchez, C.; ...

2017-06-06

Due to the ultra-wide bandgap of Al-rich AlGaN, up to 5.8 eV for the structures in this study, obtaining low resistance ohmic contacts is inherently difficult to achieve. A comparative study of three different fabrication schemes is presented for obtaining ohmic contacts to an Al-rich AlGaN channel. Schottky-like behavior was observed for several different planar metallization stacks (and anneal temperatures), in addition to a dry-etch recess metallization contact scheme on Al 0.85Ga 0.15N/Al 0.66Ga 0.34N. However, a dry etch recess followed by n +-GaN regrowth fabrication process is reported as a means to obtain lower contact resistivity ohmic contacts onmore » a Al 0.85Ga 0.15N/Al 0.66Ga 0.34N heterostructure. In conclusion, specific contact resistivity of 5×10 -3 Ω cm 2 was achieved after annealing Ti/Al/Ni/Au metallization.« less

Optimization of GaAs Nanowire Pin Junction Array Solar Cells by Using AlGaAs/GaAs Heterojunctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Yao; Yan, Xin; Wei, Wei; Zhang, Jinnan; Zhang, Xia; Ren, Xiaomin

2018-04-01

We optimized the performance of GaAs nanowire pin junction array solar cells by introducing AlGaAs/GaAs heterejunctions. AlGaAs is used for the p type top segment for axial junctions and the p type outer shell for radial junctions. The AlGaAs not only serves as passivation layers for GaAs nanowires but also confines the optical generation in the active regions, reducing the recombination loss in heavily doped regions and the minority carrier recombination at the top contact. The results show that the conversion efficiency of GaAs nanowires can be greatly enhanced by using AlGaAs for the p segment instead of GaAs. A maximum efficiency enhancement of 8.42% has been achieved in this study. And for axial nanowire, by using AlGaAs for the top p segment, a relatively long top segment can be employed without degenerating device performance, which could facilitate the fabrication and contacting of nanowire array solar cells. While for radial nanowires, AlGaAs/GaAs nanowires show better tolerance to p-shell thickness and surface condition.

Optimization of GaAs Nanowire Pin Junction Array Solar Cells by Using AlGaAs/GaAs Heterojunctions.

PubMed

Wu, Yao; Yan, Xin; Wei, Wei; Zhang, Jinnan; Zhang, Xia; Ren, Xiaomin

2018-04-25

We optimized the performance of GaAs nanowire pin junction array solar cells by introducing AlGaAs/GaAs heterejunctions. AlGaAs is used for the p type top segment for axial junctions and the p type outer shell for radial junctions. The AlGaAs not only serves as passivation layers for GaAs nanowires but also confines the optical generation in the active regions, reducing the recombination loss in heavily doped regions and the minority carrier recombination at the top contact. The results show that the conversion efficiency of GaAs nanowires can be greatly enhanced by using AlGaAs for the p segment instead of GaAs. A maximum efficiency enhancement of 8.42% has been achieved in this study. And for axial nanowire, by using AlGaAs for the top p segment, a relatively long top segment can be employed without degenerating device performance, which could facilitate the fabrication and contacting of nanowire array solar cells. While for radial nanowires, AlGaAs/GaAs nanowires show better tolerance to p-shell thickness and surface condition.

Enhanced thermoelectric transport in modulation-doped GaN/AlGaN core/shell nanowires

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Song, Erdong; Li, Qiming; Swartzentruber, Brian

2015-11-25

The thermoelectric properties of unintentionally n-doped core GaN/AlGaN core/shell N-face nanowires are reported. We found that the temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity is consistent with thermally activated carriers with two distinctive donor energies. The Seebeck coefficient of GaN/AlGaN nanowires is more than twice as large as that for the GaN nanowires alone. However, an outer layer of GaN deposited onto the GaN/AlGaN core/shell nanowires decreases the Seebeck coefficient at room temperature, while the temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity remains the same. We attribute these observations to the formation of an electron gas channel within the heavily-doped GaN coremore » of the GaN/AlGaN nanowires. The room-temperature thermoelectric power factor for the GaN/AlGaN nanowires can be four times higher than the GaN nanowires. As a result, selective doping in bandgap engineered core/shell nanowires is proposed for enhancing the thermoelectric power.« less

AlGaAs/InGaAs/AlGaAs double pulse doped pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor structures on InGaAs substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoke, W. E.; Lyman, P. S.; Mosca, J. J.; McTaggart, R. A.; Lemonias, P. J.; Beaudoin, R. M.; Torabi, A.; Bonner, W. A.; Lent, B.; Chou, L.-J.; Hsieh, K. C.

1997-10-01

Double pulse doped AlGaAs/InGaAs/AlGaAs pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor (PHEMT) structures have been grown on InxGa1-xAs (x=0.025-0.07) substrates using molecular beam epitaxy. A strain compensated, AlGaInAs/GaAs superlattice was used for improved resistivity and breakdown. Excellent electrical and optical properties were obtained for 110-Å-thick InGaAs channel layers with indium concentrations up to 31%. A room temperature mobility of 6860 cm2/V s with 77 K sheet density of 4.0×1012cm-2 was achieved. The InGaAs channel photoluminescence intensity was equivalent to an analogous structure on a GaAs substrate. To reduce strain PHEMT structures with a composite InGaP/AlGaAs Schottky layer were also grown. The structures also exhibited excellent electrical and optical properties. Transmission electron micrographs showed planar channel interfaces for highly strained In0.30Ga0.70As channel layers.

Electron tunneling spectroscopy study of electrically active traps in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, Jie, E-mail: jie.yang@yale.edu; Cui, Sharon; Ma, T. P.

2013-11-25

We investigate the energy levels of electron traps in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors by the use of electron tunneling spectroscopy. Detailed analysis of a typical spectrum, obtained in a wide gate bias range and with both bias polarities, suggests the existence of electron traps both in the bulk of AlGaN and at the AlGaN/GaN interface. The energy levels of the electron traps have been determined to lie within a 0.5 eV band below the conduction band minimum of AlGaN, and there is strong evidence suggesting that these traps contribute to Frenkel-Poole conduction through the AlGaN barrier.

Reducing Mg Acceptor Activation-Energy in Al0.83Ga0.17N Disorder Alloy Substituted by Nanoscale (AlN)5/(GaN)1 Superlattice Using MgGa δ-Doping: Mg Local-Structure Effect

PubMed Central

Zhong, Hong-xia; Shi, Jun-jie; Zhang, Min; Jiang, Xin-he; Huang, Pu; Ding, Yi-min

2014-01-01

Improving p-type doping efficiency in Al-rich AlGaN alloys is a worldwide problem for the realization of AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet optoelectronic devices. In order to solve this problem, we calculate Mg acceptor activation energy and investigate its relationship with Mg local structure in nanoscale (AlN)5/(GaN)1 superlattice (SL), a substitution for Al0.83Ga0.17N disorder alloy, using first-principles calculations. A universal picture to reduce acceptor activation energy in wide-gap semiconductors is given for the first time. By reducing the volume of the acceptor local structure slightly, its activation energy can be decreased remarkably. Our results show that Mg acceptor activation energy can be reduced significantly from 0.44 eV in Al0.83Ga0.17N disorder alloy to 0.26 eV, very close to the Mg acceptor activation energy in GaN, and a high hole concentration in the order of 1019 cm−3 can be obtained in (AlN)5/(GaN)1 SL by MgGa δ-doping owing to GaN-monolayer modulation. We thus open up a new way to reduce Mg acceptor activation energy and increase hole concentration in Al-rich AlGaN. PMID:25338639

The growth of high-Al-content InAlGaN quaternary alloys by RF-MBE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, B. Z.; Wang, X. L.; Wang, X. Y.; Guo, L. C.; Wang, X. H.; Xiao, H. L.; Liu, H. X.

2007-02-01

High-Al-content InxAlyGa1-x-yN (x = 1-10%, y = 34-45%) quaternary alloys were grown on sapphire by radio-frequency plasma-excited molecular beam epitaxy. Rutherford back-scattering spectrometry, high resolution x-ray diffraction and cathodoluminescence were used to characterize the InAlGaN alloys. The experimental results show that InAlGaN with an appropriate Al/In ratio (near 4.7, which is a lattice-match to the GaN under-layer) has better crystal and optical quality than the InAlGaN alloys whose Al/In ratios are far from 4.7. Some cracks and V-defects occur in high-Al/In-ratio InAlGaN alloys. In the CL image, the cracks and V-defect regions are the emission-enhanced regions.

Fabrications and application of single crystalline GaN for high-performance deep UV photodetectors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Velazquez, R.; Rivera, M.; Feng, P., E-mail: p.feng@upr.edu

2016-08-15

High-quality single crystalline Gallium Nitride (GaN) semiconductor has been synthesized using molecule beam epitaxy (MBE) technique for development of high-performance deep ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors. Thickness of the films was estimated by using surface profile meter and scanning electron microscope. Electronic states and elemental composition of the films were obtained using Raman scattering spectroscopy. The orientation, crystal structure and phase purity of the films were examined using a Siemens x-ray diffractometer radiation. The surface microstructure was studied using high resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Two types of metal pairs: Al-Al, Al-Cu or Cu-Cu were used for interdigital electrodes on GaN filmmore » in order to examine the Schottky properties of the GaN based photodetector. The characterizations of the fabricated prototype include the stability, responsivity, response and recovery times. Typical time dependent photoresponsivity by switching different UV light source on and off five times for each 240 seconds at a bias of 2V, respectively, have been obtained. The detector appears to be highly sensitive to various UV wavelengths of light with very stable baseline and repeatability. The obtained photoresponsivity was up to 354 mA/W at the bias 2V. Higher photoresponsivity could be obtained if higher bias was applied but it would unavoidably result in a higher dark current. Thermal effect on the fabricated GaN based prototype was discussed.« less

Influence of the gate position on source-to-drain resistance in AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yan; Lin, Zhaojun; Cui, Peng; Zhao, Jingtao; Fu, Chen; Yang, Ming; Lv, Yuanjie

2017-08-01

Using a suitable dual-gate structure, the source-to-drain resistance (RSD) of AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistor (HFET) with varying gate position has been studied at room temperature. The theoretical and experimental results have revealed a dependence of RSD on the gate position. The variation of RSD with the gate position is found to stem from the polarization Coulomb field (PCF) scattering. This finding is of great benefit to the optimization of the performance of AlGaN/AlN/GaN HFET. Especially, when the AlGaN/AlN/GaN HFET works as a microwave device, it is beneficial to achieve the impedance matching by designing the appropriate gate position based on PCF scattering.

Thermodynamic properties of La-Ga-Al and U-Ga-Al alloys and the separation factor of U/La couple in the molten salt-liquid metal system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novoselova, A.; Smolenski, V.; Volkovich, V. A.; Ivanov, A. B.; Osipenko, A.; Griffiths, T. R.

2015-11-01

The electrochemical behaviour of lanthanum and uranium was studied in fused 3LiCl-2KCl eutectic and Ga-Al eutectic liquid metal alloy between 723 and 823 K. Electrode potentials were recorded vs. Cl-/Cl2 reference electrode and the temperature dependencies of the apparent standard potentials of La-(Ga-Al) and U-(Ga-Al) alloys were determined. Lanthanum and uranium activity coefficients and U/La couple separation factor were calculated. Partial excess free Gibbs energy, partial enthalpy of mixing and partial excess entropy of La-(Ga-Al) and U-(Ga-Al) alloys were estimated.

Theoretical and experimental studies of electric field distribution in N-polar GaN/AlGaN/GaN heterostructures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gladysiewicz, M., E-mail: marta.gladysiewicz@pwr.edu.pl; Janicki, L.; Kudrawiec, R.

2015-12-28

Electric field distribution in N-polar GaN(channel)/AlGaN/GaN(buffer) heterostructures was studied theoretically by solving Schrodinger and Poisson equations in a self-consistent manner for various boundary conditions and comparing results of these calculations with experimental data, i.e., measurements of electric field in GaN(channel) and AlGaN layers by electromodulation spectroscopy. A very good agreement between theoretical calculations and experimental data has been found for the Fermi-level located at ∼0.3 eV below the conduction band at N-polar GaN surface. With this surface boundary condition, the electric field distribution and two dimensional electron gas concentration are determined for GaN(channel)/AlGaN/GaN(buffer) heterostructures of various thicknesses of GaN(channel) and AlGaNmore » layers.« less

Mineral composition of lunar late mare volcanism revealed from Kaguya SP data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kato, S.; Morota, T.; Yamaguchi, Y.; Watanabe, S.; Otake, H.; Ohtake, M.; Nimura, T.

2017-12-01

Lunar mare basalts provide insights into the composition and thermal history of the lunar mantle. According to previous studies of crater counting analysis using remote sensing data, the ages of mare basalts suggest a first peak of magma activity at 3.2-3.8 Ga and a second peak at 2 Ga. To understand the mechanism for causing the second peak and its magma source is essential to constrain the thermal history of the lunar mantle. In our previous study [Kato et al., 2017], we reassess the correlation between the titanium contents and the eruption ages of mare basalt units using the compositional and chronological data updated by SELENE (Kaguya). The results show a rapid increase in mean titanium content near 2.3 Ga in the Procellarum KREEP Terrane (PKT), where the latest eruptions are concentrated. Moreover, the high-titanium basaltic eruptions are correlated with the second peak in volcanic activity at 2 Ga. Here we designate volcanisms before and after 2.3 Ga as Phase-1 and Phase-2 volcanism. To understand the mechanism of Phase-2 mare volcanism and its magma source, determining the mineral components and elemental compositions of mare basalts in the PKT is important. Nimura [2011] improved the modified Gaussian model (MGM) [Sunshine et al., 1990] by obtaining the relations between chemical compositions of minerals (the ratio of Fe/(Fe+Mg) in olivine and the ratios of Ca/(Ca+Fe+Mg) and Fe/(Ca+Fe+Mg) in pyroxene) and absorption band parameters (center, width and strength ratio of Gaussian curves). In this study, we re-derived the relations using experimental spectral data and applied the method to spectral data of mare basalts obtained by Kaguya Spectral Profiler (SP) to estimate the mineral components and elemental compositions of lunar mare basalts.

Trace elements in farmed fish (Cyprinus carpio, Ctenopharyngodon idella and Oncorhynchus mykiss) from Beijing: implication from feed.

PubMed

Jiang, Haifeng; Qin, Dongli; Mou, Zhenbo; Zhao, Jiwei; Tang, Shizhan; Wu, Song; Gao, Lei

2016-06-01

Concentrations of 30 trace elements, Li, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Mo, Zn, Se, Sr, Co, Al, Ti, As, Cs, Sc, Te, Ba, Ga, Pb, Sn, Cd, Sb, Ag, Tm, TI, Be, Hg and U in major cultured freshwater fish species (common carp-Cyprinus carpio, grass carp-Ctenopharyngodon idella and rainbow trout-Oncorhynchus mykiss) with the corresponding feed from 23 fish farms in Beijing, China, were investigated. The results revealed that Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Sr, Se were the major accumulated essential elements and Al, Ti were the major accumulated non-essential elements, while Mo, Co, Ga, Sn, Cd, Sb, Ag, Tm, U, TI, Be, Te, Pb and Hg were hardly detectable. Contents of investigated trace elements were close to or much lower than those in fish from other areas in China. Correlation analysis suggested that the elemental concentrations in those fish species were relatively constant and did not vary much with the fish feed. In comparison with the limits for aquafeeds and fish established by Chinese legislation, Cd in 37.5% of rainbow trout feeds and As in 20% of rainbow trout samples exceeded the maximum limit, assuming that inorganic As accounts for 10% of total As. Further health risk assessment showed that fish consumption would not pose risks to consumers as far as non-essential element contaminants are concerned. However, the carcinogenic risk of As in rainbow trout for the inhabitants in Beijing exceeded the acceptable level of 10(-)(4), to which more attention should be paid.

The optimization of Ga (1-x)Al (x)As-GaAs solar cells for air mass zero operation and a study of Ga (1-x)Al (x)As-GaAs solar cells at high temperatures, phase 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hovel, H. J.; Woodall, J. M.

1976-01-01

The three types of solar cells investigated were: (1) one consisting of a nGaAs substrate, a Zn doped pGaAs region, and a Zn doped Ga(1-x)Al(x)As layer, (2) one consisting of an nGaAs substrate, a Ge doped pGaAs region, and a pGa(1-x)Al(x)As upper layer, and (3) one consisting of an n+GaAs substrate, an nGa(1-x)Al(X)As region, a pGa(1-x)Bl(X) As region, and a pGa(1-y)Al(y)As upper layer. In all three cases, the upper alloy layer is thin and of high Al composition in order to obtain high spectral response over the widest possible range of photon energies. Spectral response, capacitance-voltage, current-voltage, diffusion length, sunlight (or the equivalent)-efficiency, and efficiency-temperature measurements were made as a function of device parameters in order to analyze and optimize the solar cell behavior.

Step buffer layer of Al0.25Ga0.75N/Al0.08Ga0.92N on P-InAlN gate normally-off high electron mobility transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shrestha, Niraj M.; Li, Yiming; Chang, E. Y.

2016-07-01

Normally-off AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) are indispensable devices for power electronics as they can greatly simplify circuit designs in a cost-effective way. In this work, the electrical characteristics of p-type InAlN gate normally-off AlGaN/GaN HEMTs with a step buffer layer of Al0.25Ga0.75N/Al0.1Ga0.9N is studied numerically. Our device simulation shows that a p-InAlN gate with a step buffer layer allows the transistor to possess normally-off behavior with high drain current and high breakdown voltage simultaneously. The gate modulation by the p-InAlN gate and the induced holes appearing beneath the gate at the GaN/Al0.25Ga0.75N interface is because a hole appearing in the p-InAlN layer can effectively vary the threshold voltage positively. The estimated threshold voltage of the normally-off HEMTs explored is 2.5 V at a drain bias of 25 V, which is 220% higher than the conventional p-AlGaN normally-off AlGaN/GaN gate injection transistor (GIT). Concurrently, the maximum current density of the explored HEMT at a drain bias of 10 V slightly decreases by about 7% (from 240 to 223 mA mm-1). At a drain bias of 15 V, the current density reached 263 mA mm-1. The explored structure is promising owing to tunable positive threshold voltage and the maintenance of similar current density; notably, its breakdown voltage significantly increases by 36% (from 800 V, GIT, to 1086 V). The engineering findings of this study indicate that novel p-InAlN for both the gate and the step buffer layer can feature a high threshold voltage, large current density and high operating voltage for advanced AlGaN/GaN HEMT devices.

Ultra High p-doping Material Research for GaN Based Light Emitters

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vladimir Dmitriev

2007-06-30

The main goal of the Project is to investigate doping mechanisms in p-type GaN and AlGaN and controllably fabricate ultra high doped p-GaN materials and epitaxial structures. Highly doped p-type GaN-based materials with low electrical resistivity and abrupt doping profiles are of great importance for efficient light emitters for solid state lighting (SSL) applications. Cost-effective hydride vapor phase epitaxial (HVPE) technology was proposed to investigate and develop p-GaN materials for SSL. High p-type doping is required to improve (i) carrier injection efficiency in light emitting p-n junctions that will result in increasing of light emitting efficiency, (ii) current spreading inmore » light emitting structures that will improve external quantum efficiency, and (iii) parameters of Ohmic contacts to reduce operating voltage and tolerate higher forward currents needed for the high output power operation of light emitters. Highly doped p-type GaN layers and AlGaN/GaN heterostructures with low electrical resistivity will lead to novel device and contact metallization designs for high-power high efficiency GaN-based light emitters. Overall, highly doped p-GaN is a key element to develop light emitting devices for the DOE SSL program. The project was focused on material research for highly doped p-type GaN materials and device structures for applications in high performance light emitters for general illumination P-GaN and p-AlGaN layers and multi-layer structures were grown by HVPE and investigated in terms of surface morphology and structure, doping concentrations and profiles, optical, electrical, and structural properties. Tasks of the project were successfully accomplished. Highly doped GaN materials with p-type conductivity were fabricated. As-grown GaN layers had concentration N{sub a}-N{sub d} as high as 3 x 10{sup 19} cm{sup -3}. Mechanisms of doping were investigated and results of material studies were reported at several International conferences providing better understanding of p-type GaN formation for Solid State Lighting community. Grown p-type GaN layers were used as substrates for blue and green InGaN-based LEDs made by HVPE technology at TDI. These results proved proposed technical approach and facilitate fabrication of highly conductive p-GaN materials by low-cost HVPE technology for solid state lighting applications. TDI has started the commercialization of p-GaN epitaxial materials.« less

N-Face GaN Electronics for Heteroepitaxial and Bonded Structures

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-27

GaN ! ?" InGaAs’Channel’ InAlAs’ !!!!!S! !!!!!!D! !!!!G! Ga (In)N’Dri2 ’Region! Wafer* Bonded! Junc2on! !!!!!S...Gate InGaAs InAlAs (In, Ga )N Source GaN on Sapphire Aperture CBL WBI InGaN n-InGaAs InAlAs n+ GaN S D WBI...about. Polarization effects at the interface may need to be considered. For Ga -polar InGaN- GaN homojunctions,

Analysis of the abnormal voltage-current behaviors on localized carriers of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well from electron blocking layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nam, Giwoong; Kim, Byunggu; Leem, Jae-Young; Lee, Dong-Yul; Kim, Jong Su; Kim, Jin Soo

2013-11-01

The effect of an electron blocking layer (EBL) on the V — I curves for GaN/InGaN multiple quantum wells is investigated. For the first time, we found that the curves intersected at 3.012 V, and we investigated the reason for the intersection. The forward voltage in LEDs with a p-AlGaN EBL is larger than it is without the p-AlGaN EBL at low injection currents because the Mg-doping efficiency for the p-GaN layer is higher than that for the p-AlGaN layer. However, the forward voltage in LEDs with a p-AlGaN EBL is smaller than it is without the p-AlGaN EBL at high injection currents because the carriers overflow from the active layer when the injection current increases in LEDs without a p-AlGaN EBL, in case of LEDs with a p-AlGaN EBL, the carriers are blocked by the EBL.

The structural and optical properties of high-Al-content AlInGaN epilayers grown by RF-MBE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Baozhu; An, Tao; Wen, Huanming; Wu, Ruihong; An, Shengbiao; Zhang, Xiuqing; Wang, Xiaoliang

2008-11-01

AlInGaN Quaternary Alloys were successfully grown on sapphire substrate by radio-frequency plasma-excited molecular beam epitaxy (RF-MBE). Different Al content AlInGaN quaternary alloys were acquired by changing the Al cell's temperature. The streaky RHEED pattern observed during AlInGaN growth showed the layer-by-layer growth mode. Rutherford back-scattering spectrometry (RBS), X-Ray diffraction (XRD) and Cathodoluminescence (CL) were used to characterize the structural and optical properties of the AlInGaN alloys. The experimental results show that the AlInGaN with appropriate Al cell's temperature, could acquire Al/In ratio near 4.7, then could acquire better crystal and optical quality. The samllest X-ray and CL full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the AlInGaN are 5arcmin and 25nm, respectivly. There are some cracks and V-defects occur in high-Al/In-ratio AlInGaN alloys. In the CL image, the cracks and V-defect regions are the emission-enhanced regions. The emission enhancement of the cracked and V-defect regions may be related to the In-segregation.

Magnetometory of AlGaN/GaN heterostructure wafers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsubaki, K.; Maeda, N.; Saitoh, T.; Kobayashi, N.

2005-06-01

AlGaN/GaN heterostructure wafers are becoming a key technology for next generation cellar-phone telecommunication system because of their potential for high-performance microwave applications. Therefore, the electronic properties of a 2DEG in AlGaN/GaN heterostructures have recently been discussed. In this paper, we performed the extraordinary Hall effect measurement and the SQUID magnetometory of AlGaN/GaN heterostructure wafer at low temperature. The AlGaN/GaN heterostructures were grown by low-pressure metal-organic chemical vapour phase epitaxy on (0001) SiC substrate using AlN buffers. The electron mobility and electron concentration at 4.2 K are 9,540cm2/V s and 6.6 × 1012cm-2, respectively. In the extraordinary Hall effect measurement of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures, the hysteresis of Hall resistance appeared below 4.5 K and disappeared above 4.5 K. On the other hand, the hysteresis of magnetometric data obtained by SQUID magnetometory appears near zero magnetic field when the temperature is lower than 4.5 K. At the temperature larger than 4.5 K, the hysteresis of magnetometric data disappears. And the slopes of magnetometric data with respect to magnetic field become lower as obeying Currie-Weiss law and the Curie temperature TC is 4.5 K. Agreement of TC measured by the extraordinary Hall effect and the SQUID magnetometory implies the ferromagnetism at the AlGaN/GaN heterojunction. However, the conformation of the ferromagnetism of AlGaN/GaN heterostructure is still difficult and the detailed physical mechanism is still unclear.

Implementation of atomic layer deposition-based AlON gate dielectrics in AlGaN/GaN MOS structure and its physical and electrical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nozaki, Mikito; Watanabe, Kenta; Yamada, Takahiro; Shih, Hong-An; Nakazawa, Satoshi; Anda, Yoshiharu; Ueda, Tetsuzo; Yoshigoe, Akitaka; Hosoi, Takuji; Shimura, Takayoshi; Watanabe, Heiji

2018-06-01

Alumina incorporating nitrogen (aluminum oxynitride; AlON) for immunity against charge injection was grown on a AlGaN/GaN substrate through the repeated atomic layer deposition (ALD) of AlN layers and in situ oxidation in ozone (O3) ambient under optimized conditions. The nitrogen distribution was uniform in the depth direction, the composition was controllable over a wide range (0.5–32%), and the thickness could be precisely controlled. Physical analysis based on synchrotron radiation X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (SR-XPS) revealed that harmful intermixing at the insulator/AlGaN interface causing Ga out-diffusion in the gate stack was effectively suppressed by this method. AlON/AlGaN/GaN MOS capacitors were fabricated, and they had excellent electrical properties and immunity against electrical stressing as a result of the improved interface stability.

A Comparative Study of AlGaN and InGaN Back-Barriers in Ultrathin-Barrier AlN/GaN Heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

All Abbas, J. M.; Atmaca, G.; Narin, P.; Kutlu, E.; Sarikavak-Lisesivdin, B.; Lisesivdin, S. B.

2017-08-01

Investigations of the effects of back-barrier introduction on the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) of ultrathin-barrier AlN/GaN heterostructures with AlGaN and InGaN back-barriers are carried out using self-consistent solutions of 1-dimensional Schrödinger-Poisson equations. Inserted AlGaN and InGaN back-barriers are used to provide a good 2DEG confinement thanks to raising the conduction band edge of GaN buffer with respect to GaN channel layer. Therefore, in this paper the influence of these back-barrier layers on sheet carrier density, 2DEG confinement, and mobility are systematically and comparatively investigated. As a result of calculations, although sheet carrier density is found to decrease with InGaN back-barrier layer, it is not changed with AlGaN back-barrier layer for suggested optimise heterostructures. Obtained results can give some insights for further experimental studies.

Transmission electron microscopy study of microstructural properties and dislocation characterization in the GaN film grown on the cone-shaped patterned Al2O3 substrate.

PubMed

Park, Jung Sik; Yang, Jun-Mo; Park, Kyung Jin; Park, Yun Chang; Yoo, Jung Ho; Jeong, Chil Seong; Park, Jucheol; He, Yinsheng; Shin, Keesam

2014-02-01

Growing a GaN film on a patterned Al2O3 substrate is one of the methods of reducing threading dislocations (TDs), which can significantly deteriorate the performance of GaN-based LEDs. In this study, the microstructural details of the GaN film grown on a cone-shaped patterned Al2O3 substrate were investigated using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and weak-beam dark-field techniques. Various defects such as misfit dislocations (MDs), recrystallized GaN (R-GaN) islands and nano-voids were observed on the patterned Al2O3 surfaces, i.e. the flat surface (FS), the inclined surface (IS) and the top surface (TS), respectively. Especially, the crystallographic orientation of R-GaN between the GaN film and the inclined Al2O3 substrate was identified as $[\\overline 1 2\\overline 1 0]_{{\\rm GaN}} \\hbox{//}[\\overline 1 101]_{{\\rm R - GaN} \\,{\\rm on}\\,{\\rm IS}} \\hbox{//}[\\overline 1 100]_{ {{\\rm Al}} _{\\rm 2} {\\rm O}_{\\rm 3}} $, $(\\overline 1 012)_{{\\rm GaN}} \\hbox{//}(1\\overline 1 02)_{{\\rm R - Ga}\\,{\\rm Non}\\,{\\rm IS}} \\hbox{//}(\\overline {11} 26)_{ {{\\rm Al}} _{\\rm 2} {\\rm O}_{\\rm 3}} $. In addition, a rotation by 9° between $(10\\overline 1 1)_{{\\rm R - GaN}} $ and $(0002)_{{\\rm GaN}} $ and between $(10\\overline 1 1)_{{\\rm R - GaN}} $ and $(0006)_{ {{\\rm Al}} _{\\rm 2} {\\rm O}_{\\rm 3}} $ was found to reduce the lattice mismatch between the GaN film and the Al2O3 substrate. Many TDs in the GaN film were observed on the FS and TS of Al2O3. However, few TDs were observed on the IS. Most of the TDs generated from the FS of Al2O3 were bent to the inclined facet rather than propagating to the GaN surface, resulting in a reduction in the dislocation density. Most of the TDs generated from the TS of Al2O3 were characterized as edge dislocations.

Improving p-type doping efficiency in Al0.83Ga0.17N alloy substituted by nanoscale (AlN)5/(GaN)1 superlattice with MgGa-ON δ-codoping: Role of O-atom in GaN monolayer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, Hong-xia; Shi, Jun-jie; Zhang, Min; Jiang, Xin-he; Huang, Pu; Ding, Yi-min

2015-01-01

We calculate Mg-acceptor activation energy EA and investigate the influence of O-atom, occupied the Mg nearest-neighbor, on EA in nanoscale (AlN)5/(GaN)1 superlattice (SL), a substitution for Al0.83Ga0.17N disorder alloy, using first-principles calculations. We find that the N-atom bonded with Ga-atom is more easily substituted by O-atom and nMgGa-ON (n = 1-3) complexes are favorable and stable in the SL. The O-atom plays a dominant role in reducing EA. The shorter the Mg-O bond is, the smaller the EA is. The Mg-acceptor activation energy can be reduced significantly by nMgGa-ON δ-codoping. Our calculated EA for 2MgGa-ON is 0.21 eV, and can be further reduced to 0.13 eV for 3MgGa-ON, which results in a high hole concentration in the order of 1020 cm-3 at room temperature in (AlN)5/(GaN)1 SL. Our results prove that nMgGa-ON (n = 2,3) δ-codoping in AlN/GaN SL with ultrathin GaN-layer is an effective way to improve p-type doping efficiency in Al-rich AlGaN.

Distributed bragg reflector using AIGaN/GaN

DOEpatents

Waldrip, Karen E.; Lee, Stephen R.; Han, Jung

2004-08-10

A supported distributed Bragg reflector or superlattice structure formed from a substrate, a nucleation layer deposited on the substrate, and an interlayer deposited on the nucleation layer, followed by deposition of (Al,Ga,B)N layers or multiple pairs of (Al,Ga,B)N/(Al,Ga,B)N layers, where the interlayer is a material selected from AlN, Al.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x N, and AlBN with a thickness of approximately 20 to 1000 angstroms. The interlayer functions to reduce or eliminate the initial tensile growth stress, thereby reducing cracking in the structure. Multiple interlayers utilized in an AlGaN/GaN DBR structure can eliminate cracking and produce a structure with a reflectivity value greater than 0.99.

Performance of Al-0.5 Mg-0.02 Ga-0.1 Sn-0.5 Mn as anode for Al-air battery in NaCl solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Jingling; Wen, Jiuba; Gao, Junwei; Li, Quanan

2014-05-01

In this research, metal-air battery based on Al, Zn, Al-0.5 Mg-0.02 Ga-0.1 Sn and Al-0.5 Mg-0.02 Ga-0.1 Sn-0.5 Mn (wt%) is prepared and the battery performance is investigated by constant current discharge test in 2 mol L-1 NaCl solutions. The characteristics of the anodes after discharge are investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The corrosion behavior of the anodes is studied by self-corrosion rate measurement and potentiodynamic polarization measurement. The results show that Al-Mg-Ga-Sn-Mn is more active than Al, Zn and Al-Mg-Ga-Sn anodes. The self-corrosion rate is found to be in the order: Al < Al-Mg-Ga-Sn-Mn < Al-Mg-Ga-Sn < Zn. It has been observed that the Al-air battery based on Al-Mg-Ga-Sn-Mn offers higher operating voltage and anodic utilization than those with others. SEM and EIS results of the alloy are in good agreement with corrosion characteristics.

Growth condition optimization and mobility enhancement through prolonging the GaN nuclei coalescence process of AlGaN/AlN/GaN structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Xiao-Guang; Zhao, De-Gang; Jiang, De-Sheng; Zhu, Jian-Jun; Chen, Ping; Liu, Zong-Shun; Le, Ling-Cong; Yang, Jing; Li, Xiao-Jing; Zhang, Shu-Ming; Yang, Hui

2015-09-01

AlGaN/AlN/GaN structures are grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy on sapphire substrates. Influences of AlN interlayer thickness, AlGaN barrier thickness, and Al composition on the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) performance are investigated. Lowering the V/III ratio and enhancing the reactor pressure at the initial stage of the high-temperature GaN layer growth will prolong the GaN nuclei coalescence process and effectively improve the crystalline quality and the interface morphology, diminishing the interface roughness scattering and improving 2DEG mobility. AlGaN/AlN/GaN structure with 2DEG sheet density of 1.19 × 1013 cm-2, electron mobility of 2101 cm2·V-1·s-1, and square resistance of 249 Ω is obtained. Project support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61474110, 61377020, 61376089, 61223005, and 61176126), the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, China (Grant No. 60925017), the One Hundred Person Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Basic Research Project of Jiangsu Province, China (Grant No. BK20130362).

Thermodynamic assessments and inter-relationships between systems involving Al, Am, Ga, Pu, and U

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perron, A.; Turchi, P. E. A.; Landa, A.; Oudot, B.; Ravat, B.; Delaunay, F.

2016-12-01

A newly developed self-consistent CALPHAD thermodynamic database involving Al, Am, Ga, Pu, and U is presented. A first optimization of the slightly characterized Am-Al and completely unknown Am-Ga phase diagrams is proposed. To this end, phase diagram features as crystal structures, stoichiometric compounds, solubility limits, and melting temperatures have been studied along the U-Al → Pu-Al → Am-Al, and U-Ga → Pu-Ga → Am-Ga series, and the thermodynamic assessments involving Al and Ga alloying are compared. In addition, two distinct optimizations of the Pu-Al phase diagram are proposed to account for the low temperature and Pu-rich region controversy. The previously assessed thermodynamics of the other binary systems (Am-Pu, Am-U, Pu-U, and Al-Ga) is also included in the database and is briefly described in the present work. Finally, predictions on phase stability of ternary and quaternary systems of interest are reported to check the consistency of the database.

Thermodynamic assessments and inter-relationships between systems involving Al, Am, Ga, Pu, and U

DOE PAGES

Perron, A.; Turchi, P. E. A.; Landa, A.; ...

2016-12-01

We present a newly developed self-consistent CALPHAD thermodynamic database involving Al, Am, Ga, Pu, and U. A first optimization of the slightly characterized Am-Al and completely unknown Am-Ga phase diagrams is proposed. To this end, phase diagram features as crystal structures, stoichiometric compounds, solubility limits, and melting temperatures have been studied along the U-Al → Pu-Al → Am-Al, and U-Ga → Pu-Ga → Am-Ga series, and the thermodynamic assessments involving Al and Ga alloying are compared. In addition, two distinct optimizations of the Pu-Al phase diagram are proposed to account for the low temperature and Pu-rich region controversy. We includedmore » the previously assessed thermodynamics of the other binary systems (Am-Pu, Am-U, Pu-U, and Al-Ga) in the database and is briefly described in the present work. In conclusion, predictions on phase stability of ternary and quaternary systems of interest are reported to check the consistency of the database.« less

Radio-frequency measurements of UNiX compounds (X=Al, Ga, Ge) in high magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alsmadi, A. M.; Alyones, S.; Mielke, C. H.; McDonald, R. D.; Zapf, V.; Altarawneh, M. M.; Lacerda, A.; Chang, S.; Adak, S.; Kothapalli, K.; Nakotte, H.

2009-11-01

We performed radio-frequency (RF) skin-depth measurements of antiferromagnetic UNiX compounds (X=Al, Ga, Ge) in magnetic fields up to 60 T and at temperatures between 1.4 to ~60 K. Magnetic fields are applied along different crystallographic directions and RF penetration-depth was measured using a tunnel-diode oscillator (TDO) circuit. The sample is coupled to the inductive element of a TDO resonant tank circuit, and the shift in the resonant frequency Δ f of the circuit is measured. The UNiX compounds exhibit field-induced magnetic transitions at low temperatures, and those transitions are accompanied by a drastic change in Δ f. The results of our skin-depth measurements were compared with previously published B- T phase diagrams for these three compounds.

Intersubband absorption in GaN nanowire heterostructures at mid-infrared wavelengths.

PubMed

Ajay, Akhil; Blasco, Rodrigo; Polaczynski, Jakub; Spies, Maria; den Hertog, Martien; Monroy, Eva

2018-06-27

In this paper, we study intersubband characteristics of GaN/AlN and GaN/Al0.4Ga0.6N heterostructures in GaN nanowires structurally designed to absorb in the mid-infrared wavelength region. Increasing the GaN well width from 1.5 to 5.7 nm leads to a red shift of the intersubband absorption from 1.4 to 3.4 µm. The red shift in larger quantum wells is amplified by the fact that one of the GaN/AlN heterointerfaces (corresponding to the growth of GaN on AlN) is not sharp but rather a graded alloy extending around 1.5-2 nm. Using AlGaN instead of AlN for the same barrier dimensions, we observe the effects of reduced polarization, which blue shifts the band-to-band transitions and red shifts the intersubband transitions. In heavily doped GaN/AlGaN nanowires, a broad absorption band is observed in the 4.5-6.4 µm spectral region. © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yoen, Kyu Hyoek; Center for Opto-Electronic Convergence Systems, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 136-791; Song, Jin Dong, E-mail: jdsong@kist.re.kr

Highlights: • GaSb/Al{sub 0.33}GaSb MQW layer was grown on Si (1 0 0) by MBE. • The effect of miscut angle of Si substrate was studied. • A lot of twins were removed by Al{sub 0.66}Ga{sub 0.34}Sb/AlSb SPS layers. • Good quality of GaSb/Al{sub 0.33}Ga{sub 0.67}Sb MQW layers were proved by PL spectra. • Optimum growth temperature of the AlSb buffer layer was studied. - Abstract: GaSb/Al{sub 0.33}Ga{sub 0.67}Sb multi-quantum well (MQW) film on n-Si (1 0 0) substrates is grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The effects of a miscut angle of the Si substrate (0°, 5°, and 7°) onmore » the properties of an AlSb layer were also studied. The suppression of the anti-phase domains (APD) was observed at a miscut angle of 5° on Si (1 0 0). It was found that the growth temperature in the range of 510–670 °C affects the quality of AlSb layers on Si. Low root-mean-square surface (RMS) roughness values of 3–5 nm were measured by atomic force microscopy at growth temperatures ranging from 550 °C to 630 °C. In addition, Al{sub 0.66}Ga{sub 0.34}Sb/AlSb short period superlattice (SPS) layers were used to overcome problems associated with a large lattice mismatch. The RMS values of samples with a SPS were partially measured at approximately ∼1 nm, showing a larger APD surface area than samples without a SPS layer. Bright-field cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy images of the GaSb/Al{sub 0.33}Ga{sub 0.67}Sb MQW, the AlSb buffer layer and the Al{sub 0.66}Ga{sub 0.34}Sb/AlSb SPS layers show that numerous twins from the AlSb/Si interface were removed by the AlSb buffer layer and the Al{sub 0.66}Ga{sub 0.34}Sb/AlSb SPS. The GaSb/Al{sub 0.33}Ga{sub 0.67}Sb MQW PL spectra were obtained at 300 K and 10 K with a fixed excitation power of 103 mW. Emission peaks appeared at 1758 nm and 1620 nm, respectively.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Douglas, E. A.; Reza, S.; Sanchez, C.

Due to the ultra-wide bandgap of Al-rich AlGaN, up to 5.8 eV for the structures in this study, obtaining low resistance ohmic contacts is inherently difficult to achieve. A comparative study of three different fabrication schemes is presented for obtaining ohmic contacts to an Al-rich AlGaN channel. Schottky-like behavior was observed for several different planar metallization stacks (and anneal temperatures), in addition to a dry-etch recess metallization contact scheme on Al 0.85Ga 0.15N/Al 0.66Ga 0.34N. However, a dry etch recess followed by n +-GaN regrowth fabrication process is reported as a means to obtain lower contact resistivity ohmic contacts onmore » a Al 0.85Ga 0.15N/Al 0.66Ga 0.34N heterostructure. In conclusion, specific contact resistivity of 5×10 -3 Ω cm 2 was achieved after annealing Ti/Al/Ni/Au metallization.« less

Development of Ultra-Low Noise, High Sensitivity Planar Metal Grating Coupled AlGaAs/GaAs Multiquantum Well IR Detectors for Focal Plane Array Staring IR Sensor Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-05-01

Development of Ultra-Low Noise , High Sensitivity Planar Metal Grating Coupled AlGaAs/GaAs Multiquantum Well IR Detectors for Focal Plane Array...February 1 - April 30, 1992 Project Title: Development of low- noise high-detectivity planar metal grating coupled III-V multiquantum-well/superlattice...low- noise and high-detectivity planar metal grating coupled bound-to- miniband (BTM) GaAs/AlGaAs and step-bound-to-miniband (SBTM) InGaAs/AlGaAs /GaAs

The influence of AlN interlayers on the microstructural and electrical properties of p-type AlGaN/GaN superlattices grown on GaN/sapphire templates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Lei; Liu, Lei; Wang, Lei; Li, Ding; Song, Jie; Liu, Ningyang; Chen, Weihua; Wang, Yuzhou; Yang, Zhijian; Hu, Xiaodong

2012-09-01

AlN with different thicknesses were grown as interlayers (ILs) between GaN and p-type Al0.15Ga0.85N/GaN superlattices (SLs) by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE). It was found that the edge-type threading dislocation density (TDD) increased gradually from the minimum of 2.5×109 cm-2 without AlN IL to the maximum of 1×1010 cm-2 at an AlN thickness of 20 nm, while the screw-type TDD remained almost unchanged due to the interface-related TD suppression and regeneration mechanism. We obtained that the edge-type dislocations acted as acceptors in p-type Al x Ga1- x N/GaN SLs, through the comparison of the edge-type TDD and hole concentration with different thicknesses of AlN IL. The Mg activation energy was significantly decreased from 153 to 70 meV with a 10-nm AlN IL, which was attributed to the strain modulation between AlGaN barrier and GaN well. The large activation efficiency, together with the TDs, led to the enhanced hole concentration. The variation trend of Hall mobility was also observed, which originated from the scattering at TDs.

GaN/NbN epitaxial semiconductor/superconductor heterostructures.

PubMed

Yan, Rusen; Khalsa, Guru; Vishwanath, Suresh; Han, Yimo; Wright, John; Rouvimov, Sergei; Katzer, D Scott; Nepal, Neeraj; Downey, Brian P; Muller, David A; Xing, Huili G; Meyer, David J; Jena, Debdeep

2018-03-07

Epitaxy is a process by which a thin layer of one crystal is deposited in an ordered fashion onto a substrate crystal. The direct epitaxial growth of semiconductor heterostructures on top of crystalline superconductors has proved challenging. Here, however, we report the successful use of molecular beam epitaxy to grow and integrate niobium nitride (NbN)-based superconductors with the wide-bandgap family of semiconductors-silicon carbide, gallium nitride (GaN) and aluminium gallium nitride (AlGaN). We apply molecular beam epitaxy to grow an AlGaN/GaN quantum-well heterostructure directly on top of an ultrathin crystalline NbN superconductor. The resulting high-mobility, two-dimensional electron gas in the semiconductor exhibits quantum oscillations, and thus enables a semiconductor transistor-an electronic gain element-to be grown and fabricated directly on a crystalline superconductor. Using the epitaxial superconductor as the source load of the transistor, we observe in the transistor output characteristics a negative differential resistance-a feature often used in amplifiers and oscillators. Our demonstration of the direct epitaxial growth of high-quality semiconductor heterostructures and devices on crystalline nitride superconductors opens up the possibility of combining the macroscopic quantum effects of superconductors with the electronic, photonic and piezoelectric properties of the group III/nitride semiconductor family.

SiO2/AlON stacked gate dielectrics for AlGaN/GaN MOS heterojunction field-effect transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Kenta; Terashima, Daiki; Nozaki, Mikito; Yamada, Takahiro; Nakazawa, Satoshi; Ishida, Masahiro; Anda, Yoshiharu; Ueda, Tetsuzo; Yoshigoe, Akitaka; Hosoi, Takuji; Shimura, Takayoshi; Watanabe, Heiji

2018-06-01

Stacked gate dielectrics consisting of wide bandgap SiO2 insulators and thin aluminum oxynitride (AlON) interlayers were systematically investigated in order to improve the performance and reliability of AlGaN/GaN metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) devices. A significantly reduced gate leakage current compared with that in a single AlON layer was achieved with these structures, while maintaining the superior thermal stability and electrical properties of the oxynitride/AlGaN interface. Consequently, distinct advantages in terms of the reliability of the gate dielectrics, such as an improved immunity against electron injection and an increased dielectric breakdown field, were demonstrated for AlGaN/GaN MOS capacitors with optimized stacked structures having a 3.3-nm-thick AlON interlayer.

On the AlGaInP-bulk and AlGaInP/GaAs-superlattice confinement effects for heterostructure-emitter bipolar transistors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tsai, Jung-Hui, E-mail: jhtsai@nknucc.nknu.edu.tw

2015-02-09

The confinement effect and electrical characteristics of heterostructure-emitter bipolar transistors with an AlGaInP bulk-confinement layer and an AlGaInP/GaAs superlattice-confinement layer are first demonstrated and compared by experimentally results. In the two devices, the relatively large valence band discontinuity at AlGaInP/GaAs heterojunction provides excellent confinement effect for holes to enhance current gain. As to the AlGaInP/GaAs superlattice-confinement device, part of thermionic-emission electrons will be trapped in the GaAs quantum wells of the superlattice. This will result in lower collector current and current gain as compared with the bulk-confinement device. Nevertheless, the superlattice-confinement device exhibits a larger current-gain cutoff frequency, which canmore » be attributed that the tunneling behavior is included in the carrier transportation and transporting time across the emitter region could be substantially reduced.« less

Methods for separating oxygen from oxygen-containing gases

DOEpatents

Mackay, Richard; Schwartz, Michael; Sammells, Anthony F.

2000-01-01

This invention provides mixed conducting metal oxides particularly useful for the manufacture of catalytic membranes for gas-phase oxygen separation processes. The materials of this invention have the general formula: A.sub.x A'.sub.x A".sub.2-(x+x') B.sub.y B'.sub.y B".sub.2-(y+y') O.sub.5+z ; where x and x' are greater than 0; y and y' are greater than 0; x+x' is less than or equal to 2; y+y' is less than or equal to 2; z is a number that makes the metal oxide charge neutral; A is an element selected from the f block lanthanide elements; A' is an element selected from Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba and Ra; A" is an element selected from the f block lanthanides or Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba and Ra; B is an element selected from the group consisting of Al, Ga, In or mixtures thereof; and B' and B" are different elements and are independently selected from the group of elements Mg or the d-block transition elements. The invention also provides methods for oxygen separation and oxygen enrichment of oxygen deficient gases which employ mixed conducting metal oxides of the above formula. Examples of the materials used for the preparation of the membrane include A.sub.x Sr.sub.x' B.sub.y Fe.sub.y' Co.sub.2-(y+y') O.sub.5+z, where x is about 0.3 to about 0.5, x' is about 1.5 to about 1.7, y is 0.6, y' is between about 1.0 and 1.4 and B is Ga or Al.

High Sensitive pH Sensor Based on AlInN/GaN Heterostructure Transistor.

PubMed

Dong, Yan; Son, Dong-Hyeok; Dai, Quan; Lee, Jun-Hyeok; Won, Chul-Ho; Kim, Jeong-Gil; Chen, Dunjun; Lee, Jung-Hee; Lu, Hai; Zhang, Rong; Zheng, Youdou

2018-04-24

The AlInN/GaN high-electron-mobility-transistor (HEMT) indicates better performances compared with the traditional AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. The present work investigated the pH sensor functionality of an analogous HEMT AlInN/GaN device with an open gate. It was shown that the Al 0.83 In 0.17 N/GaN device demonstrates excellent pH sense functionality in aqueous solutions, exhibiting higher sensitivity (−30.83 μA/pH for AlInN/GaN and −4.6 μA/pH for AlGaN/GaN) and a faster response time, lower degradation and good stability with respect to the AlGaN/GaN device, which is attributed to higher two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) density and a thinner barrier layer in Al 0.83 In 0.17 N/GaN owning to lattice matching. On the other hand, the open gate geometry was found to affect the pH sensitivity obviously. Properly increasing the width and shortening the length of the open gate area could enhance the sensitivity. However, when the open gate width is too larger or too small, the pH sensitivity would be suppressed conversely. Designing an optimal ratio of the width to the length is important for achieving high sensitivity. This work suggests that the AlInN/GaN-based 2DEG carrier modulated devices would be good candidates for high-performance pH sensors and other related applications.

Quasi-thermodynamic analysis of MOVPE growth of Ga xAl yIn 1- x- yN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Da-Cheng; Duan, Shukun

2002-01-01

A quasi-thermodynamic model of metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) growth of Ga xAl yIn 1- x- yN alloys has been proposed. In view of the complex growth behavior of Ga xAl yIn 1- x- yN, we focus our attention on the gallium-rich quaternary alloys that are lattice matched to GaN, In 0.15Ga 0.85N or Al 0.15Ga 0.85N, which are widely used in the GaN-based optoelectronic devices. The relationship between GaAlInN alloy composition and input molar ratio of group III metalorganic compounds at various growth conditions has been calculated. The influence of growth temperature, nitrogen fraction in the carrier gas, input partial pressure of group III metalorganics, reactor pressure, V/III ratio and the decomposition rate of ammonia on the composition of deposited alloys are studied systematically. Based on these calculated results, we can find out the appropriate growth conditions for the MOVPE growth of Ga xAl yIn 1- x- yN alloy lattice matched to GaN, In 0.15Ga 0.85N or Al 0.15Ga 0.85N.

Magnetometory Measurement of AlGaN/GaN 2DEG

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsubaki, K.; Maeda, N.; Saitoh, T.; Kobayashi, N.

2004-03-01

AlGaN/GaN heterostructure devices have been attracting much attention because of their potential for high-performance microwave applications. Therefore, the electronic properties of a 2DEG in AlGaN/GaN heterostructures have recently been discussed. In this paper, we performed the magnetometory measurement of AlGaN/GaN 2DEG at low temperature. The AlGaN/GaN heterostructures were grown by low-pressure metal-organic chemical vapour phase epitaxy on (0001) SiC substrate using AlN buffers. The electron mobility and electron concentration at 4.2 K are 9,540 cm^2/Vs and 6.6 × 10^12 cm-2, respectively. When the temperature is lower than 4.5 K the hysteresis of magnetometric data is observed near zero magnetic field. At the temperature larger than 4.5 K, the hysteresis of magnetometric data disappears and the slope of magnetometric data with respect to magnetic field becomes lower as obeying Currie-Weiss law. In general the hysteresis and Currie-Weiss law behavior in magnetometric data imply the possibility of the ferromagnetism, but the conformation of the ferromagnetism of AlGaN/GaN heterostructure is still difficult and the detailed physical mechanism is still unclear.

Reduction of the Mg acceptor activation energy in GaN, AlN, Al0.83Ga0.17N and MgGa δ-doping (AlN)5/(GaN)1: the strain effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Xin-He; Shi, Jun-Jie; Zhang, Min; Zhong, Hong-Xia; Huang, Pu; Ding, Yi-Min; He, Ying-Ping; Cao, Xiong

2015-12-01

To resolve the p-type doping problem of Al-rich AlGaN alloys, we investigate the influence of biaxial and hydrostatic strains on the activation energy, formation energy and band gap of Mg-doped GaN, AlN, Al0.83Ga0.17N disorder alloy and (AlN)5/(GaN)1 superlattice based on first-principles calculations by combining the standard DFT and hybrid functional. We find that the Mg acceptor activation energy {{E}\\text{A}} , the formation energy {{E}\\text{f}} and the band gap {{E}\\text{g}} decrease with increasing the strain ɛ. The hydrostatic strain has a more remarkable impact on {{E}\\text{g}} and {{E}\\text{A}} than the biaxial strain. Both {{E}\\text{A}} and {{E}\\text{g}} have a linear dependence on the hydrostatic strain. For the biaxial strain, {{E}\\text{g}} shows a parabolic dependence on ɛ if \\varepsilon ≤slant 0 while it becomes linear if \\varepsilon ≥slant 0 . In GaN and (AlN)5/(GaN)1, {{E}\\text{A}} parabolically depends on the biaxial compressive strain and linearly depends on the biaxial tensible strain. However, the dependence is approximately linear over the whole biaxial strain range in AlN and Al0.83Ga0.17N. The Mg acceptor activation energy in (AlN)5/(GaN)1 can be reduced from 0.26 eV without strain to 0.16 (0.22) eV with the hydrostatic (biaxial) tensible strain 3%.

Radiation enhancement in doped AlGaN-structures upon optical pumping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bokhan, P. A.; Zhuravlev, K. S.; Zakrevsky, D. E.; Malin, T. V.; Osinnykh, I. V.; Fateev, N. V.

2017-01-01

Spectral characteristics of spontaneous and stimulated luminescence have been studied for molecular beam epitaxy synthesized Al x Ga1- x N/AlN solid solutions with x = 0.5 and 0.74 upon optical pumping by pulse laser radiation with λ = 266 nm. Broadband radiation spectra with a width of 260 THz for Al0.5Ga0.5N and 360 THz for Al0.74Ga0.26N have been obtained. The measured enhancement factors are g ≈ 70 cm-1 for Al0.5Ga0.5N at λ ≈ 528 nm and g ≈ 20 cm-1 for Al0.74Ga0.26N at λ ≈ 468 nm.

Comparison of alloy disorder scatterings in Ga- and N-polar AlGaN/GaN heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, He; Li, Hui-Jie; Yang, Shao-Yan; Zhang, Wei; Zhu, Ming; Liu, Li; Li, Nan

2018-01-01

The two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) mobilities limited by alloy disorder (AD) scattering in both Ga- and N-polar AlGaN/GaN heterostructures are investigated. It was found that the AD scattering limited electron mobility in N-polar heterostructures is on the order of 103-104 cm2/Vs, which is comparable to the optical phonon scattering at room-temperature. In comparison, the AD scattering in Ga-polar samples is much less important. Moreover, the electron mobility decreases with the 2DEG density in the Ga-polar device but shows a reverse trend in the N-polar counterpart. This is found to be caused by the rather different electric field distributions in Ga- and N-polar AlGaN/GaN heterostructures. In addition, we find that an AlN interlayer can effectively reduce the alloy scattering, mainly due to the large band offset between AlN and GaN. The calculated mobilities have been compared with the experiment results and good agreements are found. We believe that our results are important for the design of AlGaN/GaN heterostructure-based devices, especially the N-polar ones.

Effect of Group-III precursors on unintentional gallium incorporation during epitaxial growth of InAlN layers by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jeomoh; Ji, Mi-Hee; Detchprohm, Theeradetch; Dupuis, Russell D.; Fischer, Alec M.; Ponce, Fernando A.; Ryou, Jae-Hyun

2015-09-01

Unintentional incorporation of gallium (Ga) in InAlN layers grown with different molar flow rates of Group-III precursors by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition has been experimentally investigated. The Ga mole fraction in the InAl(Ga)N layer was increased significantly with the trimethylindium (TMIn) flow rate, while the trimethylaluminum flow rate controls the Al mole fraction. The evaporation of metallic Ga from the liquid phase eutectic system between the pyrolized In from injected TMIn and pre-deposited metallic Ga was responsible for the Ga auto-incorporation into the InAl(Ga)N layer. The theoretical calculation on the equilibrium vapor pressure of liquid phase Ga and the effective partial pressure of Group-III precursors based on growth parameters used in this study confirms the influence of Group-III precursors on Ga auto-incorporation. More Ga atoms can be evaporated from the liquid phase Ga on the surrounding surfaces in the growth chamber and then significant Ga auto-incorporation can occur due to the high equilibrium vapor pressure of Ga comparable to effective partial pressure of input Group-III precursors during the growth of InAl(Ga)N layer.

Nonlinear dynamics of laser systems with elements of a chaos: Advanced computational code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buyadzhi, V. V.; Glushkov, A. V.; Khetselius, O. Yu; Kuznetsova, A. A.; Buyadzhi, A. A.; Prepelitsa, G. P.; Ternovsky, V. B.

2017-10-01

A general, uniform chaos-geometric computational approach to analysis, modelling and prediction of the non-linear dynamics of quantum and laser systems (laser and quantum generators system etc) with elements of the deterministic chaos is briefly presented. The approach is based on using the advanced generalized techniques such as the wavelet analysis, multi-fractal formalism, mutual information approach, correlation integral analysis, false nearest neighbour algorithm, the Lyapunov’s exponents analysis, and surrogate data method, prediction models etc There are firstly presented the numerical data on the topological and dynamical invariants (in particular, the correlation, embedding, Kaplan-York dimensions, the Lyapunov’s exponents, Kolmogorov’s entropy and other parameters) for laser system (the semiconductor GaAs/GaAlAs laser with a retarded feedback) dynamics in a chaotic and hyperchaotic regimes.

Space photovoltaic modules based on reflective optics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Andreev, V. M.; Larionov, V. R.; Rumyantsev, V. D.; Shvarts, M. Z.

1995-01-01

The conceptual design and experimental results for two types of space application concentrator photovoltaic modules, employing reflective optical elements, are presented. The first type is based on the use of compound parabolic concentrators, the second type is based on the use of line-focus parabolic troughs. Lightweight concentrators are formed with nickel foil coated silver with a diamond-like carbon layer protection. Secondary optical elements, including lenses and cones, are introduced for a better matching of concentrators and solar cells. Both types of modules are characterized by concentration ratios in the range 20x to 30x, depending on the chosen range of misorientation angles. The estimated specific parameters of these modules operating with single junction AlGaAs/GaAs solar cells are 240 W/sq m and 3 kg/sq m.

Strain modulation-enhanced Mg acceptor activation efficiency of Al0.14Ga0.86N/GaN superlattices with AlN interlayer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Lei; Li, Rui; Li, Ding; Liu, Ningyang; Liu, Lei; Chen, Weihua; Wang, Cunda; Yang, Zhijian; Hu, Xiaodong

2010-02-01

AlN layer was grown as interlayer between undoped GaN and Mg doped Al0.14Ga0.86N/GaN superlattices (SLs) epilayer to modulate the strain distribution between Al0.14Ga0.86N barrier and GaN well layers in SLs sample. Strain relaxation was observed in the SLs sample with AlN interlayer by x-ray diffraction reciprocal space mapping method. The measured hole concentration of SLs sample with AlN interlayer at room temperature was over 1.6×1018 cm-3 but that was only 6.6×1016 cm-3 obtained in SLs sample without AlN interlayer. Variable temperature Hall-effect measurement showed that the acceptor activation energy decreased from 150 to 70 meV after inserting the AlN layer, which indicated that the strain modulation of SLs induced by AlN interlayer was beneficial to the Mg acceptor activation and hole concentration enhancement.

Simulation of real I-V characteristics of metal/GaN/AlGaN heterostructure based on the 12-EXT model of trap-assisted tunnelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Racko, Juraj; Benko, Peter; Mikolášek, Miroslav; Granzner, Ralf; Kittler, Mario; Schwierz, Frank; Harmatha, Ladislav; Breza, Juraj

2017-02-01

The contribution employs electrical simulation to assess the effect of the distribution of aluminium in the metal/GaN/AlGaN heterostructure on the leakage current. The heterostructure is characterized by a high density of traps causing an increase of the leakage current consisting of the thermionic emission component and of a non-negligible contribution of trap-assisted tunnelling. The leakage current is highly sensitive to the bending of the potential barrier Ec in the subsurface region of the GaN/AlGaN structure. The band bending is strongly affected by the sheet bound charge at the first GaN/AlGaN/GaN interface due to spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization. The overall charge depends on the concentration of Al, the distribution of Al at the first heterointerface having a strong effect on the formation of the potential barrier.

A normally-off fully AlGaN HEMT with high breakdown voltage and figure of merit for power switch applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ebrahimi, Behzad; Asad, Mohsen

2015-07-01

In this paper, we propose a fully AlGaN high electron mobility (HEMT) in which the gate electrode, the barrier and the channel are all AlGaN. The p-type AlGaN gate facilitates the normally-off operation to be compatible with the state-of-the-art power amplifiers. In addition, the AlGaN channel increases the breakdown voltage (VBR) to 598 V due to the higher breakdown field of AlGaN compared to GaN. To assess the efficiency of the proposed structure, its characteristics are compared with the conventional and recently proposed structures. The two-dimensional device simulation results show that the proposed structure has the highest threshold voltage (Vth) and the VBR with the moderately low ON-resistance (RON). These features lead to the highest figure of merit (2.49 × 1012) among the structures which is 83%, 59%, 47% and 49% more than those of the conventional, with a field plate, AlGaN gate and AlGaN channel structures, respectively.

Comparison of electrical properties and deep traps in p-AlxGa1-xN grown by molecular beam epitaxy and metal organic chemical vapor deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polyakov, A. Y.; Smirnov, N. B.; Govorkov, A. V.; Kozhukhova, E. A.; Dabiran, A. M.; Chow, P. P.; Wowchak, A. M.; Lee, In-Hwan; Ju, Jin-Woo; Pearton, S. J.

2009-10-01

The electrical properties, admittance spectra, microcathodoluminescence, and deep trap spectra of p-AlGaN films with an Al mole fraction up to 45% grown by both metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) were compared. The ionization energy of Mg increases from 0.15 to 0.17 eV in p-GaN to 0.3 eV in 45% Al p-AlGaN. In p-GaN films grown by MBE and MOCVD and in MOCVD grown p-AlGaN, we observed additional acceptors with a concentration an order lower than that of Mg acceptors, with a higher hole capture cross section and an ionization energy close to that of Mg. For some of the MBE grown p-AlGaN, we also detected the presence of additional acceptor centers, but in that case the centers were located near the p-AlGaN layer interface with the semi-insulating AlGaN buffer and showed activation energies considerably lower than those of Mg.

Hybrid UV Imager Containing Face-Up AlGaN/GaN Photodiodes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zheng, Xinyu; Pain, Bedabrata

2005-01-01

A proposed hybrid ultraviolet (UV) image sensor would comprise a planar membrane array of face-up AlGaN/GaN photodiodes integrated with a complementary metal oxide/semiconductor (CMOS) readout-circuit chip. Each pixel in the hybrid image sensor would contain a UV photodiode on the AlGaN/GaN membrane, metal oxide/semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) readout circuitry on the CMOS chip underneath the photodiode, and a metal via connection between the photodiode and the readout circuitry (see figure). The proposed sensor design would offer all the advantages of comparable prior CMOS active-pixel sensors and AlGaN UV detectors while overcoming some of the limitations of prior (AlGaN/sapphire)/CMOS hybrid image sensors that have been designed and fabricated according to the methodology of flip-chip integration. AlGaN is a nearly ideal UV-detector material because its bandgap is wide and adjustable and it offers the potential to attain extremely low dark current. Integration of AlGaN with CMOS is necessary because at present there are no practical means of realizing readout circuitry in the AlGaN/GaN material system, whereas the means of realizing readout circuitry in CMOS are well established. In one variant of the flip-chip approach to integration, an AlGaN chip on a sapphire substrate is inverted (flipped) and then bump-bonded to a CMOS readout circuit chip; this variant results in poor quantum efficiency. In another variant of the flip-chip approach, an AlGaN chip on a crystalline AlN substrate would be bonded to a CMOS readout circuit chip; this variant is expected to result in narrow spectral response, which would be undesirable in many applications. Two other major disadvantages of flip-chip integration are large pixel size (a consequence of the need to devote sufficient area to each bump bond) and severe restriction on the photodetector structure. The membrane array of AlGaN/GaN photodiodes and the CMOS readout circuit for the proposed image sensor would be fabricated separately.

Non-equilibrium Green's function calculation of AlGaAs-well-based and GaSb-based terahertz quantum cascade laser structures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yasuda, H., E-mail: yasuda@nict.go.jp; Hosako, I.

2015-03-16

We investigate the performance of terahertz quantum cascade lasers (THz-QCLs) based on Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}As/Al{sub y}Ga{sub 1−y}As and GaSb/AlGaSb material systems to realize higher-temperature operation. Calculations with the non-equilibrium Green's function method reveal that the AlGaAs-well-based THz-QCLs do not show improved performance, mainly because of alloy scattering in the ternary compound semiconductor. The GaSb-based THz-QCLs offer clear advantages over GaAs-based THz-QCLs. Weaker longitudinal optical phonon–electron interaction in GaSb produces higher peaks in the spectral functions of the lasing levels, which enables more electrons to be accumulated in the upper lasing level.

On the hole accelerator for III-nitride light-emitting diodes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Zi-Hui, E-mail: zh.zhang@hebut.edu.cn, E-mail: wbi@hebut.edu.cn, E-mail: volkan@stanfordalumni.org, E-mail: sunxw@sustc.edu.cn; Zhang, Yonghui; Bi, Wengang, E-mail: zh.zhang@hebut.edu.cn, E-mail: wbi@hebut.edu.cn, E-mail: volkan@stanfordalumni.org, E-mail: sunxw@sustc.edu.cn

2016-04-11

In this work, we systematically conduct parametric studies revealing the sensitivity of the hole injection on the hole accelerator (a hole accelerator is made of the polarization mismatched p-electron blocking layer (EBL)/p-GaN/p-Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}N heterojunction) with different designs, including the AlN composition in the p-Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}N layer, and the thickness for the p-GaN layer and the p-Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}N layer. According to our findings, the energy that the holes obtain does not monotonically increase as the AlN incorporation in the p-Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}N layer increases. Meanwhile, with p-GaN layer or p-Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}N layer thickening, the energy that themore » holes gain increases and then reaches a saturation level. Thus, the hole injection efficiency and the device efficiency are very sensitive to the p-EBL/p-GaN/p-Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}N design, and the hole accelerator can effectively increase the hole injection if properly designed.« less

A conduction model for contacts to Si-doped AlGaN grown on sapphire and single-crystalline AlN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haidet, Brian B.; Bryan, Isaac; Reddy, Pramod; Bryan, Zachary; Collazo, Ramón; Sitar, Zlatko

2015-06-01

Ohmic contacts to AlGaN grown on sapphire substrates have been previously demonstrated for various compositions of AlGaN, but contacts to AlGaN grown on native AlN substrates are more difficult to obtain. In this paper, a model is developed that describes current flow through contacts to Si-doped AlGaN. This model treats the current through reverse-biased Schottky barriers as a consequence of two different tunneling-dependent conduction mechanisms in parallel, i.e., Fowler-Nordheim emission and defect-assisted Frenkel-Poole emission. At low bias, the defect-assisted tunneling dominates, but as the potential across the depletion region increases, tunneling begins to occur without the assistance of defects, and the Fowler-Nordheim emission becomes the dominant conduction mechanism. Transfer length method measurements and temperature-dependent current-voltage (I-V) measurements of Ti/Al-based contacts to Si-doped AlGaN grown on sapphire and AlN substrates support this model. Defect-assisted tunneling plays a much larger role in the contacts to AlGaN on sapphire, resulting in nearly linear I-V characteristics. In contrast, contacts to AlGaN on AlN show limited defect-assisted tunneling appear to be only semi-Ohmic.

Synthesis and properties of γ-Ga2O3-Al2O3 solid solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Afonasenko, T. N.; Leont'eva, N. N.; Talzi, V. P.; Smirnova, N. S.; Savel'eva, G. G.; Shilova, A. V.; Tsyrul'nikov, P. G.

2017-10-01

The textural and structural properties of mixed oxides Ga2O3-Al2O3, obtained via impregnating γ-Al2O3 with a solution of Ga(NO3)3 and subsequent heat treatment, are studied. According to the results from X-ray powder diffraction, gallium ions are incorporated into the structure of aluminum oxide to form a solid solution of spinel-type γ-Ga2O3-Al2O3 up to a Ga2O3 content of 50 wt % of the total weight of the sample, accompanied by a reduction in the specific surface area, volume, and average pore diameter. It is concluded that when the Ga2O3 content exceeds 50 wt %, the β-Ga2O3 phase is observed along with γ-Ga2O3-Al2O3 solid solution. 71Ga and 27Al NMR spectroscopy shows that gallium replaces aluminum atoms from the tetrahedral position to the octahedral coordination in the structure of γ-Ga2O3-Al2O3.

High-Quality Crystal Growth and Characteristics of AlGaN-Based Solar-Blind Distributed Bragg Reflectors with a Tri-layer Period Structure

PubMed Central

Chang, Jianjun; Chen, Dunjun; Yang, Lianhong; Liu, Yanli; Dong, Kexiu; Lu, Hai; Zhang, Rong; Zheng, Youdou

2016-01-01

To realize AlGaN-based solar-blind ultraviolet distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs), a novel tri-layer AlGaN/AlInN/AlInGaN periodical structure that differs from the traditional periodically alternating layers of high- and low-refractive-index materials was proposed and grown on an Al0.5Ga0.5N template via metal-organic chemical vapour deposition. Because of the intentional design of the AlInGaN strain transition layer, a state-of-the-art DBR structure with atomic-level-flatness interfaces was achieved using an AlGaN template. The fabricated DBR exhibits a peak reflectivity of 86% at the centre wavelength of 274 nm and a stopband with a full-width at half-maximum of 16 nm. PMID:27381651

A study of electrically active traps in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jie; Cui, Sharon; Ma, T. P.; Hung, Ting-Hsiang; Nath, Digbijoy; Krishnamoorthy, Sriram; Rajan, Siddharth

2013-10-01

We have studied electron conduction mechanisms and the associated roles of the electrically active traps in the AlGaN layer of an AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor structure. By fitting the temperature dependent I-V (Current-Voltage) curves to the Frenkel-Poole theory, we have identified two discrete trap energy levels. Multiple traces of I-V measurements and constant-current injection experiment all confirm that the main role of the traps in the AlGaN layer is to enhance the current flowing through the AlGaN barrier by trap-assisted electron conduction without causing electron trapping.

Growth mechanisms of GaSb heteroepitaxial films on Si with an AlSb buffer layer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vajargah, S. Hosseini; Botton, G. A.; Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4M1

2013-09-21

The initial growth stages of GaSb epilayers on Si substrates and the role of the AlSb buffer layer were studied by high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM). Heteroepitaxy of GaSb and AlSb on Si both occur by Volmer-Weber (i.e., island mode) growth. However, the AlSb and GaSb islands have distinctly different characteristics as revealed through an atomic-resolution structural study using Z-contrast of HAADF-STEM imaging. While GaSb islands are sparse and three dimensional, AlSb islands are numerous and flattened. The introduction of 3D island-forming AlSb buffer layer facilitates the nucleation of GaSb islands. The AlSb islands-assisted nucleation of GaSbmore » islands results in the formation of drastically higher quality planar film at a significantly smaller thickness of films. The interface of the AlSb and GaSb epilayers with the Si substrate was further investigated with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry to elucidate the key role of the AlSb buffer layer in the growth of GaSb epilayers on Si substrates.« less

Predicted Growth of Two-Dimensional Topological Insulator Thin Films of III-V Compounds on Si(111) Substrate

DOE PAGES

Yao, Liang-Zi; Crisostomo, Christian P.; Yeh, Chun-Chen; ...

2015-11-05

We have carried out systematic first-principles electronic structure computations of growth of ultrathin films of compounds of group III (B, Al, In, Ga, and Tl) with group V (N, P, As, Sb, and Bi) elements on Si(111) substrate, including effects of hydrogenation. Two bilayers (BLs) of AlBi, InBi, GaBi, TlAs, and TlSb are found to support a topological phase over a wide range of strains, in addition to BBi, TlN, and TlBi which can be driven into the nontrivial phase via strain. A large band gap of 134 meV is identified in hydrogenated 2 BL film of InBi. One andmore » two BL films of GaBi and 2 BL films of InBi and TlAs on Si(111) surface possess nontrivial phases with a band gap as large as 121 meV in the case of 2 BL film of GaBi. Persistence of the nontrivial phase upon hydrogenations in the III-V thin films suggests that these films are suitable for growing on various substrates.« less

Current transport in graphene/AlGaN/GaN vertical heterostructures probed at nanoscale.

PubMed

Fisichella, Gabriele; Greco, Giuseppe; Roccaforte, Fabrizio; Giannazzo, Filippo

2014-08-07

Vertical heterostructures combining two or more graphene (Gr) layers separated by ultra-thin insulating or semiconductor barriers represent very promising systems for next generation electronics devices, due to the combination of high speed operation with wide-range current modulation by a gate bias. They are based on the specific mechanisms of current transport between two-dimensional-electron-gases (2DEGs) in close proximity. In this context, vertical devices formed by Gr and semiconductor heterostructures hosting an "ordinary" 2DEG can be also very interesting. In this work, we investigated the vertical current transport in Gr/Al(0.25)Ga(0.75)N/GaN heterostructures, where Gr is separated from a high density 2DEG by a ∼ 24 nm thick AlGaN barrier layer. The current transport from Gr to the buried 2DEG was characterized at nanoscale using conductive atomic force microscopy (CAFM) and scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM). From these analyses, performed both on Gr/AlGaN/GaN and on AlGaN/GaN reference samples using AFM tips with different metal coatings, the Gr/AlGaN Schottky barrier height ΦB and its lateral uniformity were evaluated, as well as the variation of the carrier densities of graphene (ngr) and AlGaN/GaN 2DEG (ns) as a function of the applied bias. A low Schottky barrier (∼ 0.40 eV) with excellent spatial uniformity was found at the Gr/AlGaN interface, i.e., lower compared to the measured values for metal/AlGaN contacts, which range from ∼ 0.6 to ∼ 1.1 eV depending on the metal workfunction. The electrical behavior of the Gr/AlGaN contact has been explained by Gr interaction with AlGaN donor-like surface states located in close proximity, which are also responsible of high n-type Gr doping (∼ 1.3 × 10(13) cm(-2)). An effective modulation of ns by the Gr Schottky contact was demonstrated by capacitance analysis under reverse bias. From this basic understanding of transport properties in Gr/AlGaN/GaN heterostructures, novel vertical field effect transistor concepts with high operating speed and I(on)/I(off) ratio can be envisaged.

β-(Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}){sub 2}O{sub 3}/Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3} (010) heterostructures grown on β-Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3} (010) substrates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kaun, Stephen W., E-mail: skaun@umail.ucsb.edu; Wu, Feng; Speck, James S.

2015-07-15

By systematically changing growth parameters, the growth of β-(Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}){sub 2}O{sub 3}/Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3} (010) heterostructures by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy was optimized. Through variation of the Al flux under O-rich conditions at 600 °C, β-(Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}){sub 2}O{sub 3} (010) layers spanning ∼10% to ∼18% Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} were grown directly on β-Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3} (010) substrates. Nominal β-(Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}){sub 2}O{sub 3} (010) compositions were determined through Al:Ga flux ratios. With x = ∼0.18, the β-(Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}){sub 2}O{sub 3} (020) layer peak in a high-resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD) ω-2θ scan was barely discernible, and Pendellösung fringes were not visible.more » This indicated that the phase stability limit of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} in β-Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3} (010) at 600 °C was less than ∼18%. The substrate temperature was then varied for a series of β-(Al{sub ∼0.15}Ga{sub ∼0.85}){sub 2}O{sub 3} (010) layers, and the smoothest layer was grown at 650 °C. The phase stability limit of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} in β-Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3} (010) appeared to increase with growth temperature, as the β-(Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}){sub 2}O{sub 3} (020) layer peak with x = ∼0.18 was easily distinguishable by HRXRD in a sample grown at 650 °C. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicated that β-(Al{sub ∼0.15}Ga{sub ∼0.85}){sub 2}O{sub 3} (010) layers (14.4% Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} by energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy) grown at 650 °C were homogeneous. β-(Al{sub ∼0.20}Ga{sub ∼0.80}){sub 2}O{sub 3} (010) layers, however, displayed a phase transition. TEM images of a β-(Al{sub ∼0.15}Ga{sub ∼0.85}){sub 2}O{sub 3}/Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3} (010) superlattice grown at 650 °C showed abrupt layer interfaces and high alloy homogeneity.« less

Inverted Al0.25Ga0.75N/GaN ultraviolet p-i-n photodiodes formed on p-GaN template layer grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Kuo-Hua; Sheu, Jinn-Kong; Lee, Ming-Lun; Tu, Shang-Ju; Yang, Chih-Ciao; Kuo, Huan-Shao; Yang, J. H.; Lai, Wei-Chih

2010-07-01

Inverted Al0.25Ga0.75N/GaN ultraviolet (UV) p-i-n photodiodes (PDs) were grown by selective-area regrowth on p-GaN template. The inverted devices with low-resistivity n-type AlGaN top-contact layers exhibited a typical zero-bias peak responsivity of 66.7 mA/W at 310 nm corresponding to the external quantum efficiency of 26.6%. The typical UV-to-visible (310/400 nm) spectral rejection ratio at zero-bias was over three orders of magnitude. The differential resistance and detectivity were obtained at approximately 6.2×1012 Ω and 3.4×1013 cm Hz1/2 W-1, respectively. Compared with conventional AlGaN/GaN-based UV p-i-n PDs, the proposed device structure can potentially achieve solar-blind AlGaN/GaN-based p-i-n PDs with low-aluminum content or aluminum-free p-contact layer and reduce excessive tensile strain due to the lattice mismatch between AlGaN and GaN layers.

Valence and conduction band offsets of β-Ga2O3/AlN heterojunction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Haiding; Torres Castanedo, C. G.; Liu, Kaikai; Li, Kuang-Hui; Guo, Wenzhe; Lin, Ronghui; Liu, Xinwei; Li, Jingtao; Li, Xiaohang

2017-10-01

Both β-Ga2O3 and wurtzite AlN have wide bandgaps of 4.5-4.9 and 6.1 eV, respectively. We calculated the in-plane lattice mismatch between the (-201) plane of β-Ga2O3 and the (0002) plane of AlN, which was found to be 2.4%. This is the smallest mismatch between β-Ga2O3 and binary III-nitrides which is beneficial for the formation of a high quality β-Ga2O3/AlN heterojunction. However, the valence and conduction band offsets (VBO and CBO) at the β-Ga2O3/AlN heterojunction have not yet been identified. In this study, a very thin (less than 2 nm) β-Ga2O3 layer was deposited on an AlN/sapphire template to form the heterojunction by pulsed laser deposition. High-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed the core-level (CL) binding energies of Ga 3d and Al 2p with respect to the valence band maximum in individual β-Ga2O3 and AlN layers, respectively. The separation between Ga 3d and Al 2p CLs at the β-Ga2O3/AlN interface was also measured. Eventually, the VBO was found to be -0.55 ± 0.05 eV. Consequently, a staggered-gap (type II) heterojunction with a CBO of -1.75 ± 0.05 eV was determined. The identification of the band alignment of the β-Ga2O3/AlN heterojunction could facilitate the design of optical and electronic devices based on these and related alloys.

Near ultraviolet InGaN/AlGaN-based light-emitting diodes with highly reflective tin-doped indium oxide/Al-based reflectors.

PubMed

Choi, Chang-Hoon; Han, Jaecheon; Park, Jae-Seong; Seong, Tae-Yeon

2013-11-04

The enhanced light output power of a InGaN/AlGaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) using three different types of highly reflective Sn-doped indium oxide (ITO)/Al-based p-type reflectors, namely, ITO/Al, Cu-doped indium oxide (CIO)/s-ITO(sputtered)/Al, and Ag nano-dots(n-Ag)/CIO/s-ITO/Al, is presented. The ITO/Al-based reflectors exhibit lower reflectance (76 - 84% at 365 nm) than Al only reflector (91.1%). However, unlike Al only n-type contact, the ITO/Al-based contacts to p-GaN show good ohmic characteristics. Near-UV (365 nm) InGaN/AlGaN-based LEDs with ITO/Al, CIO/s-ITO/Al, and n-Ag/CIO/s-ITO/Al reflectors exhibit forward-bias voltages of 3.55, 3.48, and 3.34 V at 20 mA, respectively. The LEDs with the ITO/Al and CIO/s-ITO/Al reflectors exhibit 9.5% and 13.5% higher light output power (at 20 mA), respectively, than the LEDs with the n-Ag/CIO/s-ITO/Al reflector. The improved performance of near UV LEDs is attributed to the high reflectance and low contact resistivity of the ITO/Al-based reflectors, which are better than those of conventional Al-based reflectors.

Low resistance ohmic contacts to n-GaN and n-AlGaN using NiAl

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ingerly, D. B.; Chen, Y.; William, R. S.; Takeuchi, T.; Chang, Y. A.

2000-07-01

The intermetallic compound NiAl (50:50 at. %) has been shown to be a low-resistance ohmic contact to n-GaN and n-AlGaN. NiAl contacts on n-GaN (n=2.5×1017cm-3) had a specific contact resistance of 9.4×10-6 Ω cm2 upon annealing at 850 °C for 5 min. NiAl contacts annealed at 900 °C for 5 min in n-Al0.12Ga0.88N (n=2.4×1018cm-3) and n-Al0.18Ga0.82N (n=2.7×1018cm-3) had specific contact resistances of 2.1×10-5 Ω cm2 and 4.7×10-5 Ω cm2, respectively. Additionally, these contacts were subjected to long-term annealing at 600 °C for 100 h. On n-GaN, the contact specific contact resistance degraded from 9.4×10-6 Ω cm2 to 5.3×10-5 Ω cm2 after the long-term anneal. Contacts to n-Al0.18Ga0.82N showed only slight degradation with a change in contact resistance, from 4.7×10-5 Ω cm2 to 9.2×10-5 Ω cm2. These results demonstrate the NiAl has great promise as a stable, low-resistance contact, particularly to n-AlGaN used in high-temperature applications.

Optical, structural, and nuclear scientific studies of AlGaN with high Al composition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Tse Yang; Chung, Yee Ling; Li, Lin; Yao, Shude; Lee, Y. C.; Feng, Zhe Chuan; Ferguson, Ian T.; Lu, Weijie

2010-08-01

AlGaN epilayers with higher Al-compositions were grown by Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) on (0001) sapphire. Trimethylgallium (TMGa), trimethylaluminium (TMAl) and NH3 were used as the source precursors for Ga, Al, and N, respectively. A 25 nm AlN nucleation layer was first grown at low-temperature of 590 °C at 300 Torr. Followed, AlxGa1-xN layers were grown at 1080 °C on low-temperature AlN nucleation layers. The heterostructures were characterized by a series of techniques, including x-ray diffraction (XRD), Rutherford backscattering (RBS), photoluminescence (PL), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman scattering. Precise Al compositions were determined through XRD, RBS, and SEM combined measurements. Room Temperature Raman Scattering spectra shows three major bands from AlGaN alloys, which are AlN-like, A1 longitudinal optical (LO) phonon modes, and E2 transverse optical (TO) band, respectively, plus several peak comes from the substrate. Raman spectral line shape analysis lead to an optical determination of the electrical property free carrier concentration of AlGaN. The optical properties of AlGaN with high Al composition were presented here.

High-Temperature Growth of GaN and Al x Ga1- x N via Ammonia-Based Metalorganic Molecular-Beam Epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Billingsley, Daniel; Henderson, Walter; Doolittle, W. Alan

2010-05-01

The effect of high-temperature growth on the crystalline quality and surface morphology of GaN and Al x Ga1- x N grown by ammonia-based metalorganic molecular-beam epitaxy (NH3-MOMBE) has been investigated as a means of producing atomically smooth films suitable for device structures. The effects of V/III ratio on the growth rate and surface morphology are described herein. The crystalline quality of both GaN and AlGaN was found to mimic that of the GaN templates, with (002) x-ray diffraction (XRD) full-widths at half- maximum (FWHMs) of ~350 arcsec. Nitrogen-rich growth conditions have been found to provide optimal surface morphologies with a root-mean-square (RMS) roughness of ~0.8 nm, yet excessive N-rich environments have been found to reduce the growth rate and result in the formation of faceted surface pitting. AlGaN exhibits a decreased growth rate, as compared with GaN, due to increased N recombination as a result of the increased pyrolysis of NH3 in the presence of Al. AlGaN films grown directly on GaN templates exhibited Pendellösung x-ray fringes, indicating an abrupt interface and a planar AlGaN film. AlGaN films grown for this study resulted in an optimal RMS roughness of ~0.85 nm with visible atomic steps.

Improving p-type doping efficiency in Al{sub 0.83}Ga{sub 0.17}N alloy substituted by nanoscale (AlN){sub 5}/(GaN){sub 1} superlattice with Mg{sub Ga}-O{sub N} δ-codoping: Role of O-atom in GaN monolayer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhong, Hong-xia; Shi, Jun-jie, E-mail: jjshi@pku.edu.cn; Jiang, Xin-he

2015-01-15

We calculate Mg-acceptor activation energy E{sub A} and investigate the influence of O-atom, occupied the Mg nearest-neighbor, on E{sub A} in nanoscale (AlN){sub 5}/(GaN){sub 1} superlattice (SL), a substitution for Al{sub 0.83}Ga{sub 0.17}N disorder alloy, using first-principles calculations. We find that the N-atom bonded with Ga-atom is more easily substituted by O-atom and nMg{sub Ga}-O{sub N} (n = 1-3) complexes are favorable and stable in the SL. The O-atom plays a dominant role in reducing E{sub A}. The shorter the Mg-O bond is, the smaller the E{sub A} is. The Mg-acceptor activation energy can be reduced significantly by nMg{sub Ga}-O{submore » N} δ-codoping. Our calculated E{sub A} for 2Mg{sub Ga}-O{sub N} is 0.21 eV, and can be further reduced to 0.13 eV for 3Mg{sub Ga}-O{sub N}, which results in a high hole concentration in the order of 10{sup 20} cm{sup −3} at room temperature in (AlN){sub 5}/(GaN){sub 1} SL. Our results prove that nMg{sub Ga}-O{sub N} (n = 2,3) δ-codoping in AlN/GaN SL with ultrathin GaN-layer is an effective way to improve p-type doping efficiency in Al-rich AlGaN.« less

Polarization-Engineered Ga-Face GaN-Based Heterostructures for Normally-Off Heterostructure Field-Effect Transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Hyeongnam; Nath, Digbijoy; Rajan, Siddharth; Lu, Wu

2013-01-01

Polarization-engineered Ga-face GaN-based heterostructures with a GaN cap layer and an AlGaN/ p-GaN back barrier have been designed for normally-off field-effect transistors (FETs). The simulation results show that an unintentionally doped GaN cap and p-GaN layer in the buffer primarily deplete electrons in the channel and the Al0.2Ga0.8N back barrier helps to pinch off the channel. Experimentally, we have demonstrated a normally-off GaN-based field-effect transistor on the designed GaN cap/Al0.3Ga0.7N/GaN channel/Al0.2Ga0.8N/ p-GaN/GaN heterostructure. A positive threshold voltage of 0.2 V and maximum transconductance of 2.6 mS/mm were achieved for 80- μm-long gate devices. The device fabrication process does not require a dry etching process for gate recessing, while highly selective etching of the GaN cap against a very thin Al0.3GaN0.7N top barrier has to be performed to create a two-dimensional electron gas for both the ohmic and access regions. A self-aligned, selective etch of the GaN cap in the access region is introduced, using the gate metal as an etch mask. The absence of gate recess etching is promising for uniform and repeatable threshold voltage control in normally-off AlGaN/GaN heterostructure FETs for power switching applications.

Degradation of 2DEG transport properties in GaN-capped AlGaN/GaN heterostructures at 600 °C in oxidizing and inert environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, Minmin; Jain, Sambhav R.; So, Hongyun; Heuser, Thomas A.; Xu, Xiaoqing; Suria, Ateeq J.; Senesky, Debbie G.

2017-11-01

In this paper, the electron mobility and sheet density of the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in both air and argon environments at 600 °C were measured intermittently over a 5 h duration using unpassivated and Al2O3-passivated AlGaN/GaN (with 3 nm GaN cap) van der Pauw test structures. The unpassivated AlGaN/GaN heterostructures annealed in air showed the smallest decrease (˜8%) in 2DEG electron mobility while Al2O3-passivated samples annealed in argon displayed the largest drop (˜70%) based on the Hall measurements. Photoluminescence and atomic force microscopy showed that minimal strain relaxation and surface roughness changes have occurred in the unpassivated samples annealed in air, while those with Al2O3 passivation annealed in argon showed significant microstructural degradations. This suggests that cracks developed in the samples annealed in air were healed by oxidation reactions. To further confirm this, Auger electron spectroscopy was conducted on the unpassivated samples after the anneal in air and results showed that extra surface oxides have been generated, which could act as a dislocation pinning layer to suppress the strain relaxation in AlGaN. On the other hand, similar 2DEG sheet densities were observed in passivated and unpassivated AlGaN/GaN samples at the end of the 5-h anneal in air or argon due to the combined impact of strain relaxation and changes in the ionized electronic states. The results support the use of unpassivated GaN-capped AlGaN/GaN heterostructures as the material platform for high-temperature electronics and sensors used in oxidizing environmental conditions.

Investigation of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor structures on 200-mm silicon (111) substrates employing different buffer layer configurations.

PubMed

Lee, H-P; Perozek, J; Rosario, L D; Bayram, C

2016-11-21

AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) structures are grown on 200-mm diameter Si(111) substrates by using three different buffer layer configurations: (a) Thick-GaN/3 × {Al x Ga 1-x N}/AlN, (b) Thin-GaN/3 × {Al x Ga 1-x N}/AlN, and (c) Thin-GaN/AlN, so as to have crack-free and low-bow (<50 μm) wafer. Scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, high resolution-cross section transmission electron microscopy, optical microscopy, atomic-force microscopy, cathodoluminescence, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (ω/2θ scan and symmetric/asymmetric ω scan (rocking curve scan), reciprocal space mapping) and Hall effect measurements are employed to study the structural, optical, and electrical properties of these AlGaN/GaN HEMT structures. The effects of buffer layer stacks (i.e. thickness and content) on defectivity, stress, and two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) mobility and 2DEG concentration are reported. It is shown that 2DEG characteristics are heavily affected by the employed buffer layers between AlGaN/GaN HEMT structures and Si(111) substrates. Particularly, we report that in-plane stress in the GaN layer affects the 2DEG mobility and 2DEG carrier concentration significantly. Buffer layer engineering is shown to be essential for achieving high 2DEG mobility (>1800 cm 2 /V∙s) and 2DEG carrier concentration (>1.0 × 10 13  cm -2 ) on Si(111) substrates.

Role of AlGaN/GaN interface traps on negative threshold voltage shift in AlGaN/GaN HEMT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malik, Amit; Sharma, Chandan; Laishram, Robert; Bag, Rajesh Kumar; Rawal, Dipendra Singh; Vinayak, Seema; Sharma, Rajesh Kumar

2018-04-01

This article reports negative shift in the threshold-voltage in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) with application of reverse gate bias stress. The device is biased in strong pinch-off and low drain to source voltage condition for a fixed time duration (reverse gate bias stress), followed by measurement of transfer characteristics. Negative threshold voltage shift after application of reverse gate bias stress indicates the presence of more carriers in channel as compared to the unstressed condition. We propose the presence of AlGaN/GaN interface states to be the reason of negative threshold voltage shift, and developed a process to electrically characterize AlGaN/GaN interface states. We verified the results with Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) ATLAS simulation and got a good match with experimental measurements.

The Acasta Gneiss - a Hadean cratonic nucleus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sprung, P.; Scherer, E. E.; Maltese, A.; Bast, R.; Bleeker, W.; Mezger, K.

2016-12-01

The known terrestrial rock record lacks undisputed, chemically intact Hadean crust. Direct evidence from this eon has been restricted to zircon grains within younger rocks [1]. The Acasta Gneiss Complex (AGC; NT, CA) has yielded zircon with Hadean domains [e.g., 2,3], but the time at which AGC rocks became closed chemical systems is unclear [4,5]. Determining this `time of last disturbance' (tld) would provide a minimum protolith age, and is crucial for using radiogenic isotope compositions of bulk rocks to trace crust-mantle evolution. Recent studies mostly focused on the `low-strain' eastern AGC [e.g., 6, 7], which records an evolving, early-mid Archean cratonic nucleus [7]. We also studied the `high-strain' banded gneiss in the western AGC, which hosts >4 Ga zircon domains [2,3], too. Our focusing lay on adjoining, lithologically distinct bands [8] of two distinct chemical groups: A) Mafic, chondrite-normalized LaN/YbN ≦20, slightly HFSE- depleted, and B) TTG-like, LaN/YbN up to 145, markedly HFSE-depleted. Six adjacent bands yield a well-defined 4 Ga Sm-Nd isochron with a ɛNd4Ga of +2 and ɛHf4Ga values from +1 to +6. Within-band Sm-Nd and Lu-Hf systematics imply younger mineral re-equilibration [9]. We interpret the 4 Ga Sm-Nd isochron to date the physical juxtaposition of bands in the gneiss unit and to define tld among bands for elements less mobile and diffusive than Sm and Nd. Contrasting Sm-Nd results from the same unit [10] likely are due to sampling at too fine a scale. Digestion of metamict pre-tld zircon likely caused the scatter in Lu-Hf. Both decay systems hint at the existence of a possibly local, strongly depleted Hadean mantle domain. The TTG-like bands are 0.4 Gyr older than similar rocks in the `low-strain' eastern AGC [7]. The AGC was thus an evolved cratonic nucleus already at 4 Ga, possibly with a depleted lithospheric keel. [1] Cavosie et al. (2004) Prec. Res. 135, 251-279 [2] Bowring & Williams (1999) CMP 134, 3-16 [3] Iizuka et al. (2007) Prec. Res. 153 [4] Bowring & Housh (1995) Science 269, 1535-1540 [5] Moorbath et al. (1997) Chem. Geol. 135, 213-231 [6] Willbold et al. (2015) EPSL 419, 168-177 [7] Reimink et al. (2016) Prec. Res. 281, 453-472 [8] Scherer et al (2010) AGU Fall Meeting, #V44B-01 [9] Maltese et al. (2015) Goldschmidt Abstracts, 1988 [10] Mojzsis et al. (2014) GCA 133, 69-96

Proximity Effects of Beryllium-Doped GaN Buffer Layers on the Electronic Properties of Epitaxial AlGaN/GaN Heterostructures

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-05-17

arranged by Prof. A. Zaslavsky Keywords: Gallium nitride High electron mobility transistor Molecular beam epitaxy Homoepitaxy Doping a b s t r a c t AlGaN...GaN/Be:GaN heterostructures have been grown by rf-plasma molecular beam epitaxy on free- standing semi-insulating GaN substrates, employing...hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) grown GaN sub- strates has enabled the growth by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) of AlGaN/GaNHEMTswith significantly

7 CFR 1007.51 - Class I differential, adjustments to Class I prices, and Class I price.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

....40 AL JEFFERSON 01073 0.30 AL LAMAR 01075 0.20 AL LAUDERDALE 01077 0.30 AL LAWRENCE 01079 0.30 AL LEE... JEFFERSON 05069 0.00 AR JOHNSON 05071 0.10 AR LAFAYETTE 05073 0.10 AR LAWRENCE 05075 0.10 AR LEE 05077 0.10... LEE 13177 0.85 GA LIBERTY 13179 1.15 GA LINCOLN 13181 0.70 GA LONG 13183 1.15 GA LOWNDES 13185 1.15 GA...

7 CFR 1007.51 - Class I differential, adjustments to Class I prices, and Class I price.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

....40 AL JEFFERSON 01073 0.30 AL LAMAR 01075 0.20 AL LAUDERDALE 01077 0.30 AL LAWRENCE 01079 0.30 AL LEE... JEFFERSON 05069 0.00 AR JOHNSON 05071 0.10 AR LAFAYETTE 05073 0.10 AR LAWRENCE 05075 0.10 AR LEE 05077 0.10... LEE 13177 0.85 GA LIBERTY 13179 1.15 GA LINCOLN 13181 0.70 GA LONG 13183 1.15 GA LOWNDES 13185 1.15 GA...

Device Performance and Reliability Improvements of AlGaBN/GaN/Si MOSFET

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-02-04

Metal insulator semiconductor AlGaN /GaN high electron mobility transistors (MISHEMTs) are promising for power device applications due to a lower leakage...current than the conventional Schottky AlGaN/GaN HEMTs.1–3 Among a large number of insulator materials, an Al2O3 dielectric layer, deposited by...atomic layer deposition (ALD), is often employed as the gate insulator because of a large band gap (and the resultant high conduction band offset on

Petrogenesis and tectonic setting of the Devonian Xiqin A-type granite in the northeastern Cathaysia Block, SE China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Da-wei; Tang, Yong; Zhang, Hui; Lv, Zheng-Hang; Liu, Yun-long

2017-06-01

Most Silurian-Devonian granites in South China are S- or I-type granites, which are suggested to be petrogenetically related to the Wuyi-Yunkai orogeny. In this paper, we present the detailed LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating, major and trace element geochemical, and Nd-Hf isotopic data for Xiqin A-type granites in the northeastern Cathaysia Block, SE China. Zircon U-Pb dating results show that the Xiqin granites were emplaced at about 410 Ma, indicating that they were generated at the end of Wuyi-Yunkai orogeny. These granites are high in K2O + Na2O (6.31-8.79 wt%), high field strength elements (Zr + Nb + Ce + Y = 427-699 ppm), rare earth elements (total REE = 221-361 ppm) as well as high Ga/Al ratios (10,000 Ga/Al = 2.50-3.10), and show characteristics typical of A-type granites. εHf(t) values of the Xiqin granites mainly vary from -0.4 to -3.1 and yield Mesoproterozoic T2DM(Hf) (mainly ranging from 1.29 to 1.45 Ga). The εNd(t) values are from -1.23 to -2.11 and T2DM(Nd) vary from 1.25 to 1.32 Ga. These isotopic data suggest that the Xiqin granites were generated by partial melting of metavolcanic rocks with minor metasedimentary rocks in the lower crust. Our data on the Xiqin granites, coupled with previous studies of Silurian-Devonian magmatism, suggest that the tectonic regime had changed to a strongly post-collisional extension environment in the Wuyi-Yunkai orogen at least since 410 Ma, and that delamination, which accounts for the change in stress from the compression to extension and asthenospheric upwelling during the early Paleozoic, plays a significant role in the generation of Xiqin A-type granites.

Effect of Group-III precursors on unintentional gallium incorporation during epitaxial growth of InAlN layers by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, Jeomoh, E-mail: jkim610@gatech.edu; Ji, Mi-Hee; Detchprohm, Theeradetch

2015-09-28

Unintentional incorporation of gallium (Ga) in InAlN layers grown with different molar flow rates of Group-III precursors by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition has been experimentally investigated. The Ga mole fraction in the InAl(Ga)N layer was increased significantly with the trimethylindium (TMIn) flow rate, while the trimethylaluminum flow rate controls the Al mole fraction. The evaporation of metallic Ga from the liquid phase eutectic system between the pyrolized In from injected TMIn and pre-deposited metallic Ga was responsible for the Ga auto-incorporation into the InAl(Ga)N layer. The theoretical calculation on the equilibrium vapor pressure of liquid phase Ga and the effectivemore » partial pressure of Group-III precursors based on growth parameters used in this study confirms the influence of Group-III precursors on Ga auto-incorporation. More Ga atoms can be evaporated from the liquid phase Ga on the surrounding surfaces in the growth chamber and then significant Ga auto-incorporation can occur due to the high equilibrium vapor pressure of Ga comparable to effective partial pressure of input Group-III precursors during the growth of InAl(Ga)N layer.« less

Internal quantum efficiency in yellow-amber light emitting AlGaN-InGaN-GaN heterostructures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ngo, Thi Huong; Gil, Bernard; Valvin, Pierre

2015-09-21

We determine the internal quantum efficiency of strain-balanced AlGaN-InGaN-GaN hetero-structures designed for yellow-amber light emission, by using a recent model based on the kinetics of the photoluminescence decay initiated by Iwata et al. [J. Appl. Phys. 117, 075701 (2015)]. Our results indicate that low temperature internal quantum efficiencies sit in the 50% range and we measure that adding an AlGaN layer increases the internal quantum efficiency from 50% up to 57% with respect to the GaN-InGaN case. More dramatic, it almost doubles from 2.5% up to 4.3% at room temperature.

Long-term changes in solar wind elemental and isotopic ratios - A comparison of two lunar ilmenites of different antiquities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Becker, Richard H.; Pepin, Robert O.

1989-01-01

The solar wind components in two lunar ilmenites are examined. The noble gas and nitrogen elemental and isotopic abundances of lunar regolith breccia sample 79035, assumed to have been exposed to solar winds more than 2 Ga ago, are analyzed using stepwise oxidation and pyrolysis. This sample is compared with the data of Frick et al. (1988) for soil sample 71501, recently exposed to solar winds. It is observed that the two elements differ in terms of xenon abundance, helium and neon isotopic rates, and He/Ar elemental ratios. It is concluded that there have been isotopic and elemental abundance changes in solar wind composition over time.

Terahertz GaAs/AlAs quantum-cascade lasers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schrottke, L., E-mail: lutz@pdi-berlin.de; Lü, X.; Rozas, G.

2016-03-07

We have realized GaAs/AlAs quantum-cascade lasers operating at 4.75 THz exhibiting more than three times higher wall plug efficiencies than GaAs/Al{sub 0.25}Ga{sub 0.75}As lasers with an almost identical design. At the same time, the threshold current density at 10 K is reduced from about 350 A/cm{sup 2} for the GaAs/Al{sub 0.25}Ga{sub 0.75}As laser to about 120 A/cm{sup 2} for the GaAs/AlAs laser. Substituting AlAs for Al{sub 0.25}Ga{sub 0.75}As barriers leads to a larger energy separation between the subbands reducing the probability for leakage currents through parasitic states and for reabsorption of the laser light. The higher barriers allow for a shift of themore » quasi-continuum of states to much higher energies. The use of a binary barrier material may also reduce detrimental effects due to the expected composition fluctuations in ternary alloys.« less

Botulinum toxin detection using AlGaN /GaN high electron mobility transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yu-Lin; Chu, B. H.; Chen, K. H.; Chang, C. Y.; Lele, T. P.; Tseng, Y.; Pearton, S. J.; Ramage, J.; Hooten, D.; Dabiran, A.; Chow, P. P.; Ren, F.

2008-12-01

Antibody-functionalized, Au-gated AlGaN /GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) were used to detect botulinum toxin. The antibody was anchored to the gate area through immobilized thioglycolic acid. The AlGaN /GaN HEMT drain-source current showed a rapid response of less than 5s when the target toxin in a buffer was added to the antibody-immobilized surface. We could detect a range of concentrations from 1to10ng/ml. These results clearly demonstrate the promise of field-deployable electronic biological sensors based on AlGaN /GaN HEMTs for botulinum toxin detection.

Photoluminescence spectra of n-ZnO/p-GaN:(Er + Zn) and p-AlGaN:(Er + Zn) heterostructures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mezdrogina, M. M., E-mail: margaret.m@mail.ioffe.ru; Krivolapchuk, V. V., E-mail: vlad.krivol@mail.ioffe.ru; Feoktistov, N. A.

2008-07-15

Luminescence intensity of heterostructures based on n-ZnO/p-GaN:(Er + Zn) and n-ZnO/AlGaN:(Er + Zn) is higher by more than an order of magnitude than the corresponding intensity of separate n-ZnO, p-GaN:(Er + Zn), and AlGaN:(Er + Zn) layers. Most likely, this phenomenon is due to the effective tunneling recombination of charge carriers caused by a decrease in the concentration of the nonradiative recombination centers located between the n-ZnO/p-GaN:(Er + Zn) and n-ZnO/AlGaN:(Er + Zn) layers.

Low-threshold voltage ultraviolet light-emitting diodes based on (Al,Ga)N metal-insulator-semiconductor structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Yu-Han; Towe, Elias

2017-12-01

Al-rich III-nitride-based deep-ultraviolet (UV) (275-320 nm) light-emitting diodes are plagued with a low emission efficiency and high turn-on voltages. We report Al-rich (Al,Ga)N metal-insulator-semiconductor UV light-emitting Schottky diodes with low turn-on voltages of <3 V, which are about half those of typical (Al,Ga)N p-i-n diodes. Our devices use a thin AlN film as the insulator and an n-type Al0.58Ga0.42N film as the semiconductor. To improve the efficiency, we inserted a GaN quantum-well structure between the AlN insulator and the n-type Al x Ga1- x N semiconductor. The benefits of the quantum-well structure include the potential to tune the emission wavelength and the capability to confine carriers for more efficient radiative recombination.

Modeling of high composition AlGaN channel high electron mobility transistors with large threshold voltage

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bajaj, Sanyam, E-mail: bajaj.10@osu.edu; Hung, Ting-Hsiang; Akyol, Fatih

2014-12-29

We report on the potential of high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) consisting of high composition AlGaN channel and barrier layers for power switching applications. Detailed two-dimensional (2D) simulations show that threshold voltages in excess of 3 V can be achieved through the use of AlGaN channel layers. We also calculate the 2D electron gas mobility in AlGaN channel HEMTs and evaluate their power figures of merit as a function of device operating temperature and Al mole fraction in the channel. Our models show that power switching transistors with AlGaN channels would have comparable on-resistance to GaN-channel based transistors for the samemore » operation voltage. The modeling in this paper shows the potential of high composition AlGaN as a channel material for future high threshold enhancement mode transistors.« less

Low temperature laser molecular beam epitaxy and characterization of AlGaN epitaxial layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tyagi, Prashant; Ch., Ramesh; Kushvaha, S. S.; Kumar, M. Senthil

2017-05-01

We have grown AlGaN (0001) epitaxial layers on sapphire (0001) by using laser molecular beam epitaxy (LMBE) technique. The growth was carried out using laser ablation of AlxGa1-x liquid metal alloy under r.f. nitrogen plasma ambient. Before epilayer growth, the sapphire nitradation was performed at 700 °C using r.f nitrogen plasma followed by AlGaN layer growth. The in-situ reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) was employed to monitor the substrate nitridation and AlGaN epitaxial growth. High resolution x-ray diffraction showed wurtzite hexagonal growth of AlGaN layer along c-axis. An absorption bandgap of 3.97 eV is obtained for the grown AlGaN layer indicating an Al composition of more than 20 %. Using ellipsometry, a refractive index (n) value of about 2.19 is obtained in the visible region.

GaSb/AlGaSb VCSEL structures and microcavities in the 1.5 μm wavelength range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koeth, J.; Dietrich, R.; Reithmaier, J. P.; Forchel, A.

Vertical cavity surface emitting laser structures for 1.5 μm wavelength applications were realized by growing AlSb/AlGaSb Bragg mirrors on GaAs substrates with solid source molecular beam epitaxy. Due to the high refractive index contrast between GaSb and AlSb high quality resonators can be made by only 15 layer pairs for each Bragg mirror. Laser operation could be demonstrated by optical pumping with threshold excitation densities of about 500 W/cm2. In laterally deeply etched microcavities with diameters of 5 μm a clear discretization of the optical modes was observed. The lateral confinement effects are compared with results of AlAs/GaAs microcavities designed for 0.9 μm emission wavelength. Due to the longer wavelength a stronger confinement effect can be achieved in AlSb/AlGaSb microcavities for the same lateral dimensions.

Inclined dislocation arrays in AlGaN/AlGaN quantum well structures emitting at 290 nm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, T. Y.; Moram, M. A.; McAleese, C.; Kappers, M. J.; Humphreys, C. J.

2010-12-01

We report on the structural and optical properties of deep ultraviolet emitting AlGaN/AlGaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) grown on (0001) sapphire by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy using two different buffer layer structures, one containing a thin (1 μm) AlN layer combined with a GaN interlayer and the other a thick (4 μm) AlN layer. Transmission electron microscopy analysis of both structures showed inclined arrays of dislocations running through the AlGaN layers at an angle of ˜30°, originating at bunched steps at the AlN surface and terminating at bunched steps at the surface of the MQW structure. In all layers, these inclined dislocation arrays are surrounded by AlGaN with a relatively higher Ga content, consistent with plan-view cathodoluminescence maps in which the bunched surface steps are associated with longer emission wavelengths. The structure with the 4 μm-thick AlN buffer layer had a dislocation density lower by a factor of 2 (at (1.7±0.1)×109 cm-2) compared to the structure with the 1 μm thick AlN buffer layer, despite the presence of the inclined dislocation arrays.

Variation in 142Nd/144Nd of Archean rocks from southwest Greenland : Implications for early Earth mantle dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rizo, H.; Boyet, M.; Blichert-Toft, J.; Rosing, M.; Paquette, J. L.

2012-04-01

The short-lived 146Sm-142Nd chronometer (half-life = 103 Ma) has proven successful in bringing constraints on the dynamics of the early Earth mantle. Since the parent isotope, 146Sm, was extant only during the first 300 Ma of the history of the Solar System, the positive 142Nd anomalies measured in southwest Greenland Archean rocks imply that their incompatible element-depleted mantle source formed during the Hadean. Interestingly, the magnitude of these anomalies seems to decrease over time. 3.7-3.8 Ga old rocks from the Amitsoq Complex have revealed +10 to +20 ppm 142Nd anomalies [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7], whereas younger 3.0 Ga old samples from the Ivisaartoq greenstone belt yield smaller positive anomalies, ranging from +5.5 to +8.5 ppm [8]. Thus, the chemical heterogeneities detected in the southwest Greenland mantle were formed during the first 150 Ma of Earth's history, and seem to have resisted re-mixing by mantle convection until 3.0 Ga. In this study, we investigate the evolution of the southwest Greenland mantle during the time period of 3.3-3.4 Ga. The samples analyzed come from both the ~3.3 Ga amphibolite unit and the ~3.4 Ga Ameralik basic dyke swarm from the Amitsoq Complex. Coupled Sm-Nd and Lu-Hf bulk-rock ages obtained for seven amphibolites are in good agreement (3351 ± 210 Ma and 3302 ± 260 Ma, respectively) and consistent with the minimum age found by Nutman and Friend (2009) [9] for this formation. We further obtained coherent bulk-rock 147Sm-143Nd and zircon+baddeleyite 207Pb/206Pb ages for the Ameralik dykes (3428 ± 250 Ma and 3421 ± 34 Ma, respectively), in line with ages suggested by Nielsen at al., (2002) [10] and Nutman et al., (2004) [11]. We are currently in the process of analyzing these samples for 142Nd isotopic compositions and the results will be compared with the existing southwest Greenland data in order to shed new light on the evolution and destruction of heterogeneities in the early Earth mantle. [1] Rizo et al., (2011) Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. [2] Bennett et al., (2007b) Science. [3] Boyet et al., (2003) Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. [4] Boyet and Carlson (2006) Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. [5] Caro et al., (2003) Nature. [6] Caro et al., (2006) Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta. [7] Harper and Jacobsen (1992) Nature. [8] Bennett et al., (2010) Goldschmidt 2010. [9] Nutman and Friend (2009) Precamb. Res. [10] Nielsen et al., (2002) Precamb. Res. [11] Nutman et al., (2004) J. Geol. Soc. Lond.

Optimized alumina coagulants for water treatment

DOEpatents

Nyman, May D [Albuquerque, NM; Stewart, Thomas A [Albuquerque, NM

2012-02-21

Substitution of a single Ga-atom or single Ge-atom (GaAl.sub.12 and GeAl.sub.12 respectively) into the center of an aluminum Keggin polycation (Al.sub.13) produces an optimal water-treatment product for neutralization and coagulation of anionic contaminants in water. GaAl.sub.12 consistently shows .about.1 order of magnitude increase in pathogen reduction, compared to Al.sub.13. At a concentration of 2 ppm, GaAl.sub.12 performs equivalently to 40 ppm alum, removing .about.90% of the dissolved organic material. The substituted GaAl.sub.12 product also offers extended shelf-life and consistent performance. We also synthesized a related polyaluminum chloride compound made of pre-hydrolyzed dissolved alumina clusters of [GaO.sub.4Al.sub.12(OH).sub.24(H.sub.2O).sub.12].sup.7+.

Sulfur speciation and isotope analysis of the 2.7 Ga shallow- and deep-facies black shales from Pilbara, Western Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minami, H.; Yamaguchi, K. E.; Naraoka, H.

2014-12-01

It has been widely believed that Great Oxidation Event (GOE: Holland, 1994) occurred at ~2.4-2.2 Ga ago. However, some previous studies have found evidence for oxic ocean and atmosphere from earlier rock records (e.g., Hoashi et al., 2009). In order to explore if such oxic environment was local or global and if there was redox heterogeneity in a sedimentary basin before the inferred GOE, using the 2.7 Ga pyrite-bearing drillcore black shales (deep-facies WRL1 and shallow-facies RHDH2A drillcores) from Pilbara, Western Australia, we separately quantified abundance of S-bearing species (SAVS (acid-volatile sulfide), Spy (pyrite), SSO4 (sulfate), Sorg (organic-S), and S0 (elemental S) and Fe-bearing species (Fecarb, Feox, and Femag) by using sequential extraction methods. These samples were previously used by Brocks et al. (1999), Yamaguchi (2002), Yamaguchi et al. (2005), and Eigenbrode and Freeman (2006). The shallow samples have high S contents and are interpreted to have deposited in relatively anoxic environment, but most of deep samples with elevated Fe contents deposited in relatively oxic environment. The DOP values and δ34Spy values are relatively higher in shallow samples, suggesting active bacterial sulfate reduction in reducing environment created due to near-complete consumption of dissolved O2by decomposition of organic matter produced by photosynthesizers living in the surface ocean. All of these observations consistently suggest that the shallower part was anoxic and deeper part was oxic in the 2.7 Ga ocean. The surface ocean would have been oxygenated due to activity of oxygenic photosynthesis. Such redox stratification of the ocean, i.e., development of mid-depth (shallow) OMZ in an essentially oxic ocean, is typically seen in highly productive regions in the modern ocean. Modern-style oceanic redox structure could have existed as far back as 2.7 Ga ago, much earlier than the inferred GOE at ~2.4-2.2 Ga. Brocks et al. (1999) Science 285, 1033-1036; Eigenbrode & Freeman (2006) PNAS 103, 15759-15764; Hoashi et al. (2009) Nature Geosc. 2, 301-306; Holland (1994) Early Life on Earth, Columbia Univ. Press; Yamaguchi (2002) Ph.D. dissertation, Penn State Univ.; Yamaguchi et al. (2005) Chem. Geol. 218, 135- 169.

Highly conductive modulation doped composition graded p-AlGaN/(AlN)/GaN multiheterostructures grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hertkorn, J.; Thapa, S. B.; Wunderer, T.; Scholz, F.; Wu, Z. H.; Wei, Q. Y.; Ponce, F. A.; Moram, M. A.; Humphreys, C. J.; Vierheilig, C.; Schwarz, U. T.

2009-07-01

In this study, we present theoretical and experimental results regarding highly conductive modulation doped composition graded p-AlGaN/(AlN)/GaN multiheterostructures. Based on simulation results, several multiheterostructures were grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. Using high resolution x-ray diffraction and x-ray reflectometry, the abruptness of the AlGaN/AlN/GaN interfaces could be determined. Using electron holography, the energetic profile of the valence band could be measured, yielding important information about the vertical carrier transport in such multiheterostructures. The electrical properties of the samples were investigated by measuring the lateral (σL) and vertical (σV) conductivity, respectively. The free hole concentration of a sample optimized in terms of lateral conductivity was measured to be 1.2×1019 cm-3 (295 K) with a mobility of 7 cm2/V s, yielding a record σL of 13.7 (Ω cm)-1. Low temperature Hall measurements (77 K) proved the existence of a two-dimensional hole gas at the AlN/GaN interface, as the lateral conductivity could be increased to 30 (Ω cm)-1 and no carrier freeze out was observable. By substituting the p-GaN layer in a light emitting diode (LED) with an AlGaN/GaN multiheterostructure, the overall voltage drop could be reduced by more than 100 mV (j =65 A/cm2). Furthermore improved current spreading on the p-side of LEDs with integrated AlGaN/AlN/GaN multiheterostructures could be proved by μ-electroluminescence, respectively.

Investigation of gate-diode degradation in normally-off p-GaN/AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ťapajna, M., E-mail: milan.tapajna@savba.sk; Kuzmík, J.; Hilt, O.

2015-11-09

Gate diode conduction mechanisms were analyzed in normally-off p-GaN/AlGaN/GaN high-electron mobility transistors grown on Si wafers before and after forward bias stresses. Electrical characterization of the gate diodes indicates forward current to be limited by channel electrons injected through the AlGaN/p-GaN triangular barrier promoted by traps. On the other hand, reverse current was found to be consistent with carrier generation-recombination processes in the AlGaN layer. Soft breakdown observed after ∼10{sup 5 }s during forward bias stress at gate voltage of 7 V was attributed to formation of conductive channel in p-GaN/AlGaN gate stack via trap generation and percolation mechanism, likely due tomore » coexistence of high electric field and high forward current density. Possible enhancement of localized conductive channels originating from spatial inhomogeneities is proposed to be responsible for the degradation.« less

Thermal annealing effect on the Mg-doped AlGaN/GaN superlattice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Baozhu; An, Shengbiao; Wen, Huanming; Wu, Ruihong; Wang, Xiaojun; Wang, Xiaoliang

2009-11-01

Mg-doped AlGaN/GaN superlattice has been grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Rapid thermal annealing (RTA) treament are carryied out on the samples under nitrogen as protect gas. Hall, photoluminescence (PL), high resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD) and atomic-force microscopy (AFM) are used to characterize the electrical, optical and structural properties of the as-grown and annealed samples, respectively. After annealing, the Hall results indicate more Mg acceptors are activated, which leads to higher hole concentration and lower p-type resistivity. The PL intensity of Mg related defect band shows a strong decrease after annealing. The annealing of the superlattice degrade the interface quality of the AlGaN/GaN from the HRXRD results. Many nanometer-grains can be observed on the surface of AlGaN/GaN superlattice from the AFM image. This maybe related with the decomposing of GaN or the separating of Mg from the AlGaN/GaN superlattice.

Radio-frequency measurements of UNiX compounds (X= Al, Ga, Ge) in high magnetic fields

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mielke, Charles H; Mcdonald, David R; Zapf, Vivien

2009-01-01

We performed radio-frequency (RF) skin-depth measurements of antiferromagnetic UNiX compounds (X=Al, Ga, Ge) in magnetic fields up to 60 T and at temperatures between 1.4 to {approx}60 K. Magnetic fields are applied along different crystallographic directions and RF penetration-depth was measured using a tunnel-diode oscillator (TDO) circuit. The sample is coupled to the inductive element of a TDO resonant tank circuit, and the shift in the resonant frequency {Delta}f of the circuit is measured. The UNiX compounds exhibit field-induced magnetic transitions at low temperatures, and those transitions are accompanied by a drastic change in {Delta}f. The results of our skin-depthmore » measurements were compared with previously published B-T phase diagrams for these three compounds.« less

AlN/GaN Digital Alloy for Mid- and Deep-Ultraviolet Optoelectronics.

PubMed

Sun, Wei; Tan, Chee-Keong; Tansu, Nelson

2017-09-19

The AlN/GaN digital alloy (DA) is a superlattice-like nanostructure formed by stacking ultra-thin ( ≤ 4 monolayers) AlN barriers and GaN wells periodically. Here we performed a comprehensive study on the electronics and optoelectronics properties of the AlN/GaN DA for mid- and deep-ultraviolet (UV) applications. Our numerical analysis indicates significant miniband engineering in the AlN/GaN DA by tuning the thicknesses of AlN barriers and GaN wells, so that the effective energy gap can be engineered from ~3.97 eV to ~5.24 eV. The band structure calculation also shows that the valence subbands of the AlN/GaN DA is properly rearranged leading to the heavy-hole (HH) miniband being the top valence subband, which results in the desired transverse-electric polarized emission. Furthermore, our study reveals that the electron-hole wavefunction overlaps in the AlN/GaN DA structure can be remarkably enhanced up to 97% showing the great potential of improving the internal quantum efficiency for mid- and deep-UV device application. In addition, the optical absorption properties of the AlN/GaN DA are analyzed with wide spectral coverage and spectral tunability in mid- and deep-UV regime. Our findings suggest the potential of implementing the AlN/GaN DA as a promising active region design for high efficiency mid- and deep-UV device applications.

Stress evolution of GaN/AlN heterostructure grown on 6H-SiC substrate by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agrawal, M.; Ravikiran, L.; Dharmarasu, N.; Radhakrishnan, K.; Karthikeyan, G. S.; Zheng, Y.

2017-01-01

The stress evolution of GaN/AlN heterostructure grown on 6H-SiC substrate by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PA-MBE) has been studied. AlN nucleation layer and GaN layer were grown as a function of III/V ratio. GaN/AlN structure is found to form buried cracks when AlN is grown in the intermediate growth regime(III/V˜1)and GaN is grown under N-rich growth regime (III/V<1). The III/V ratio determines the growth mode of the layers that influences the lattice mismatch at the GaN/AlN interface. The lattice mismatch induced interfacial stress at the GaN/AlN interface relaxes by the formation of buried cracks in the structure. Additionally, the stress also relaxes by misorienting the AlN resulting in two misorientations with different tilts. Crack-free layers were obtained when AlN and GaN were grown in the N-rich growth regime (III/V<1) and metal rich growth regime (III/V≥1), respectively. AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) heterostructure was demonstrated on 2-inch SiC that showed good two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) properties with a sheet resistance of 480 Ω/sq, mobility of 1280 cm2/V.s and sheet carrier density of 1×1013 cm-2.

Comparative study of intersubband absorption in AlGaN/GaN and AlInN/GaN superlattices: Impact of material inhomogeneities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edmunds, C.; Tang, L.; Cervantes, M.; Shirazi-HD, M.; Shao, J.; Grier, A.; Valavanis, A.; Cooper, J. D.; Li, D.; Gardner, G.; Zakharov, D. N.; Ikonić, Z.; Indjin, D.; Harrison, P.; Manfra, M. J.; Malis, O.

2013-12-01

We report a systematic and quantitative study of near-infrared intersubband absorption in strained AlGaN/GaN and lattice-matched AlInN/GaN superlattices grown by plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy as a function of Si-doping profile with and without δ doping. For AlGaN/GaN, we obtained good theoretical agreement with experimental measurements of transition energy, integrated absorbance and linewidth by considering many-body effects, interface roughness, and calculations of the transition lifetime that include dephasing. For the AlInN/GaN system, experimental measurements of the integrated absorbance due to the superlattice transitions produced values more than one order of magnitude lower than AlGaN/GaN heterostructures at similar doping levels. Furthermore, observed transition energies were roughly 150 meV higher than expected. The weak absorption and high transition energies measured in these structures is attributed to columnar alloy inhomogeneity in the AlInN barriers observed in high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy. We simulated the effect of these inhomogeneities using three-dimensional band-structure calculations. The inhomogeneities were modeled as AlInN nanorods with radially varying In composition embedded in the barrier material of the superlattice. We show that inclusion of the nanorods leads to the depletion of the quantum wells (QWs) due to localization of charge carriers in high-In-containing regions. The higher energy of the intersubband transitions was attributed to the relatively uniform regions of the QWs surrounded by high Al (95%) composition barriers. The calculated transition energy assuming Al0.95In0.05N barriers was in good agreement with experimental results.

Modeling of phase velocity and frequency spectrum of guided Lamb waves in piezoelectric-semiconductor multilayered structures made of AlAs and GaAs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Othmani, Cherif; Takali, Farid; Njeh, Anouar

2017-11-01

Modeling of guided Lamb waves propagation in piezoelectric-semiconductor multilayered structures made of AlAs and GaAs is evaluated in this paper. Here, the Legendre polynomial method is used to calculate dispersion curves, frequency spectrum and field distributions of guided Lamb waves propagation modes in AlAs, GaAs, AlAs/GaAs and AlAs/GaAs/AlAs-1/2/1 structures. In fact, formulations are given for open-circuit surface. Consequently, the polynomial method is numerically stable according to the total number of layers and the frequency range. This analysis is meaningful for the applications of the piezoelectric-semiconductor multilayered structures made of AlAs and GaAs such as in novel acoustic devices.

Modeling and optimization of a double-well double-barrier GaN/AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN resonant tunneling diode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yang; Gao, Bo; Gong, Min; Shi, Ruiying

2017-06-01

The influence of a GaN layer as a sub-quantum well for an AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN double barrier resonant tunneling diode (RTD) on device performance has been investigated by means of numerical simulation. The introduction of the GaN layer as the sub-quantum well turns the dominant transport mechanism of RTD from the 3D-2D model to the 2D-2D model and increases the energy difference between tunneling energy levels. It can also lower the effective height of the emitter barrier. Consequently, the peak current and peak-to-valley current difference of RTD have been increased. The optimal GaN sub-quantum well parameters are found through analyzing the electrical performance, energy band, and transmission coefficient of RTD with different widths and depths of the GaN sub-quantum well. The most pronounced electrical parameters, a peak current density of 5800 KA/cm2, a peak-to-valley current difference of 1.466 A, and a peak-to-valley current ratio of 6.35, could be achieved by designing RTD with the active region structure of GaN/Al0.2Ga0.8 N/GaN/Al0.2Ga0.8 N (3 nm/1.5 nm/1.5 nm/1.5 nm).

An elegant route to overcome fundamentally-limited light extraction in AlGaN deep-ultraviolet light-emitting diodes: preferential outcoupling of strong in-plane emission (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jong Kyu; Lee, Jong Won; Kim, Dong-Yeong; Park, Jun Hyuk; Schubert, E. Fred; Kim, Jungsub; Kim, Yong-Il

2016-09-01

AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet (DUV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are being developed for their numerous applications such as purification of air and water, sterilization in food processing, UV curing, medical-, and defense-related light sources. However, external quantum efficiency (EQE) of AlGaN-based DUV LEDs is very poor (<5% for 250nm) particularly due to low hole concentration and light extraction efficiency (LEE). Conventional LEE-enhancing techniques used for GaInN-based visible LEDs turned out to be ineffective for DUV LEDs due to difference in intrinsic material property between GaInN and AlGaN (Al< 30%). Unlike GaInN visible LEDs, DUV light from a high Al-content AlGaN active region is strongly transverse-magnetic (TM) polarized, that is, the electric field vector is parallel to the (0001) c-axis and shows strong sidewall emission through m- or a-plane due to crystal-field split-off hole band being top most valence band. Therefore, a new LEE-enhancing approach addressing the unique intrinsic property of AlGaN DUV LEDs is strongly desired. In this study, an elegant approach based on a DUV LED having multiple mesa stripes whose inclined sidewalls are covered by a MgF2/Al omni-directional mirror to take advantage of the strongly anisotropic transverse-magnetic polarized emission pattern of AlGaN quantum wells is presented. The sidewall-emission-enhanced DUV LED breaks through the fundamental limitations caused by the intrinsic properties of AlGaN, thus shows a remarkable improvement in light extraction as well as operating voltage simultaneously. Furthermore, an analytic model is developed to understand and precisely estimate the extraction of DUV photons from AlGaN DUV LEDs, and hence to provide promising routes to maximize the power conversion efficiency.

Growth inhibition of rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings in Ga- and In-contaminated acidic soils is respectively caused by Al and Al+In toxicity.

PubMed

Su, Jeng-Yan; Syu, Chien-Hui; Lee, Dar-Yuan

2018-02-15

Limited information exists on the effects of emerging contaminants gallium (Ga) and indium (In) on rice plant growth. This study investigated the effects on growth and uptake of Ga and In by rice plants grown in soils with different properties. Pot experiment was conducted and the rice seedlings were grown in two soils of different pH (Pc and Cf) spiked with various Ga and In concentrations. The results showed concentrations of Ga, In, and Al in soil pore water increased with Ga- or In-spiking in acidic Pc soils, significantly decreasing growth indices. According to the dose-response curve, we observed that the EC 50 value for Ga and In treatments were 271 and 390mgkg -1 in Pc soils, respectively. The context of previous hydroponic studies suggests that growth inhibition of rice seedlings in Ga-spiked Pc soils is mainly due to Al toxicity resulting from enhanced Al release through competitive adsorption of Ga, rather than from Ga toxicity. In-spiked Pc soils, both In and Al toxicity resulted in growth inhibition, while no such effect was found in Cf soils due to the low availability of Ga, In and Al under neutral pH conditions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Microstructural analysis of Ti/Al/Ti/Au ohmic contacts to n-AlGaN/GaN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, J.; Ivey, D. G.; Bardwell, J.; Liu, Y.; Tang, H.; Webb, J. B.

2002-05-01

To develop high quality AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field effect transistors for use in high power, high frequency, and high temperature applications, low resistance, thermal stable ohmic contacts with good surface morphology are essential. Low specific contact resistances have been achieved using an Au/Ti/Al/Ti contact: a minimum value of 6.33×10-6 Ω cm2 was attained after annealing at 700 °C for 30 s. Microstructural analysis using transmission electron microscopy indicated that there is significant interaction between the metallization components and the semiconductor during annealing. The optimum electrical properties correspond to a microstructure that consists of Au2Ti and TiAl layers as well as of a thin Ti-rich layer (~10 nm thick) at the metallization/AlGaN interface. Degradation of the contact occurred for annealing temperatures in excess of 750 °C, and was accompanied by decomposition of the AlGaN layer and formation of a Au-Ti-Al-Ga quaternary phase.

High sensitivity of Franz-Keldysh oscillations in photoreflectance spectra for probing morphology in Al{x}Ga{1-{x}}N/GaN heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takeuchi, H.; Yamamoto, Y.; Kamo, Y.; Kunii, T.; Oku, T.; Wakaiki, S.; Nakayama, M.

2007-02-01

We demonstrate that Franz-Keldysh oscillations (FKOs) observed by photoreflectance (PR) spectroscopy are highly sensitive to the surface morphology of Al{x}Ga{1-x}N layers in Al{x}Ga{1-x}N heterostructures. Three Al{0.2}Ga{0.8}N/GaN heterostructures with different surface-morphology profiles, which are confirmed with atomic force microscopy, have been investigated. The X-ray-diffraction patterns are hardly affected by the Al{0.2}Ga{0.8}N/GaN-layer morphology. In contrast, it is revealed that cracks and pits dominating the morphology remarkably reduce the amplitude of the FKOs from the Al{0.2}Ga{0.8}N/GaN layer, which is attributed to the following two mechanisms related to the cracks and pits. One is lifetime broadening due to carrier scattering, and the other is the suppression of the modulation magnitude for the built-in electric field, which is caused by the trapping and recombination of photogenerated carriers at the surface.

Self-terminated etching of GaN with a high selectivity over AlGaN under inductively coupled Cl2/N2/O2 plasma with a low-energy ion bombardment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, Yaozong; Zhou, Yu; Gao, Hongwei; Dai, Shujun; He, Junlei; Feng, Meixin; Sun, Qian; Zhang, Jijun; Zhao, Yanfei; DingSun, An; Yang, Hui

2017-10-01

Etching of GaN/AlGaN heterostructure by O-containing inductively coupled Cl2/N2 plasma with a low-energy ion bombardment can be self-terminated at the surface of the AlGaN layer. The estimated etching rates of GaN and AlGaN were 42 and 0.6 nm/min, respectively, giving a selective etching ratio of 70:1. To study the mechanism of the etching self-termination, detailed characterization and analyses were carried out, including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (TOF-SIMS). It was found that in the presence of oxygen, the top surface of the AlGaN layer was converted into a thin film of (Al,Ga)Ox with a high bonding energy, which effectively prevented the underlying atoms from a further etching, resulting in a nearly self-terminated etching. This technique enables a uniform and reproducible fabrication process for enhancement-mode high electron mobility transistors with a p-GaN gate.

The investigation of Al0.29Ga0.71N/GaN/AlN and AlN/GaN/AlN thin films grown on Si (111) by RF plasma-assisted MBE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yusoff, Mohd Zaki Mohd; Mahyuddin, Azzafeerah; Hassan, Zainuriah; Hassan, Haslan Abu; Abdullah, Mat Johar

2012-06-01

Recently, gallium nitride (GaN) and its related compounds involving Al and In have attracted much attention because of their potential to be used as high-efficiency UV light emitting devices, and as high frequency and high power electronic devices. Consequently, the growth and physics of GaN-based materials have attracted remarkable scientific attention. In this work, the growth and characterization of epitaxial Al0.29Ga0.71N and AlN layers grown on Si (111) by RF-plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) are described. The Al mole fraction was derived from the HR-XRD symmetric rocking curve (RC) ω/2θ scans of (0002) plane as x = 0.29. For AlN/GaN/AlN sample, the maximum Raman intensity at 521.53 cm-1 is attributed to crystalline silicon. It was found that the allowed Raman optical phonon mode of GaN, the E1 (high) is clearly visible, which is located at 570.74 cm-1. Photoluminscence (PL) spectrums of both samples have shown sharp and intense band edge emission of GaN without the existence of yellow emission band, showing good crystal quality of the samples have been successfully grown on Si substrate.

Refractive indices measurement of (GaInP)m/(AlInP)n quasi-quanternaries and GaInP/AllnP multiple quantum wells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaneko, Yawara; Kishino, Katsumi

1994-08-01

Measurements of the refractive indices of (GaInP)m/(AlInP)n quasi-quaternaries (QQs), GaInP/AlInP multiple quantum wells (MQWs), and (Al(x)Ga(1 - x))(0.5) In(0.5)P quanternaries were made systematically, using the reflectance method, in photon energy ranges nearly as high as up to the band gap. Data was fitted using the modified single effective oscillator (MSEO) method. A single oscillator energy E(sub zero) of 4.17 + 0.49 x(sub eg) and dispersion energy (E(sub d) of 35.79 - 1.16 x(sub eg) was obtained for (GaInP)m/(AlInP)2 QQs, where the equivalent Al composition x(sub eg) is defined by the stacking film thickness ratio x(sub eg) = d(AlInP)/(d(GaInP) + d(AlInP). Agreement of refractive indices obtained for QQs and quaternary compounds with equivalent x(sub eg) has been confirmed. Still, for the GaInP/AlInP MQWs, MSEO fitting was also agreeable, using the same oscillator energy E(sub zero) and dispersion energy E(sub d) of the (GaInP)m/(AlInP)2 QQs with the same thickness ratio, and substituting band gap energy E(sub Gamma) values shifted due to quantum effects.

The effects of sorting by aeolian processes on the geochemical characteristics of surface materials: a wind tunnel experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xunming; Lang, Lili; Hua, Ting; Zhang, Caixia; Li, Hui

2018-03-01

The geochemical characteristics of aeolian and surface materials in potential source areas of dust are frequently employed in environmental reconstructions as proxies of past climate and as source tracers of aeolian sediments deposited in downwind areas. However, variations in the geochemical characteristics of these aeolian deposits that result from near-surface winds are currently poorly understood. In this study, we collected surface samples from the Ala Shan Plateau (a major potential dust source area in Central Asia) to determine the influence of aeolian processes on the geochemical characteristics of aeolian transported materials. Correlation analyses show that compared with surface materials, the elements in transported materials (e.g., Cu, As, Pb, Mn, Zn, Al, Ca, Fe, Ga, K, Mg, P, Rb, Co, Cr, Na, Nb, Si, and Zr) were subjected to significant sorting by aeolian processes, and the sorting also varied among different particle size fractions and elements. Variations in wind velocity were significantly correlated with the contents of Cr, Ga, Sr, Ca, Y, Nd, Zr, Nb, Ba, and Al, and with the Zr/Al, Zr/Rb, K/Ca, Sr/Ca, Rb/Sr, and Ca/Al ratios. Given the great variation in the geochemical characteristics of materials transported under different aeolian processes relative to those of the source materials, these results indicate that considerable uncertainty may be introduced to analyses by using surface materials to trace the potential source areas of aeolian deposits that accumulate in downwind areas.

Self-organization of palladium nanoislands on GaN and AlxGa1-xN/GaN heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stafiniak, Andrzej; Szymański, Tomasz; Paszkiewicz, Regina

2017-12-01

We report on systematic study on the dewetting process of thin Pd layer and self-organized Pd nano-islands on SiO2, GaN and AlxGa1-xN/GaN heterostructures with various Al content. The influence of factors such as the thickness of metal layer, type of top layer of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures, temperature and time of annealing process on the dimensions, shapes and density of Pd islands was analyzed. Comparing the behavior of self-organization of Pd islands on Al0.25Ga0.75N/GaN and SiO2 we can conclude that solid-state dewetting process on SiO2 occures much faster than on Al0.25Ga0.75N. For substrates with SiO2 this process requires less energy and can arise for thicker layer. On the Al0.25Ga0.75N surface the islands take more crystalline shape which is probably due to surface reconstruction of Pd-Ga alloy thin layer on interface. For thin metal layer the coalescence of islands into larger islands similar to Ostwald ripening mechanism was observed. Greater surface roughness of AlxGa1-xN/GaN heterostructures with higher Al content causes an increase of surface density of islands and the reduction of their sizes which improves the roundness. In case of GaN and AlxGa1-xN layers with Al content lower than 20%, the surface degradation caused by annealing process was observed. Probably, this is due to the decomposition of layers with gallium droplet formation on catalytic metal islands.

AlN/ITO-Based Hybrid Electrodes with Conducting Filaments: Their Application to Ultraviolet Light-Emitting Diodes.

PubMed

Kim, Kyeong Heon; Lee, Tae Ho; Kim, Tae Geun

2017-07-19

A hybrid-type transparent conductive electrode (H-TCE) structure comprising an AlN rod array with conducting filaments (CFs) and indium tin oxide (ITO) films is proposed to improve both current injection and distribution as well as optical transmittance in the UV region. These CFs, generated in UV-transparent AlN rod areas using an electric field, can be used as conducting paths for carrier injection from a metal to a semiconductor such as p-(Al)GaN, which allows perfect Ohmic behavior with high transmittance (>95% at 365 nm) to be obtained. In addition, conduction across AlN rods and Ohmic conduction mechanisms are investigated by analyzing AlN rods and AlN rod/p-AlGaN film interfaces. We apply these H-TCEs to three near-UV light-emitting diodes (LEDs) (385 nm LEDs with p-GaN and p-AlGaN terminated surfaces and 365 nm LED with p-AlGaN terminated surface). We confirm that the light power outputs increase by 66%, 79%, and 103%, whereas the forward voltages reduce by 5.6%, 10.2%, and 8.6% for 385 nm p-GaN terminated, 385 nm p-AlGaN terminated, and 365 nm p-AlGaN terminated LEDs with H-TCEs, respectively, compared to LEDs with reference ITOs.

Effects of surface passivation dielectrics on carrier transport in AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oh, Sejoon; Jang, Han-Soo; Choi, Chel-Jong; Cho, Jaehee

2018-04-01

Dielectric layers prepared by different deposition methods were used for the surface passivation of AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors (HFETs) and the corresponding electrical characteristics were examined. Increases in the sheet charge density and the maximum drain current by approximately 45% and 28%, respectively, were observed after the deposition of a 100 nm-thick SiO2 layer by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) on the top of the AlGaN/GaN HFETs. However, SiO2 deposited by a radio frequency (rf) sputter system had the opposite effect. As the strain applied to AlGaN was influenced by the deposition methods used for the dielectric layers, the carrier transport in the two-dimensional electron gas formed at the interface between AlGaN and GaN was affected accordingly.

Strain-compensated (Ga,In)N/(Al,Ga)N/GaN multiple quantum wells for improved yellow/amber light emission

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lekhal, K.; Damilano, B., E-mail: bd@crhea.cnrs.fr; De Mierry, P.

2015-04-06

Yellow/amber (570–600 nm) emitting In{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}N/Al{sub y}Ga{sub 1−y}N/GaN multiple quantum wells (QWs) have been grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition on GaN-on- sapphire templates. When the (Al,Ga)N thickness of the barrier increases, the room temperature photoluminescence is red-shifted while its yield increases. This is attributed to an increase of the QW internal electric field and an improvement of the material quality due to the compensation of the compressive strain of the In{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}N QWs by the Al{sub y}Ga{sub 1−y}N layers, respectively.

Enhancement of indium incorporation to InGaN MQWs on AlN/GaN periodic multilayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monavarian, Morteza; Hafiz, Shopan; Das, Saikat; Izyumskaya, Natalia; Özgür, Ümit; Morkoç, Hadis; Avrutin, Vitaliy

2016-02-01

The effect of compressive strain in buffer layer on strain relaxation and indium incorporation in InGaN multi-quantum wells (MQWs) is studied for two sets of samples grown side by side on both relaxed GaN layers and strained 10-pairs of AlN/GaN periodic multilayers. The 14-nm AlN layers were utilized in both multilayers, while GaN thickness was 4.5 and 2.5 nm in the first and the second set, respectively. The obtained results for the InGaN active layers on relaxed GaN and AlN/GaN periodic multilayers indicate enhanced indium incorporation for more relaxed InGaN active layers providing a variety of emission colors from purple to green.

Heterocyclic Acene-Diketopyrrolopyrrole Molecular Semiconductors for Efficient Solution-Processed Organic Solar Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loser, Stephen C.

(Al,Ga,In)N semiconductor materials are widely used in high-frequency, high-power electronics due to their wide bandgaps. Both metal- and N-polar AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) demonstrated excellent performances as high-frequency signal amplifiers. While the majority of today's III-N transistors are based on metal-polar heterostructures, N-polar materials have gained attention following the breakthrough in the deposition of high quality films. Compared to their metal-polar counterparts, N-polar HEMT structures improve the scalability of devices, increase the electron confinement and reduce contact resistance, exhibiting great potentials in high-frequency device fabrications. In order to suppress alloy scattering in the HEMT structures, a thin AlN interlayer is usually introduced between the AlGaN barrier and the GaN channel. However, a significant amount of unintentional Ga incorporation was observed in AlN films grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), one of the major techniques to produce the HEMT epi structures. In the first part of my thesis, the impact of impure AlN interlayers on HEMTs was examined, explaining the significant improvement in electron mobility despite of the high Ga concentration of ˜ 50%. Moreover, both metal-polar and N-polar AlN films grown by MOCVD under various conditions were investigated, the results of which indicated that the major source of unintentional Ga was the former Ga deposition on the susceptor in the same run. It was also observed that N-polar AlN films contained less Ga compared to metal-polar ones when they were grown under same conditions. Methods to suppress the Ga were also discussed. In addition, the morphological and electrical properties of the GaN/AlN/GaN heterostructures with AlN films grown under different conditions were analyzed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and room temperature Van der Pauw hall measurement. Following the study of AlN interlayers in the HEMT structures, the development of N-polar HEMT epitaxial structures with highly-scaled channel thicknesses was discussed in detail. Small channel thickness is critical to prevent short channel effects when scaling down the lateral size of N-polar HEMT devices. By modifying the Si doping level in the back-barrier and the Al composition of the AlGaN cap, the channel thickness of the conventional N-polar HEMT structure with pure GaN channel was successfully scaled down to 8 nm. To further reduce the channel thickness, a thin InGaN layer was introduced between the channel and the AlGaN cap, leading to a decrease of the electric field in the channel and an increase of the distance between the centroid of the 2DEG and the AlN/GaN interface, which suppressed the scattering at the interface and significantly improved the electron mobility. The sheet charge density also increased due to the net positive polarization charge at the GaN/InGaN interface. The design was demonstrated by MOCVD. An increase of 73% in electron mobility from 606 to 1141 cm2/(V˙s) was observed when the 6 nm thick pure GaN channel was replaced by a 4 nm GaN / 2 nm In0.1Ga0.9N composite channel. The smallest applicable channel thickness was decreased to 4 nm with the composite channel design.

Russian Activities in Space Photovoltaic Power Modules with Concentrators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Andreev, Vyacheslav M.; Rumyantsev, Valeri D.

2004-01-01

Space concentrator modules with point-and line-focus Fresnel lenses and with reflective parabolic troughs have been developed recently at Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute. PV receivers for these modules are based: on the single junction LPE and MOCVD AlGaAs/GaAs solar cells characterized by AM0 efficiencies of 23.5 - 24% at 20 - 50 suns and 24 - 24.75 at 50 - 200 suns; on the mechanically stacked tandem AlGaAs/GaAs-GaSb cells with efficiency of 27 - 28 at 20 - 100 suns. MOCVD AlGaAs/GaAs cells with internal Bragg reflector have shown a higher radiation resistance as compared to a traditional structure. Monolithic two-terminal tandems AlGaAs (top)-GaAs (bottom) for space application and GaSb (top) - InGaAsSb (bottom) for TRV application are under development as well.

A new approach to epitaxially grow high-quality GaN films on Si substrates: the combination of MBE and PLD.

PubMed

Wang, Wenliang; Wang, Haiyan; Yang, Weijia; Zhu, Yunnong; Li, Guoqiang

2016-04-22

High-quality GaN epitaxial films have been grown on Si substrates with Al buffer layer by the combination of molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technologies. MBE is used to grow Al buffer layer at first, and then PLD is deployed to grow GaN epitaxial films on the Al buffer layer. The surface morphology, crystalline quality, and interfacial property of as-grown GaN epitaxial films on Si substrates are studied systematically. The as-grown ~300 nm-thick GaN epitaxial films grown at 850 °C with ~30 nm-thick Al buffer layer on Si substrates show high crystalline quality with the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) for GaN(0002) and GaN(102) X-ray rocking curves of 0.45° and 0.61°, respectively; very flat GaN surface with the root-mean-square surface roughness of 2.5 nm; as well as the sharp and abrupt GaN/AlGaN/Al/Si hetero-interfaces. Furthermore, the corresponding growth mechanism of GaN epitaxial films grown on Si substrates with Al buffer layer by the combination of MBE and PLD is hence studied in depth. This work provides a novel and simple approach for the epitaxial growth of high-quality GaN epitaxial films on Si substrates.

AlGaN/GaN field effect transistors for power electronics—Effect of finite GaN layer thickness on thermal characteristics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hodges, C., E-mail: chris.hodges@bristol.ac.uk; Anaya Calvo, J.; Kuball, M.

2013-11-11

AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field effect transistors with a 150 nm thick GaN channel within stacked Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}N layers were investigated using Raman thermography. By fitting a thermal simulation to the measured temperatures, the thermal conductivity of the GaN channel was determined to be 60 W m{sup −1} K{sup −1}, over 50% less than typical GaN epilayers, causing an increased peak channel temperature. This agrees with a nanoscale model. A low thermal conductivity AlGaN buffer means the GaN spreads heat; its properties are important for device thermal characteristics. When designing power devices with thin GaN layers, as well as electrical considerations, the reducedmore » channel thermal conductivity must be considered.« less

Molecular beam epitaxy growth of high electron mobility InAs/AlSb deep quantum well structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Juan; Wang, Guo-Wei; Xu, Ying-Qiang; Xing, Jun-Liang; Xiang, Wei; Tang, Bao; Zhu, Yan; Ren, Zheng-Wei; He, Zhen-Hong; Niu, Zhi-Chuan

2013-07-01

InAs/AlSb deep quantum well (QW) structures with high electron mobility were grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on semi-insulating GaAs substrates. AlSb and Al0.75Ga0.25Sb buffer layers were grown to accommodate the lattice mismatch (7%) between the InAs/AlSb QW active region and GaAs substrate. Transmission electron microscopy shows abrupt interface and atomic force microscopy measurements display smooth surface morphology. Growth conditions of AlSb and Al0.75Ga0.25Sb buffer were optimized. Al0.75Ga0.25Sb is better than AlSb as a buffer layer as indicated. The sample with optimal Al0.75Ga0.25Sb buffer layer shows a smooth surface morphology with root-mean-square roughness of 6.67 Å. The electron mobility has reached as high as 27 000 cm2/Vs with a sheet density of 4.54 × 1011/cm2 at room temperature.

Investigating compositional effects of atomic layer deposition ternary dielectric Ti-Al-O on metal-insulator-semiconductor heterojunction capacitor structure for gate insulation of InAlN/GaN and AlGaN/GaN

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Colon, Albert; Stan, Liliana; Divan, Ralu

Gate insulation/surface passivation in AlGaN/GaN and InAlN/GaN heterojunction field-effect transistors is a major concern for passivation of surface traps and reduction of gate leakage current. However, finding the most appropriate gate dielectric materials is challenging and often involves a compromise of the required properties such as dielectric constant, conduction/valence band-offsets, or thermal stability. Creating a ternary compound such as Ti-Al-O and tailoring its composition may result in a reasonably good gate material in terms of the said properties. To date, there is limited knowledge of the performance of ternary dielectric compounds on AlGaN/GaN and even less on InAlN/GaN. To approachmore » this problem, the authors fabricated metal-insulator-semiconductor heterojunction (MISH) capacitors with ternary dielectrics Ti-Al-O of various compositions, deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD). The film deposition was achieved by alternating cycles of TiO2 and Al2O3 using different ratios of ALD cycles. TiO2 was also deposited as a reference sample. The electrical characterization of the MISH capacitors shows an overall better performance of ternary compounds compared to the pure TiO2. The gate leakage current density decreases with increasing Al content, being similar to 2-3 orders of magnitude lower for a TiO2:Al2O3 cycle ratio of 2:1. Although the dielectric constant has the highest value of 79 for TiO2 and decreases with increasing the number of Al2O3 cycles, it is maintaining a relatively high value compared to an Al2O3 film. Capacitance voltage sweeps were also measured in order to characterize the interface trap density. A decreasing trend in the interface trap density was found while increasing Al content in the film. In conclusion, our study reveals that the desired high-kappa properties of TiO2 can be adequately maintained while improving other insulator performance factors. The ternary compounds may be an excellent choice as a gate material for both AlGaN/GaN and InAlN/GaN based devices.« less

Investigation on Surface Polarization of Al2O3-capped GaN/AlGaN/GaN Heterostructure by Angle-Resolved X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy.

PubMed

Duan, Tian Li; Pan, Ji Sheng; Wang, Ning; Cheng, Kai; Yu, Hong Yu

2017-08-17

The surface polarization of Ga-face gallium nitride (GaN) (2 nm)/AlGaN (22 nm)/GaN channel (150 nm)/buffer/Si with Al 2 O 3 capping layer is investigated by angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ARXPS). It is found that the energy band varies from upward bending to downward bending in the interface region, which is believed to be corresponding to the polarization variation. An interfacial layer is formed between top GaN and Al 2 O 3 due to the occurrence of Ga-N bond break and Ga-O bond forming during Al 2 O 3 deposition via the atomic layer deposition (ALD). This interfacial layer is believed to eliminate the GaN polarization, thus reducing the polarization-induced negative charges. Furthermore, this interfacial layer plays a key role for the introduction of the positive charges which lead the energy band downward. Finally, a N 2 annealing at 400 °C is observed to enhance the interfacial layer growth thus increasing the density of positive charges.

Study of the effects of GaN buffer layer quality on the dc characteristics of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

DOE PAGES

Ahn, Shihyun; Zhu, Weidi; Dong, Chen; ...

2015-04-21

Here we studied the effect of buffer layer quality on dc characteristics of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility (HEMTs). AlGaN/GaN HEMT structures with 2 and 5 μm GaN buffer layers on sapphire substrates from two different vendors with the same Al concentration of AlGaN were used. The defect densities of HEMT structures with 2 and 5 μm GaN buffer layer were 7 × 10 9 and 5 × 10 8 cm ₋2, respectively, as measured by transmission electron microscopy. There was little difference in drain saturation current or in transfer characteristics in HEMTs on these two types of buffer. However, theremore » was no dispersion observed on the nonpassivated HEMTs with 5 μm GaN buffer layer for gate-lag pulsed measurement at 100 kHz, which was in sharp contrast to the 71% drain current reduction for the HEMT with 2 μm GaN buffer layer.« less

AlGaN channel field effect transistors with graded heterostructure ohmic contacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bajaj, Sanyam; Akyol, Fatih; Krishnamoorthy, Sriram; Zhang, Yuewei; Rajan, Siddharth

2016-09-01

We report on ultra-wide bandgap (UWBG) Al0.75Ga0.25N channel metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MISFETs) with heterostructure engineered low-resistance ohmic contacts. The low intrinsic electron affinity of AlN (0.6 eV) leads to large Schottky barriers at the metal-AlGaN interface, resulting in highly resistive ohmic contacts. In this work, we use a reverse compositional graded n++ AlGaN contact layer to achieve upward electron affinity grading, leading to a low specific contact resistance (ρsp) of 1.9 × 10-6 Ω cm2 to n-Al0.75Ga0.25N channels (bandgap ˜5.3 eV) with non-alloyed contacts. We also demonstrate UWBG Al0.75Ga0.25N channel MISFET device operation employing the compositional graded n++ ohmic contact layer and 20 nm atomic layer deposited Al2O3 as the gate-dielectric.

HgNO3 sensitivity of AlGaN/GaN field effect transistors functionalized with phytochelating peptides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rohrbaugh, Nathaniel; Hernandez-Balderrama, Luis; Kaess, Felix; Kirste, Ronny; Collazo, Ramon; Ivanisevic, Albena

2016-06-01

This study examined the conductance sensitivity of AlGaN/GaN field effect transistors in response to varying Hg/HNO3 solutions. FET surfaces were covalently functionalized with phytochelatin-5 peptides in order to detect Hg in solution. Results showed a resilience of peptide-AlGaN/GaN bonds in the presence of strong HNO3 aliquots, with significant degradation in FET ID signal. However, devices showed strong and varied response to Hg concentrations of 1, 10, 100, and 1000 ppm. The gathered statistically significant results indicate that peptide terminated AlGaN/GaN devices are capable of differentiating between Hg solutions and demonstrate device sensitivity.

Epitaxial growth of GaN/AlN/InAlN heterostructures for HEMTs in horizontal MOCVD reactors with different designs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tsatsulnikov, A. F., E-mail: andrew@beam.ioffe.ru; Lundin, W. V.; Sakharov, A. V.

2016-09-15

The epitaxial growth of InAlN layers and GaN/AlN/InAlN heterostructures for HEMTs in growth systems with horizontal reactors of the sizes 1 × 2', 3 × 2', and 6 × 2' is investigated. Studies of the structural properties of the grown InAlN layers and electrophysical parameters of the GaN/AlN/InAlN heterostructures show that the optimal quality of epitaxial growth is attained upon a compromise between the growth conditions for InGaN and AlGaN. A comparison of the epitaxial growth in different reactors shows that optimal conditions are realized in small-scale reactors which make possible the suppression of parasitic reactions in the gas phase.more » In addition, the size of the reactor should be sufficient to provide highly homogeneous heterostructure parameters over area for the subsequent fabrication of devices. The optimal compositions and thicknesses of the InAlN layer for attaining the highest conductance in GaN/AlN/InAlN transistor heterostructures.« less

Enhanced Electro-Static Discharge Endurance of GaN-Based Light-Emitting Diodes with Specially Designed Electron Blocking Layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chunxia; Zhang, Xiong; Guo, Hao; Chen, Hongjun; Wang, Shuchang; Yang, Hongquan; Cui, Yiping

2013-10-01

GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with specially designed electron blocking layers (EBLs) between the multiple quantum wells (MQWs) and the top p-GaN layer have been developed. The EBLs consist of Mg-doped p-AlGaN/GaN superlattice (SL) with the layer thickness of p-AlGaN varied from 1 to 10 nm and the layer thickness of p-GaN fixed at 1 nm in this study. It was found that under a 2000 V reverse bias voltage condition, the electro-static discharge (ESD) yield increased from 61.98 to 99.51% as the thickness of p-AlGaN in the EBLs was increased from 1 to 10 nm. Since the ESD yield was 97.80%, and maximum value for LEDs' light output power (LOP) and minimum value for the forward voltage (Vf) were achieved when the thickness of p-AlGaN in the EBLs was 9 nm with a 20 mA injection current, it was concluded that the p-AlGaN/GaN SL EBLs with the combination of 9-nm-thick p-AlGaN and 1-nm-thick p-GaN would be beneficial to the fabrication of the GaN-based LEDs with high brightness, high ESD endurance, and low Vf.

Effect of uniaxial stress on electroluminescence, valence band modification, optical gain, and polarization modes in tensile strained p-AlGaAs/GaAsP/n-AlGaAs laser diode structures: Numerical calculations and experimental results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bogdanov, E. V.; Minina, N. Ya.; Tomm, J. W.; Kissel, H.

2012-11-01

The effects of uniaxial compression in [110] direction on energy-band structures, heavy and light hole mixing, optical matrix elements, and gain in laser diodes with "light hole up" configuration of valence band levels in GaAsP quantum wells with different widths and phosphorus contents are numerically calculated. The development of light and heavy hole mixing caused by symmetry lowering and converging behavior of light and heavy hole levels in such quantum wells under uniaxial compression is displayed. The light or heavy hole nature of each level is established for all considered values of uniaxial stress. The results of optical gain calculations for TM and TE polarization modes show that uniaxial compression leads to a significant increase of the TE mode and a minor decrease of the TM mode. Electroluminescence experiments were performed under uniaxial compression up to 5 kbar at 77 K on a model laser diode structure (p-AlxGa1-xAs/GaAs1-yPy/n-AlxGa1-xAs) with y = 0.16 and a quantum well width of 14 nm. They reveal a maximum blue shift of 27 meV of the electroluminescence spectra that is well described by the calculated change of the optical gap and the increase of the intensity being referred to a TE mode enhancement. Numerical calculations and electroluminescence data indicate that uniaxial compression may be used for a moderate wavelength and TM/TE intensity ratio tuning.

Effect of quantum-well thickness on the optical polarization of AlGaN-based ultraviolet light-emitting diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Cheng; Zhang, Jing

2018-02-01

Optical polarization from AlGaN quantum well (QW) is crucial for realizing high-efficiency deep-ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) because it determines the light emission patterns and light extraction mechanism of the devices. As the Al-content of AlGaN QW increases, the valence bands order changes and consequently the light polarization switches from transverse-electric (TE) to transverse-magnetic (TM) owing to the different sign and the value of the crystal field splitting energy between AlN (-169meV) and GaN (10meV). Several groups have reported that the ordering of the bands and the TE/TM crossover Al-content could be influenced by the strain state and the quantum confinement from the AlGaN QW system. In this work, we investigate the influence of QW thickness on the optical polarization switching point from AlGaN QW with AlN barriers by using 6-band k•p model. The result presents a decreasing trend of the critical Al-content where the topmost valence band switches from heave hole (HH) to crystal field spilt-off (CH) with increasing QW thicknesses due to the internal electric field and the strain state from the AlGaN QW. Instead, the TE- and TM-polarized spontaneous emission rates switching Al-content rises first and falls later because of joint consequence of the band mixing effect and the Quantum Confined Stark Effect. The reported optical polarization from AlGaN QW emitters in the UV spectral range is assessed in this work and the tendency of the polarization switching point shows great consistency with the theoretical results, which deepens the understanding of the physics from AlGaN QW UV LEDs.

Novel model of a AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor based on an artificial neural network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Zhi-Qun; Hu, Sha; Liu, Jun; Zhang, Qi-Jun

2011-03-01

In this paper we present a novel approach to modeling AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) with an artificial neural network (ANN). The AlGaN/GaN HEMT device structure and its fabrication process are described. The circuit-based Neuro-space mapping (neuro-SM) technique is studied in detail. The EEHEMT model is implemented according to the measurement results of the designed device, which serves as a coarse model. An ANN is proposed to model AlGaN/GaN HEMT based on the coarse model. Its optimization is performed. The simulation results from the model are compared with the measurement results. It is shown that the simulation results obtained from the ANN model of AlGaN/GaN HEMT are more accurate than those obtained from the EEHEMT model. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 60776052).

Hot-electron real-space transfer and longitudinal transport in dual AlGaN/AlN/{AlGaN/GaN} channels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Šermukšnis, E.; Liberis, J.; Matulionis, A.; Avrutin, V.; Ferreyra, R.; Özgür, Ü.; Morkoç, H.

2015-03-01

Real-space transfer of hot electrons is studied in dual-channel GaN-based heterostructure operated at or near plasmon-optical phonon resonance in order to attain a high electron drift velocity at high current densities. For this study, pulsed electric field is applied in the channel plane of a nominally undoped Al0.3Ga0.7N/AlN/{Al0.15Ga0.85N/GaN} structure with a composite channel of Al0.15Ga0.85N/GaN, where the electrons with a sheet density of 1.4 × 1013 cm-2, estimated from the Hall effect measurements, are confined. The equilibrium electrons are situated predominantly in the Al0.15Ga0.85N layer as confirmed by capacitance-voltage experiment and Schrödinger-Poisson modelling. The main peak of the electron density per unit volume decreases as more electrons occupy the GaN layer at high electric fields. The associated decrease in the plasma frequency induces the plasmon-assisted decay of non-equilibrium optical phonons (hot phonons) confirmed by the decrease in the measured hot-phonon lifetime from 0.95 ps at low electric fields down below 200 fs at fields of E \\gt 4 kV cm-1 as the plasmon-optical phonon resonance is approached. The onset of real-space transfer is resolved from microwave noise measurements: this source of noise dominates for E \\gt 8 kV cm-1. In this range of fields, the longitudinal current exceeds the values measured for a mono channel reference Al0.3Ga0.7N/AlN/GaN structure. The results are explained in terms of the ultrafast decay of hot phonons and reduced alloy scattering caused by the real-space transfer in the composite channel.

Al x Ga1‑ x N-based semipolar deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akaike, Ryota; Ichikawa, Shuhei; Funato, Mitsuru; Kawakami, Yoichi

2018-06-01

Deep ultraviolet (UV) emission from Al x Ga1‑ x N-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) fabricated on semipolar (1\\bar{1}02) (r-plane) AlN substrates is presented. The growth conditions are optimized. A high NH3 flow rate during metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy yields atomically flat Al y Ga1‑ y N (y > x) on which Al x Ga1‑ x N/Al y Ga1‑ y N multiple quantum wells with abrupt interfaces and good periodicity are fabricated. The fabricated r-Al x Ga1‑ x N-based LED emits at 270 nm, which is in the germicidal wavelength range. Additionally, the emission line width is narrow, and the peak wavelength is stable against the injection current, so the semipolar LED shows promise as a UV emitter.

Ultrafast decay of hot phonons in an AlGaN/AlN/AlGaN/GaN camelback channel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leach, J. H.; Wu, M.; Morkoç, H.; Liberis, J.; Šermukšnis, E.; Ramonas, M.; Matulionis, A.

2011-11-01

A bottleneck for heat dissipation from the channel of a GaN-based heterostructure field-effect transistor is treated in terms of the lifetime of nonequilibrium (hot) longitudinal optical phonons, which are responsible for additional scattering of electrons in the voltage-biased quasi-two-dimensional channel. The hot-phonon lifetime is measured for an Al0.33Ga0.67N/AlN/Al0.1Ga0.9N/GaN heterostructure where the mobile electrons are spread in a composite Al0.1Ga0.9N/GaN channel and form a camelback electron density profile at high electric fields. In accordance with plasmon-assisted hot-phonon decay, the parameter of importance for the lifetime is not the total charge in the channel (the electron sheet density) but rather the electron density profile. This is demonstrated by comparing two structures with equal sheet densities (1 × 1013 cm-2), but with different density profiles. The camelback channel profile exhibits a shorter hot-phonon lifetime of ˜270 fs as compared with ˜500 fs reported for a standard Al0.33Ga0.67N/AlN/GaN channel at low supplied power levels. When supplied power is sufficient to heat the electrons > 600 K, ultrafast decay of hot phonons is observed in the case of the composite channel structure. In this case, the electron density profile spreads to form a camelback profile, and hot-phonon lifetime reduces to ˜50 fs.

Optoelectronic forces with quantum wells for cavity optomechanics in GaAs/AlAs semiconductor microcavities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Villafañe, V.; Sesin, P.; Soubelet, P.; Anguiano, S.; Bruchhausen, A. E.; Rozas, G.; Carbonell, C. Gomez; Lemaître, A.; Fainstein, A.

2018-05-01

Radiation pressure, electrostriction, and photothermal forces have been investigated to evidence backaction, nonlinearities, and quantum phenomena in cavity optomechanics. We show here through a detailed study of the relative intensity of the cavity mechanical modes observed when exciting with pulsed lasers close to the GaAs optical gap that optoelectronic forces involving real carrier excitation and deformation potential interaction are the strongest mechanism of light-to-sound transduction in semiconductor GaAs/AlAs distributed Bragg reflector optomechanical resonators. We demonstrate that the ultrafast spatial redistribution of the photoexcited carriers in microcavities with massive GaAs spacers leads to an enhanced coupling to the fundamental 20-GHz vertically polarized mechanical breathing mode. The carrier diffusion along the growth axis of the device can be enhanced by increasing the laser power, or limited by embedding GaAs quantum wells in the cavity spacer, a strategy used here to prove and engineer the optoelectronic forces in phonon generation with real carriers. The wavelength dependence of the observed phenomena provide further proof of the role of optoelectronic forces. The optical forces associated with the different intervening mechanisms and their relevance for dynamical backaction in optomechanics are evaluated using finite-element methods. The results presented open the path to the study of hitherto seldom investigated dynamical backaction in optomechanical solid-state resonators in the presence of optoelectronic forces.

Features of the Percolation Scheme of Vibrational Spectrum Reconstruction in the Ga1 - x Al x P Alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kozyrev, S. P.

2018-04-01

Specific features of the properties of Ga-P lattice vibrations have been investigated using the percolation model of a mixed Ga1 - x Al x P crystal (alloy) with zero lattice mismatch between binary components of the alloy. In contrast to other two-mode alloy systems, in Ga1 - x Al x P a percolation splitting of δ 13 cm-1 is observed for the low-frequency mode of GaP-like vibrations. An additional GaP mode (one of the percolation doublet components) split from the fundamental mode is observed for the GaP-rich alloy, which coincides in frequency with the gap corresponding to the zero density of one-phonon states of the GaP crystal. The vibrational spectrum of impurity Al in the GaP crystal has been calculated using the theory of crystal lattice dynamics. Upon substitution of lighter Al for the Ga atom, the calculated spectrum includes, along with the local mode, a singularity near the gap with the zero density of phonon states of the GaP crystal, which coincides with the mode observed experimentally at a frequency of 378 cm-1 in the Ga1 - x Al x P ( x < 0.4) alloy.

Amplified luminescence of heavily doped AlxGa1-xN structures under optical pumping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bokhan, P. A.; Zhuravlev, K. S.; Zakrevskii, D. E.; Malin, T. V.; Osinnykh, I. V.; Fateev, N. V.

2018-03-01

Spectral, temporal, and polarisation characteristics of luminescence of heavily doped AlxGa1-xN films on a sapphire substrate are studied under pulsed pumping at the wavelength λ = 266 m. Spectra of spontaneous emission related to donor – acceptor transitions are inhomogeneously broadened with the FWHM of above 0.5 eV and cover the entire visible range. Spectra of radiation emitted from an edge of investigated structure comprise several narrow-band equidistant components, each of them being split to TE and TM modes with mutually orthogonal polarisations. This is related to plane waves propagating inside a plane waveguide along a zigzag path in the conditions of total internal reflection from waveguide surfaces. The optical gains measured for Al0.5Ga0.5N/AlN at λ ≈ 510 nm, Al0.74Ga0.26N/AlN at λ ≈ 468 nm, and AlN/Al0.6Ga0.4N/AlN/Al2O3 at λ ≈ 480 nm were, respectively, ~70, 20, and 44 cm-1. The luminescence quantum efficiencies measured for Al0.74Ga0.26N, Al0.65Ga0.35N, and Al0.5Ga0.5N films are, respectively, 0.79, 0.49, and 0.14; the transition cross sections calculated at emission band centres are ~10-18 cm2.

AlGaN materials for semiconductor sensors and emitters in 200- to 365-nm range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Usikov, Alexander S.; Shapvalova, Elizaveta V.; Melnik, Yuri V.; Ivantsov, Vladimir A.; Dmitriev, Vladimir A.; Collins, Charles J.; Sampath, Anand V.; Garrett, Gregory A.; Shen, Paul H.; Wraback, Michael

2004-12-01

In this paper we report on the fabrication and characterization of GaN, AlGaN, and AlN layers grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE). The layers were grown on 2-inch and 4-inch sapphire and 2-inch silicon carbide substrates. Thickness of the GaN layers was varied from 2 to 80 microns. Surface roughness, Rms, for the smoothest GaN layers was less than 0.5 nm, as measured by AFM using 10 μm x 10 μm scans. Background Nd-Na concentration for undoped GaN layers was less than 1x1016 cm-3. For n-type GaN layers doped with Si, concentration Nd-Na was controlled from 1016 to 1019 cm-3. P-type GaN layers were fabricated using Mg doping with concentration Na-Nd ranging from 4x1016 to 3x1018 cm-3, for various samples. Zn doping also resulted in p-type GaN formation with concnetration ND-NA in the 1017 cm-3 range. UV transmission, photoluminescence, and crystal structure of AlGaN layers with AlN concentration up to 85 mole.% were studied. Dependence of optical band gap on AlGaN alloy composition was measured for the whole composition range. Thick (up to 75 microns) crack-free AlN layers were grown on SiC substrates. Etch pit density for such thick AlN layers was in the 107 cm-2 range.

Optical and structural properties in type-II InAlAs/AlGaAs quantum dots observed by photoluminescence, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ben Daly, A.; Craciun, D.; Laura Ursu, E.; Lemaître, A.; Maaref, M. A.; Iacomi, F.; Vasile, B. S.; Craciun, V.

2017-10-01

We present the effects of AlGaAs alloy composition on InAlAs quantum dots (QDs) optical and structural properties. Photoluminescence (PL) analysis of samples having a variety of aluminium composition values covering type-II transitions clearly in QDs showed the presence of two transitions X-Sh and X-Ph. High-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) investigations showed that the layers grew epitaxially on the GaAs substrate, with no relaxation regardless the Al content of AlGaAs layer. From the reciprocal space map (RSM) investigation around (004) and (115) diffraction peaks, it was shown that the InAlAs layer is fully strained, the in-plane lattice parameters (a and b, a = b) being identical to those of GaAs substrate, while the c lattice parameter was dependent on the In and Al concentrations, being larger than that of the substrate. High-resolution transmission electronic microscopy (HRTEM) investigations confirmed that films grew epitaxially on the GaAs substrate with no visible dislocations or other major defects within the InAlAs/GaAlAs QDs structure.

Measurement and simulation of top- and bottom-illuminated solar-blind AlGaN metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors with high external quantum efficiencies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brendel, Moritz, E-mail: moritz.brendel@fbh-berlin.de; Helbling, Markus; Knigge, Andrea

2015-12-28

A comprehensive study on top- and bottom-illuminated Al{sub 0.5}Ga{sub 0.5}N/AlN metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodetectors having different AlGaN absorber layer thickness is presented. The measured external quantum efficiency (EQE) shows pronounced threshold and saturation behavior as a function of applied bias voltage up to 50 V reaching about 50% for 0.1 μm and 67% for 0.5 μm thick absorber layers under bottom illumination. All experimental findings are in very good accordance with two-dimensional drift-diffusion modeling results. By taking into account macroscopic polarization effects in the hexagonal metal-polar +c-plane AlGaN/AlN heterostructures, new insights into the general device functionality of AlGaN-based MSM photodetectors are obtained. The observedmore » threshold/saturation behavior is caused by a bias-dependent extraction of photoexcited holes from the Al{sub 0.5}Ga{sub 0.5}N/AlN interface. While present under bottom illumination for any AlGaN layer thickness, under top illumination this mechanism influences the EQE-bias characteristics only for thin layers.« less

Titanium nitride as a seed layer for Heusler compounds

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Niesen, Alessia, E-mail: aniesen@physik.uni-bielefeld.de; Glas, Manuel; Ludwig, Jana

Titanium nitride (TiN) shows low resistivity at room temperature (27 μΩ cm), high thermal stability and thus has the potential to serve as seed layer in magnetic tunnel junctions. High quality TiN thin films with regard to the crystallographic and electrical properties were grown and characterized by x-ray diffraction and 4-terminal transport measurements. Element specific x-ray absorption spectroscopy revealed pure TiN inside the thin films. To investigate the influence of a TiN seed layer on a ferro(i)magnetic bottom electrode in magnetic tunnel junctions, an out-of-plane magnetized Mn{sub 2.45}Ga as well as in- and out-of-plane magnetized Co{sub 2}FeAl thin films were depositedmore » on a TiN buffer, respectively. The magnetic properties were investigated using a superconducting quantum interference device and anomalous Hall effect for Mn{sub 2.45}Ga. Magneto optical Kerr effect measurements were carried out to investigate the magnetic properties of Co{sub 2}FeAl. TiN buffered Mn{sub 2.45}Ga thin films showed higher coercivity and squareness ratio compared to unbuffered samples. The Heusler compound Co{sub 2}FeAl showed already good crystallinity when grown at room temperature on a TiN seed-layer.« less

A simplified approach to the band gap correction of defect formation energies: Al, Ga, and In-doped ZnO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saniz, R.; Xu, Y.; Matsubara, M.; Amini, M. N.; Dixit, H.; Lamoen, D.; Partoens, B.

2013-01-01

The calculation of defect levels in semiconductors within a density functional theory approach suffers greatly from the band gap problem. We propose a band gap correction scheme that is based on the separation of energy differences in electron addition and relaxation energies. We show that it can predict defect levels with a reasonable accuracy, particularly in the case of defects with conduction band character, and yet is simple and computationally economical. We apply this method to ZnO doped with group III elements (Al, Ga, In). As expected from experiment, the results indicate that Zn substitutional doping is preferred over interstitial doping in Al, Ga, and In-doped ZnO, under both zinc-rich and oxygen-rich conditions. Further, all three dopants act as shallow donors, with the +1 charge state having the most advantageous formation energy. Also, doping effects on the electronic structure of ZnO are sufficiently mild so as to affect little the fundamental band gap and lowest conduction bands dispersion, which secures their n-type transparent conducting behavior. A comparison with the extrapolation method based on LDA+U calculations and with the Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof hybrid functional (HSE) shows the reliability of the proposed scheme in predicting the thermodynamic transition levels in shallow donor systems.

Vacancy-type defects in Al2O3/GaN structure probed by monoenergetic positron beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uedono, Akira; Nabatame, Toshihide; Egger, Werner; Koschine, Tönjes; Hugenschmidt, Christoph; Dickmann, Marcel; Sumiya, Masatomo; Ishibashi, Shoji

2018-04-01

Defects in the Al2O3(25 nm)/GaN structure were probed by using monoenergetic positron beams. Al2O3 films were deposited on GaN by atomic layer deposition at 300 °C. Temperature treatment above 800 °C leads to the introduction of vacancy-type defects in GaN due to outdiffusion of atoms from GaN into Al2O3. The width of the damaged region was determined to be 40-50 nm from the Al2O3/GaN interface, and some of the vacancies were identified to act as electron trapping centers. In the Al2O3 film before and after annealing treatment at 300-900 °C, open spaces with three different sizes were found to coexist. The density of medium-sized open spaces started to decrease above 800 °C, which was associated with the interaction between GaN and Al2O3. Effects of the electron trapping/detrapping processes of interface states on the flat band voltage and the defects in GaN were also discussed.

Visible-blind and solar-blind detection induced by defects in AlGaN high electron mobility transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armstrong, Andrew M.; Klein, Brianna; Allerman, Andrew A.; Douglas, Erica A.; Baca, Albert G.; Crawford, Mary H.; Pickrell, Greg W.; Sanchez, Carlos A.

2018-03-01

Visible- and solar-blind detection was demonstrated using Al0.45Ga0.55N/Al0.30Ga0.70N and Al0.85Ga0.25N/Al0.70Ga0.30N high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs), respectively. Peak responsivities (S) of 3.9 × 106 A/W in the saturation mode and 6.2 × 104 A/W in the pinch-off mode were observed for the visible-blind Al0.45Ga0.55N/Al0.30Ga0.70N HEMT, and a peak S of 4.9 × 104 A/W was observed for the solar-blind Al0.85Ga0.15N/Al0.70Ga0.30N HEMT in the saturation mode. Spectrally resolved photocurrent investigation indicated that sub-bandgap absorption by defect states was the primary origin of the HEMTs' photoresponse. Defect-mediated responsivity caused slow photocurrent rise and fall times, but electrical pulsing was used to improve the bandwidth at the cost of optical gain. Operating HEMTs in this dynamic mode achieved a 25 Hz bandwidth with S = 2.9 × 105 A/W in accumulation and S = 2.0 × 104 A/W in pinch-off for visible-blind detection and S = 5.1 × 103 A/W for solar-blind detection.

Electrical and structural characterizations of crystallized Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/GaN interfaces formed by in situ metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, X., E-mail: xliu@ece.ucsb.edu; Yeluri, R.; Kim, J.

2016-01-07

Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} films were grown in situ by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition at 900 °C on GaN of both Ga- and N-face polarities. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed that the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} films were crystalline and primarily γ-phase. The Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/Ga-GaN and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/N-GaN interfaces were both atomically sharp, and the latter further exhibited a biatomic step feature. The corresponding current-voltage (J-V) characteristics were measured on a metal-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-semiconductor capacitor (MOSCAP) structure. The leakage current was very high when the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} thickness was comparable with the size of the crystalline defects, but was suppressedmore » to the order of 1 × 10{sup −8} A/cm{sup 2} with larger Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} thicknesses. The interface states densities (D{sub it}) were measured on the same MOSCAPs by using combined ultraviolet (UV)-assisted capacitance-voltage (C-V), constant capacitance deep level transient spectroscopy (CC-DLTS), and constant capacitance deep level optical spectroscopy (CC-DLOS) techniques. The average D{sub it} measured by CC-DLTS and CC-DLOS were 6.6 × 10{sup 12} and 8.8 × 10{sup 12} cm{sup −2} eV{sup −1} for Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/Ga-GaN and 8.6 × 10{sup 12} and 8.6 × 10{sup 12 }cm{sup −2} eV{sup −1} for Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/N-GaN, respectively. The possible origins of the positive (negative) polarization compensation charges in Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/Ga-GaN (Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/N-GaN), including the filling of interface states and the existence of structure defects and impurities in the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} layer, were discussed in accordance with the experimental results and relevant studies in the literature.« less

Electron microscopy characterization of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures grown on Si (111) substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gkanatsiou, A.; Lioutas, Ch. B.; Frangis, N.; Polychroniadis, E. K.; Prystawko, P.; Leszczynski, M.

2017-03-01

AlGaN/GaN buffer heterostructures were grown on "on axis" and 4 deg off Si (111) substrates by MOVPE. The electron microscopy study reveals the very good epitaxial growth of the layers. Almost c-plane orientated nucleation grains are achieved after full AlN layer growth. Step-graded AlGaN layers were introduced, in order to prevent the stress relaxation and to work as a dislocation filter. Thus, a crack-free smooth surface of the final GaN epitaxial layer is achieved in both cases, making the buffer structure ideal for the forthcoming growth of the heterostructure (used for HEMT device applications). Finally, the growth of the AlGaN/GaN heterostructure on top presents characteristic and periodic undulations (V-pits) on the surface, due to strain relaxation reasons. The AlN interlayer grown in between the heterostructure demonstrates an almost homogeneous thickness, probably reinforcing the 2DEG electrical characteristics.

Thermal etching rate of GaN during MOCVD growth interruption in hydrogen and ammonia ambient determined by AlGaN/GaN superlattice structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Feng; Ikeda, Masao; Zhang, Shuming; Liu, Jianping; Tian, Aiqin; Wen, Pengyan; Cheng, Yang; Yang, Hui

2017-10-01

Thermal etching effect of GaN during growth interruption in the metalorganic chemical vapor deposition reactor was investigated in this paper. The thermal etching rate was determined by growing a series of AlGaN/GaN superlattice structures with fixed GaN growth temperature at 735 °C and various AlGaN growth temperature changing from 900 °C to 1007 °C. It was observed that the GaN layer was etched off during the growth interruption when the growth temperature ramped up to AlGaN growth temperature. The etching thickness was determined by high resolution X-ray diffractometer and the etching rate was deduced accordingly. An activation energy of 2.53 eV was obtained for the thermal etching process.

Growth and characterization of GaAs/Al/GaAs heterostructures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bhattacharya, P.; Oh, J.E.; Singh, J.

Theoretical and experimental aspects of the growth of GaAs/Al/GaAs heterostructures have been investigated. In these heterostructures the GaAs on top of the buried metal layer is grown by migration-enhanced epitaxy (MEE) at low temperatures (200 and 400 {degree}C) to provide a kinetic barrier to the outdiffusion of Al during superlayer growth. The crystallinity and orientation of the Al film itself deposited on (100) GaAs at {approx}0 {degree}C was studied by transmission electron diffraction, dark-field imaging, and x-ray diffraction measurements. It is found that the Al growth is polycrystalline with a grain size {approx}60 A and the preferred growth orientation ismore » (111), which may be textured in plane but oriented out of plane. The quality of the GaAs superlayer grown on top of Al by MEE is very sensitive to the growth temperature. The layer grown at 400 {degree}C has good structural and optical quality, but is accompanied by considerable outdiffusion of Al at the Al-GaAs heterointerface. At 200 {degree}C, where the interface has good structural integrity, the superlayer exhibits twinning and no luminescence is observed.« less

Investigation of the fabrication processes of AlGaN/AlN/GaN HEMTs with in situ Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} passivation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tomosh, K. N., E-mail: sky77781@mail.ru; Pavlov, A. Yu.; Pavlov, V. Yu.

2016-10-15

The optimum mode of the in situ plasma-chemical etching of a Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} passivating layer in C{sub 3}F{sub 8}/O{sub 2} medium is chosen for the case of fabricating AlGaN/AlN/GaN HEMTs. It is found that a bias of 40–50 V at a high-frequency electrode provides anisotropic etching of the insulator through a resist mask and introduces no appreciable radiation-induced defects upon overetching of the insulator films in the region of gate-metallization formation. To estimate the effect of in situ Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} growth together with the heterostructure in one process on the AlGaN/AlN/GaN HEMT characteristics, transistors with gates without themore » insulator and with gates through Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} slits are fabricated. The highest drain current of the AlGaN/AlN/GaN HEMT at 0 V at the gate is shown to be 1.5 times higher in the presence of Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} than without it.« less

Determination of 200 °C Isothermal Section of Al-Ag-Ga Phase Diagram by Microanalysis, X-ray Diffraction, Hardness and Electrical Conductivity Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Premović, Milena; Tomović, Milica; Minić, Duško; Manasijević, Dragan; Živković, Dragana; Ćosović, Vladan; Grković, Vladan; Đorđević, Aleksandar

2017-04-01

Ternary Al-Ag-Ga system at 200 °C was experimentally and thermodynamically assessed. Isothermal section was extrapolated using optimized thermodynamic parameters for constitutive binary systems. Microstructure and phase composition of the selected alloy samples were analyzed using light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy combined with energy-dispersive spectrometry and x-ray powder diffraction technique. The obtained experimental results were found to be in a close agreement with the predicted phase equilibria. Hardness and electrical conductivity of the alloy samples from four vertical sections Al-Ag80Ga20, Al-Ag60Ga40, Ag-Al80Ga20 and Ag-Al60Ga40 of the ternary Al-Ag-Ga system at 200 °C were experimentally determined using Brinell method and eddy current measurements. Additionally, hardness of the individual phases present in the microstructure of the studied alloy samples was determined using Vickers microhardness test. Based on experimentally obtained results, isolines of Brinell hardness and electrical conductivity were calculated for the alloys from isothermal section of the ternary Al-Ag-Ga system at 200 °C.

Metalorganic chemical vapor deposition growth of high-mobility AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructures on GaN templates and native GaN substrates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Jr-Tai, E-mail: jrche@ifm.liu.se; Hsu, Chih-Wei; Forsberg, Urban

2015-02-28

Severe surface decomposition of semi-insulating (SI) GaN templates occurred in high-temperature H{sub 2} atmosphere prior to epitaxial growth in a metalorganic chemical vapor deposition system. A two-step heating process with a surface stabilization technique was developed to preserve the GaN template surface. Utilizing the optimized heating process, a high two-dimensional electron gas mobility ∼2000 cm{sup 2}/V·s was obtained in a thin AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructure with an only 100-nm-thick GaN spacer layer homoepitaxially grown on the GaN template. This technique was also demonstrated viable for native GaN substrates to stabilize the surface facilitating two-dimensional growth of GaN layers. Very high residual silicon andmore » oxygen concentrations were found up to ∼1 × 10{sup 20 }cm{sup −3} at the interface between the GaN epilayer and the native GaN substrate. Capacitance-voltage measurements confirmed that the residual carbon doping controlled by growth conditions of the GaN epilayer can be used to successfully compensate the donor-like impurities. State-of-the-art structural properties of a high-mobility AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructure was then realized on a 1 × 1 cm{sup 2} SI native GaN substrate; the full width at half maximum of the X-ray rocking curves of the GaN (002) and (102) peaks are only 21 and 14 arc sec, respectively. The surface morphology of the heterostructure shows uniform parallel bilayer steps, and no morphological defects were noticeable over the entire epi-wafer.« less

High kappa Dielectrics on InGaAs and GaN: Growth, Interfacial Structural Studies, and Surface Fermi Level Unpinning

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-24

nano-thick Al2O3, HfO2, and Ga2O3 (Gd2O3)/ InGaAs (and GaN) using high-resolution x-ray reflectivity using in-situ/ex-situ high-resolution synchrotron...aligned inversion-channel In0.75Ga0.25As MOSFETs using MBE- grown Al2O3/ Ga2O3 (Gd2O3) Chips integrating high κ’s/InGaAs and /Ge onto Si substrates have...using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE)-Al2O3/ Ga2O3 (Gd2O3) [GGO] and atomic layer deposited (ALD)-Al2O3, with gate lengths (LG) of 1 μm and 0.4 μm

Detection of prostate-specific antigen with biomolecule-gated AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jia-dong; Cheng, Jun-jie; Miao, Bin; Wei, Xiao-wei; Xie, Jie; Zhang, Jin-cheng; Zhang, Zhi-qiang; Wu, Dong-min

2014-07-01

In order to improve the sensitivity of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) biosensors, a simple biomolecule-gated AlGaN/GaN HEMT structure was designed and successfully fabricated for prostate specific antigen (PSA) detection. UV/ozone was used to oxidize the GaN surface and then a 3-aminopropyl trimethoxysilane (APTES) self-assembled monolayer was bound to the sensing region. This monolayer serves as a binding layer for attachment of the prostate specific antibody (anti-PSA). The biomolecule-gated AlGaN/GaN HEMT sensor shows a rapid and sensitive response when the target prostate-specific antigen in buffer solution was added to the antibody-immobilized sensing area. The current change showed a logarithm relationship against the PSA concentration from 0.1 pg/ml to 0.993 ng/ml. The sensitivity of 0.215% is determined for 0.1 pg/ml PSA solution. The above experimental result of the biomolecule-gated AlGaN/GaN HEMT biosensor suggested that this biosensor might be a useful tool for prostate cancer screening.

Integrating AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor with Si: A comparative study of integration schemes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mohan, Nagaboopathy; Raghavan, Srinivasan; Centre for Nano Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012

2015-10-07

AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor stacks deposited on a single growth platform are used to compare the most common transition, AlN to GaN, schemes used for integrating GaN with Si. The efficiency of these transitions based on linearly graded, step graded, interlayer, and superlattice schemes on dislocation density reduction, stress management, surface roughness, and eventually mobility of the 2D-gas are evaluated. In a 500 nm GaN probe layer deposited, all of these transitions result in total transmission electron microscopy measured dislocations densities of 1 to 3 × 10{sup 9}/cm{sup 2} and <1 nm surface roughness. The 2-D electron gas channels formed atmore » an AlGaN-1 nm AlN/GaN interface deposited on this GaN probe layer all have mobilities of 1600–1900 cm{sup 2}/V s at a carrier concentration of 0.7–0.9 × 10{sup 13}/cm{sup 2}. Compressive stress and changes in composition in GaN rich regions of the AlN-GaN transition are the most effective at reducing dislocation density. Amongst all the transitions studied the step graded transition is the one that helps to implement this feature of GaN integration in the simplest and most consistent manner.« less

Nitrogen-Polar (000 1 ¯ ) GaN Grown on c-Plane Sapphire with a High-Temperature AlN Buffer.

PubMed

Song, Jie; Han, Jung

2017-03-02

We demonstrate growing nitrogen-polar (N-polar) GaN epilayer on c-plane sapphire using a thin AlN buffer layer by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. We have studied the influence of the AlN buffer layer on the polarity, crystalline quality, and surface morphology of the GaN epilayer and found that the growth temperature of the AlN buffer layer played a critical role in the growth of the GaN epilayer. The low growth temperature of the AlN buffer results in gallium-polar GaN. Even a nitridation process has been conducted. High growth temperature for an AlN buffer layer is required to achieve pure N-polarity, high crystalline quality, and smooth surface morphology for a GaN epilayer.

Investigation of layered structure SAW devices fabricated using low temperature grown AlN thin film on GaN/sapphire.

PubMed

Lin, Hui-Feng; Wu, Chun-Te; Chien, Wei-Cheng; Chen, Sheng-Wen; Kao, Hui-Ling; Chyi, Jen-Inn; Chen, Jyh-Shin

2005-05-01

Epitaxial AlN films have been grown on GaN/sapphire using helicon sputtering at 300 degrees C. The surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters fabricated on AlN/GaN/sapphire exhibit more superior characteristics than those made on GaN/sapphire. This composite structure of AlN on GaN may bring about the development of high-frequency components, which integrate and use their semiconducting, optoelectronic, and piezoelectric properties.

Fast Solar-Blind AlGaN/GaN 2DEG UV detector with Transparent Graphene Electrode

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-01

graphene and 2D electron gas (2DEG). With introducing the graphene, photo-carriers separated by the polarization electric field of the AlGaN are...photodiodes, due to the strong intrinsic polarization effect of AlGaN. More than 105 of high signal to noise ratio of the UV detectors with fast...intrinsic polarization field vertically inside the AlGaN, the holes and electrons will travel in their shortest paths to graphene and 2DEG

Low Al-composition p-GaN/Mg-doped Al0.25Ga0.75N/n+-GaN polarization-induced backward tunneling junction grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition on sapphire substrate

PubMed Central

Zhang, Kexiong; Liang, Hongwei; Liu, Yang; Shen, Rensheng; Guo, Wenping; Wang, Dongsheng; Xia, Xiaochuan; Tao, Pengcheng; Yang, Chao; Luo, Yingmin; Du, Guotong

2014-01-01

Low Al-composition p-GaN/Mg-doped Al0.25Ga0.75N/n+-GaN polarization-induced backward tunneling junction (PIBTJ) was grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition on sapphire substrate. A self-consistent solution of Poisson-Schrödinger equations combined with polarization-induced theory was used to model PIBTJ structure, energy band diagrams and free carrier concentrations distribution. The PIBTJ displays reliable and reproducible backward tunneling with a current density of 3 A/cm2 at the reverse bias of −1 V. The absence of negative differential resistance behavior of PIBTJ at forward bias can mainly be attributed to the hole compensation centers, including C, H and O impurities, accumulated at the p-GaN/Mg-doped AlGaN heterointerface. PMID:25205042

Low Al-composition p-GaN/Mg-doped Al0.25Ga0.75N/n+-GaN polarization-induced backward tunneling junction grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition on sapphire substrate.

PubMed

Zhang, Kexiong; Liang, Hongwei; Liu, Yang; Shen, Rensheng; Guo, Wenping; Wang, Dongsheng; Xia, Xiaochuan; Tao, Pengcheng; Yang, Chao; Luo, Yingmin; Du, Guotong

2014-09-10

Low Al-composition p-GaN/Mg-doped Al0.25Ga0.75N/n(+)-GaN polarization-induced backward tunneling junction (PIBTJ) was grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition on sapphire substrate. A self-consistent solution of Poisson-Schrödinger equations combined with polarization-induced theory was used to model PIBTJ structure, energy band diagrams and free carrier concentrations distribution. The PIBTJ displays reliable and reproducible backward tunneling with a current density of 3 A/cm(2) at the reverse bias of -1 V. The absence of negative differential resistance behavior of PIBTJ at forward bias can mainly be attributed to the hole compensation centers, including C, H and O impurities, accumulated at the p-GaN/Mg-doped AlGaN heterointerface.

Carbon monoxide sensing properties of B-, Al- and Ga-doped Si nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Santiago, F.; Trejo, A.; Miranda, A.; Salazar, F.; Carvajal, E.; Pérez, L. A.; Cruz-Irisson, M.

2018-05-01

Silicon nanowires (SiNWs) are considered as potential chemical sensors due to their large surface-to-volume ratio and their possible integration into arrays for nanotechnological applications. Detection of harmful gases like CO has been experimentally demonstrated, however, the influence of doping on the sensing capacity of SiNWs has not yet been reported. For this work, we theoretically studied the surface adsorption of a CO molecule on hydrogen-passivated SiNWs grown along the [111] crystallographic direction and compared it with the adsorption of other molecules such as NO, and O2. Three nanowire diameters and three dopant elements (B, Al and Ga) were considered, and calculations were done within the density functional theory framework. The results indicate that CO molecules are more strongly adsorbed on the doped SiNW than on the pristine SiNW. The following trend was observed for the CO adsorption energies: E A[B-doped] > E A[Al-doped] > E A[Ga-doped] > E A[undoped], for all diameters. The electronic charge transfers between the SiNWs and the adsorbed CO were estimated by using a Voronoi population analysis. The CO adsorbed onto the undoped SiNWs has an electron-acceptor character, while the CO adsorbed onto the B-, Al-, and Ga-doped SiNWs exhibits an electron-donor character. Comparing these results with the ones obtained for the NO and O2 adsorption, the larger CO adsorption energy on B-doped SiNWs indicates their good selectivity towards CO. These results suggest that SiNW-based sensors of toxic gases could represent a clear and advantageous application of nanotechnology in the improvement of human quality of life.

Carbon monoxide sensing properties of B-, Al- and Ga-doped Si nanowires.

PubMed

de Santiago, F; Trejo, A; Miranda, A; Salazar, F; Carvajal, E; Pérez, L A; Cruz-Irisson, M

2018-05-18

Silicon nanowires (SiNWs) are considered as potential chemical sensors due to their large surface-to-volume ratio and their possible integration into arrays for nanotechnological applications. Detection of harmful gases like CO has been experimentally demonstrated, however, the influence of doping on the sensing capacity of SiNWs has not yet been reported. For this work, we theoretically studied the surface adsorption of a CO molecule on hydrogen-passivated SiNWs grown along the [111] crystallographic direction and compared it with the adsorption of other molecules such as NO, and O 2 . Three nanowire diameters and three dopant elements (B, Al and Ga) were considered, and calculations were done within the density functional theory framework. The results indicate that CO molecules are more strongly adsorbed on the doped SiNW than on the pristine SiNW. The following trend was observed for the CO adsorption energies: E A [B-doped] > E A [Al-doped] > E A [Ga-doped] > E A [undoped], for all diameters. The electronic charge transfers between the SiNWs and the adsorbed CO were estimated by using a Voronoi population analysis. The CO adsorbed onto the undoped SiNWs has an electron-acceptor character, while the CO adsorbed onto the B-, Al-, and Ga-doped SiNWs exhibits an electron-donor character. Comparing these results with the ones obtained for the NO and O 2 adsorption, the larger CO adsorption energy on B-doped SiNWs indicates their good selectivity towards CO. These results suggest that SiNW-based sensors of toxic gases could represent a clear and advantageous application of nanotechnology in the improvement of human quality of life.

Effect of uniaxial stress on the polarization of light emitted from GaN/AlN quantum dots grown on Si(111)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moshe, O.; Rich, D. H.; Damilano, B.; Massies, J.

2008-04-01

Cathodoluminescence (CL) measurements of the ground-state excitonic transition of vertically stacked GaN/AlN quantum dots (QDs) exhibited an in-plane linear polarization anisotropy in close proximity to microcracks. Microcracks form as a result of a mismatch of the thermal expansion coefficient between the GaN/AlN layers and the Si(111) substrate. In close proximity to the cracks, the layers are found to be under uniaxial tensile stress, whereas the film is under biaxial tensile stress for distances greater than ˜3μm from the cracks. The microcracks serve as an excellent stressor through which the strain tensor of the GaN/AlN QDs can be reproducibly modified for studies of strain-induced changes in the optical and electronic properties by using a spatially resolved probe, such as with CL. Changes in the optical properties of the QDs are attributed to stress-dependent variations of the band edges and the electric field along [0001], which is caused by charge polarization. Such changes in the field will subsequently affect the oscillator strength between electrons and holes. Three-dimensional 6×6 kṡp calculations of the QD electron and hole wave functions and eigenstates were performed to examine the influence of biaxial and uniaxial tensile stresses on the polarization-dependent momentum matrix element in varying proximity to the microcracks. The model reveals that a change from biaxial to uniaxial stress alters the admixture of px and py characters of the band edges and the ground-state hole wave function, changes the shape and direction of elongation of the hole isosurfaces, and accounts well for the subsequent anisotropy in the polarization dependent optical transitions.

Nanoscale Semiconductor Electronics

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-02-25

GaAs into Ga2O3 . Compared with LHO along the Al0.98Ga0.02As layer, however, the vertical oxidation into the GaAs capping is very slow. Its rate is...Then, NH4NO3 reacts with GaAs and results in Ga2O3 and As2O3. The oxidation rate is critically affected by pH and temperature. A high oxidation rate...shrinkage 500 nm Al0.98Ga0.02As Semi-insulating GaAs(001) 100 nm n+-GaAs Al2O3 100 nm SiO2 Ga2O3 n+-GaAs stripe ~20‐25 m LHO condition Temperature

Self-Aligned ALD AlOx T-gate Insulator for Gate Leakage Current Suppression in SiNx-Passivated AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

Heterostructure epitaxial material growth was performed by RF plasma-assisted molecular - beam epitaxy (MBE) on a 2-in. semi- insulating 4H SiC wafer. From... beam epitaxy of beryllium-doped GaN buffer layers for AlGaN/GaN HEMTs . J Cryst Growth 2003;251:481–6. [25] Storm DF, Katzer DS, Binari SC, Glaser ER...Shanabrook BV, Roussos JA. Reduction of buffer layer conduction near plasma-assisted molecular - beam epitaxy grown GaN/AlN interfaces by beryllium

Ga originated kink-and-tail Zn diffusion profiles in InGaAsP and InGaAlAs alloys during MOVPE regrowth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kitatani, T.; Okamoto, K.; Uchida, K.; Tanaka, S.

2017-12-01

We investigated the diffusion characteristics of Zn in ternary and quaternary alloys of InGaAsP and InGaAlAs, which are important materials in long-wavelength optical communication devices. The measured Zn diffusion profiles of InGaAs, InGaAsP, and InGaAlAs showed kink-and-tail shapes in which Zn concentration fell abruptly at first and then decreased slowly, whereas those of InP and InAlAs showed only abrupt decreases. Thus, only Ga-containing alloys had tail-like profiles. Since this tail was well described by the group-V vacancy related defect model, we deduced that its mechanism is closely related with group-V vacancies in Ga-related bonds such as GaP or GaAs. Furthermore, we demonstrated the possibility that many more group-V vacancies originated from GaP bonds than from GaAs bonds, indicating the difficulty in crystal growth of high quality alloys that have GaP components.

The first discovery of Hadean zircon in garnet granulites from the Sutam River (Aldan Shield)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glukhovskii, M. Z.; Kuz'min, M. I.; Bayanova, T. B.; Lyalina, L. M.; Makrygina, V. A.; Shcherbakova, T. F.

2017-09-01

For the first time in Russia, a Hadean zircon grain with an age of 3.94 Ga (ID-TIMS) has been discovered in high-aluminous garnet granulites of the Aldan Shield among the U-Pb zircons with an age from 1.92 Ga. In this connection, the problems of its parental source, the petrogenesis of granulites that captured this zircon, and the mechanism of occurrence of these deep rocks in the upper horizons of the crust have been solved. The comparison of the geochemistry of garnet granulites and the middle crust has shown that the granulites are enriched in the entire range of rare-earth elements (except for the Eu minimum), as well as in Al2O3, U, and Th and are depleted in the most mobile elements (Na, Ca, Sr). In the upper part of the allitic weathering zone of the middle crust, which formed under conditions of arid climate, this zircon grain was originated from the weathered granites from the middle crust. In the latter case, they were empleced discretely in the upper granite-gneiss crust under high pressure conditions (the rutile age is 1.83-1.82 Ga). The zircon with an age of 3.94 Ga is comparable to the Hadean zircons from orthogneisses of the Acasta region (Canadian Shield, 4.03-3.94 Ga).

Laser induced OMCVD growth of AlGaAs on GaAs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilt, David M.; Warner, Joseph D.; Aron, Paul R.; Pouch, John J.; Hoffman, Richard W., Jr.

1987-01-01

A major factor limiting the efficiency of the GaAs-GaAlAs solar cell is the rate of recombination at the GaAs-AlGaAs interface. Evidence has been previously reported which indicates that recombination at this interface can be greatly reduced if the AlGaAs layer is grown at lower than normal temperatures. The authors examine the epitaxial growth of AlGaAs on GaAs using a horizontal OMCVD reactor and an excimer laser operating in the UV (lambda = 193 nm) region. The growth temperatures were 450 and 500 C. The laser beam was utilized in two orientations: 75 deg angle of incidence and parallel to the substrate. Film composition and structure were determined by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Auger analysis of epilayers grown at 500 C with the laser impinging show no carbon or oxygen contamination of the epitaxial layers or interfaces. TEM diffraction patterns of these same epilayers exhibit single crystal (100) zone axis patterns.

Growth and characterization of n-AlGaN 1-D structures with varying Al composition using u-GaN seeds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, San; Chatterjee, Uddipta; Um, Dae-Young; Seo, In Seok; Lee, Cheul-Ro

2017-12-01

Like all the ternary alloys in III-nitride materials family, aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) has unique band gap tuning property which enables the alloy to be suitable for many opto-electronic applications. The direct band gap of AlGaN can be tuned from 3.4 to 6.2 eV by changing the composition. In this article, the growth of ternary n-AlGaN micro and nano structures on Si (1 1 1) substrate is demonstrated via 2-step growth method employing metal organic chemical vapor deposition. During the growth flow of Trimethygallium is varied to modulate the final Al/Ga ratio. After the growth, various morphological, crystalline and optical characterizations are carried out to probe in the properties of the grown structures. Recorded X-ray diffraction patterns reveal that the realized structures are wurtzite single crystalline n-AlGaN having a near homogeneous Al distribution and validated by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Low temperature cathodoluminescence spectra show band edge emission in deep UV region which enables the grown n-AlGaN structures to efficiently find opto-electronic applications in the aforementioned region. Finally, planar photoconductive devices are fabricated using the grown 1-D structures and photocurrent evolution is measured. Structure bearing highest Al content shows a manifold enhancement in photo activity compared to other grown samples. Absolute photoresponsivities of the grown samples are calculated to be 301.47, 116 and 38.13 mA/W which is in accord with the findings of low temperature cathodoluminescence investigation. Therefore, it can be concluded that the successful realization of n-AlGaN 1-D structures varying Al content facilitates the further developments of the field concerning nano- and opto-electronic devices.

Integrated Duo Wavelength VCSEL Using an Electrically Pumped GaInAs/AlGaAs 980 nm Cavity at the Bottom and an Optically Pumped GaInAs/AlGaInAs 1550 nm Cavity on the Top

PubMed Central

Islam, Samiha Ishrat; Islam, Arnob; Islam, Saiful

2014-01-01

In this work, an integrated single chip dual cavity VCSEL has been designed which comprises an electrically pumped 980 nm bottom VCSEL section fabricated using GaInAs/AlGaAs MQW active region and a 1550 nm top VCSEL section constructed using GaInAs/AlGaInAs MQW active region but optically pumped using half of the produced 980 nm light entering into it from the electrically pumped bottom cavity. In this design, the active region of the intracavity structure 980 nm VCSEL consists of 3 quantum wells (QWs) using Ga0.847In0.153As, 2 barriers using Al0.03Ga0.97As, and 2 separate confinement heterostructures (SCH) using the same material as the barrier. The active region of the top emitting 1550 nm VCSEL consists of 3 QWs using Ga0.47In0.52As, 2 barriers using Al0.3Ga0.17In0.53As, and 2 SCHs using the same material as the barrier. The top DBR and the bottom DBR mirror systems of the 1550 nm VCSEL section plus the top and bottom DBR mirror systems of the 980 nm VCSEL section have been formed using GaAs/Al0.8Ga0.2As. Computations show that the VCSEL is capable of producing 8.5 mW of power at 980 nm from the bottom side and 2 mW of power at the 1550 nm from top side. PMID:27379335

Investigation of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor structures on 200-mm silicon (111) substrates employing different buffer layer configurations

PubMed Central

Lee, H.-P.; Perozek, J.; Rosario, L. D.; Bayram, C.

2016-01-01

AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) structures are grown on 200-mm diameter Si(111) substrates by using three different buffer layer configurations: (a) Thick-GaN/3 × {AlxGa1−xN}/AlN, (b) Thin-GaN/3 × {AlxGa1−xN}/AlN, and (c) Thin-GaN/AlN, so as to have crack-free and low-bow (<50 μm) wafer. Scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, high resolution-cross section transmission electron microscopy, optical microscopy, atomic-force microscopy, cathodoluminescence, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (ω/2θ scan and symmetric/asymmetric ω scan (rocking curve scan), reciprocal space mapping) and Hall effect measurements are employed to study the structural, optical, and electrical properties of these AlGaN/GaN HEMT structures. The effects of buffer layer stacks (i.e. thickness and content) on defectivity, stress, and two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) mobility and 2DEG concentration are reported. It is shown that 2DEG characteristics are heavily affected by the employed buffer layers between AlGaN/GaN HEMT structures and Si(111) substrates. Particularly, we report that in-plane stress in the GaN layer affects the 2DEG mobility and 2DEG carrier concentration significantly. Buffer layer engineering is shown to be essential for achieving high 2DEG mobility (>1800 cm2/V∙s) and 2DEG carrier concentration (>1.0 × 1013 cm−2) on Si(111) substrates. PMID:27869222

Binary Phase Diagrams and Thermodynamic Properties of Silicon and Essential Doping Elements (Al, As, B, Bi, Ga, In, N, P, Sb and Tl)

PubMed Central

Mostafa, Ahmad; Medraj, Mamoun

2017-01-01

Fabrication of solar and electronic silicon wafers involves direct contact between solid, liquid and gas phases at near equilibrium conditions. Understanding of the phase diagrams and thermochemical properties of the Si-dopant binary systems is essential for providing processing conditions and for understanding the phase formation and transformation. In this work, ten Si-based binary phase diagrams, including Si with group IIIA elements (Al, B, Ga, In and Tl) and with group VA elements (As, Bi, N, P and Sb), have been reviewed. Each of these systems has been critically discussed on both aspects of phase diagram and thermodynamic properties. The available experimental data and thermodynamic parameters in the literature have been summarized and assessed thoroughly to provide consistent understanding of each system. Some systems were re-calculated to obtain a combination of the best evaluated phase diagram and a set of optimized thermodynamic parameters. As doping levels of solar and electronic silicon are of high technological importance, diffusion data has been presented to serve as a useful reference on the properties, behavior and quantities of metal impurities in silicon. This paper is meant to bridge the theoretical understanding of phase diagrams with the research and development of solar-grade silicon production, relying on the available information in the literature and our own analysis. PMID:28773034

Interpenetration of a 3D Icosahedral M@Ni12 (M=Al, Ga) Framework with Porphyrin-Reminiscent Boron Layers in MNi9 B8.

PubMed

Zheng, Qiang; Wagner, Frank R; Ormeci, Alim; Prots, Yurii; Burkhardt, Ulrich; Schmidt, Marcus; Schnelle, Walter; Grin, Yuri; Leithe-Jasper, Andreas

2015-11-09

Two ternary borides MNi9 B8 (M=Al, Ga) were synthesized by thermal treatment of mixtures of the elements. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction data reveal AlNi9 B8 and GaNi9 B8 crystallizing in a new type of structure within the space group Cmcm and the lattice parameters a=7.0896(3) Å, b=8.1181(3) Å, c=10.6497(4) Å and a=7.0897(5) Å, b=8.1579(4) Å, c=10.6648(7) Å, respectively. The boron atoms build up two-dimensional layers, which consist of puckered [B16 ] rings with two tailing B atoms, whereas the M atoms reside in distorted vertices-condensed [Ni12 ] icosahedra, which form a three-dimensional framework interpenetrated by boron porphyrin-reminiscent layers. An unusual local arrangement resembling a giant metallo-porphyrin entity is formed by the [B16 ] rings, which, due to their large annular size of approximately 8 Å, chelate four of the twelve icosahedral Ni atoms. An analysis of the chemical bonding by means of the electron localizability approach reveals strong covalent B-B interactions and weak Ni-Ni interactions. Multi-center dative B-Ni interaction occurs between the Al-Ni framework and the boron layers. In agreement with the chemical bonding analysis and band structure calculations, AlNi9 B8 is a Pauli-paramagnetic metal. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A ten-element array of individually addressable channeled-substrate-planar AlGaAs diode lasers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carlin, D. B.; Goldstein, B.; Bednarz, J. P.; Harvey, M. G.; Dinkel, N. A.

1987-01-01

The fabrication of arrays of channeled-substrate-planar (CSP) AlGaAs diode lasers which emit up to 150 mW CW in a single spatial mode and are applicable to mulitchannel optical recording systems is described. The CSP diode lasers are incorporated in ten-array geometry, and each array is 1.95 nm in width and 100 microns in thickness and is cleaved to have a cavity length of 200 microns and coated to produce 90-percent reflectivity on the back facet and 10-percent reflectivity on the front facet. The array is attached to a thermoelectrically cooled submount. The optical output power versus input current characteristics for the array are evaluated, and the lateral far-field intensity profiles for each of the lasers (at 30 mW CW) and CW spectra of the lasers are analyzed.

Effects of M=Si, Ga and Al for Co substitution on the electronic properties of RCo4M as probed by XPS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laslo, A.; Dudric, R.; Neumann, M.; Isnard, O.; Coldea, M.; Pop, V.

2014-12-01

The electronic properties of RCo5-xMx (R=Er, Sm, Tm; M=Si, Ga, Al; x=0 and 1) compounds were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The study was focused on the Co 3s exchange splitting, the valence bands and chemical shifts of the elements from the analyzed compounds. The Co 2p3/2 core-level chemical shifts were described by means of the Auger parameters and Wagner plot. The hybridization between the R 5d6s and M 3sp and 4sp states and Co 3d states leads to a partial filling of the Co 3d band and to a decrease of the Co magnetic moments in comparison with the value in pure Co metal, in good agreement with the magnetic measurements.

Controlled synthesis of AlN/GaN multiple quantum well nanowire structures and their optical properties.

PubMed

Qian, Fang; Brewster, Megan; Lim, Sung K; Ling, Yichuan; Greene, Christopher; Laboutin, Oleg; Johnson, Jerry W; Gradečak, Silvija; Cao, Yu; Li, Yat

2012-06-13

We report the controlled synthesis of AlN/GaN multi-quantum well (MQW) radial nanowire heterostructures by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. The structure consists of a single-crystal GaN nanowire core and an epitaxially grown (AlN/GaN)(m) (m = 3, 13) MQW shell. Optical excitation of individual MQW nanowires yielded strong, blue-shifted photoluminescence in the range 340-360 nm, with respect to the GaN near band-edge emission at 368.8 nm. Cathodoluminescence analysis on the cross-sectional MQW nanowire samples showed that the blue-shifted ultraviolet luminescence originated from the GaN quantum wells, while the defect-associated yellow luminescence was emitted from the GaN core. Computational simulation provided a quantitative analysis of the mini-band energies in the AlN/GaN superlattices and suggested the observed blue-shifted emission corresponds to the interband transitions between the second subbands of GaN, as a result of quantum confinement and strain effect in these AlN/GaN MQW nanowire structures.

P-doping-free III-nitride high electron mobility light-emitting diodes and transistors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Baikui; Tang, Xi; Chen, Kevin J., E-mail: eekjchen@ust.hk

2014-07-21

We report that a simple metal-AlGaN/GaN Schottky diode is capable of producing GaN band-edge ultraviolet emission at 3.4 eV at a small forward bias larger than ∼2 V at room temperature. Based on the surface states distribution of AlGaN, a mature impact-ionization-induced Fermi-level de-pinning model is proposed to explain the underlying mechanism of the electroluminescence (EL) process. By experimenting with different Schottky metals, Ni/Au and Pt/Au, we demonstrated that this EL phenomenon is a “universal” property of metal-AlGaN/GaN Schottky diodes. Since this light-emitting Schottky diode shares the same active structure and fabrication processes as the AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors, straight-forward andmore » seamless integration of photonic and electronic functional devices has been demonstrated on doping-free III-nitride heterostructures. Using a semitransparent Schottky drain electrode, an AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility light-emitting transistor is demonstrated.« less

Analysis of compositional uniformity in Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}N thin films using atom probe tomography and electron microscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Fang; Huang, Li; Porter, Lisa M.

2016-07-15

Calculated frequency distributions of atom probe tomography reconstructions (∼80 nm field of view) of very thin Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}N (0.18 ≤ x ≤ 0.51) films grown via metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy on both (0001) GaN/AlN/SiC and (0001) GaN/sapphire heterostructures revealed homogeneous concentrations of Al and chemically abrupt Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}N/GaN interfaces. The results of scanning transmission electron microscopy and selected area diffraction corroborated these results and revealed that neither superlattice ordering nor phase separation was present at nanometer length scales.

Geochemistry of approximately 1.9 Ga sedimentary rocks from northeastern Labrador, Canada

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hayashi, K. I.; Fujisawa, H.; Holland, H. D.; Ohmoto, H.

1997-01-01

Fifty-eight rock chips from fifteen samples of sedimentary rocks from the Ramah Group (approximately 1.9 Ga) in northeastern Labrador, Canada, were analyzed for major and minor elements, including C and S, to elucidate weathering processes on the Earth's surface about 1.9 Ga ago. The samples come from the Rowsell Harbour, Reddick Bight, and Nullataktok Formations. Two rock series, graywackes-gray shales of the Rowsell Harbour, Reddick Bight and Nullataktok Formations, and black shales of the Nullataktok Formation, are distinguishable on the basis of lithology, mineralogy, and major and trace element chemistry. The black shales show lower concentrations than the graywackes-gray shales in TiO2 (0.3-0.7 wt% vs. 0.7-1.8 wt%), Al2O3 (9.5-20.1 wt% vs. 13.0-25.0 wt%), and sigma Fe (<1 wt% vs. 3.8-13.9 wt% as FeO). Contents of Zr, Th, U, Nb, Ce, Y, Rb, Y, Co, and Ni are also lower in the black shales. The source rocks for the Ramah Group sediments were probably Archean gneisses with compositions similar to those in Labrador and western Greenland. The major element chemistry of source rocks for the Ramah Group sedimentary rocks was estimated from the Al2O3/TiO2 ratios of the sedimentary rocks and the relationship between the major element contents (e.g., SiO2 wt%) and Al2O3/TiO2 ratios of the Archean gneisses. This approach is justified, because the Al/Ti ratios of shales generally retain their source rock values; however, the Zr/Al, Zr/Ti, and Cr/Ni ratios fractionate during the transport of sediments. The measured SiO2 contents of shales in the Ramah Group are generally higher than the estimated SiO2 contents of source rocks by approximately 5 wt%. This correction may also have to be applied when estimating average crustal compositions from shales. Two provenances were recognized for the Ramah Group sediments. Provenance I was comprised mostly of rocks of bimodal compositions, one with SiO2 contents approximately 45 wt% and the other approximately 65 wt%, and was the source for most sedimentary rocks of the Ramah Group, except for black shales of the Nullataktok Formation. The black shales were apparently derived from Provenance II that was comprised mostly of felsic rocks with SiO2 contents approximately 65 wt%. Comparing the compositions of the Ramah Group sedimentary rocks and their source rocks, we have recognized that several major elements, especially Ca and Mg, were lost almost entirely from the source rocks during weathering and sedimentation. Sodium and potassium were also leached almost entirely during the weathering of the source rocks. However, significant amounts of Na were added to the black shales and K to all the rock types during diagenesis and/or regional metamorphism. The intensity of weathering of source rocks for the Ramah Group sediments was much higher than that of typical Phanerozoic sediments, possibly because of a higher PCO2 in the Proterozoic atmosphere. Compared to the source rock values, the Fe3+/Ti ratios of many of the graywackes and gray shales of the Ramah Group are higher, the Fe2+/Ti ratios are lower, and the sigma Fe/Ti ratios are the same. Such characteristics of the Fe geochemistry indicate that these sedimentary rocks are comprised of soils formed by weathering of source rocks under an oxygen-rich atmosphere. The atmosphere about 1.9 Ga was, therefore, oxygen rich. Typical black shales of Phanerozoic age exhibit positive correlations between the organic C contents and the concentrations of S, U, and Mo, because these elements are enriched in oxygenated seawater and are removed from seawater by organic matter in sediments. However, such correlations are not found in the Ramah Group sediments. Black shales of the Ramah Group contain 1.7-2.8 wt% organic C, but are extremely depleted in sigma Fe (<1 wt% as FeO), S (<0.3 wt%), U (approximately l ppm), Mo (<5 ppm), Ni (<2 ppm), and Co (approximately 0 ppm). This lack of correlation, however, does not imply that the approximately 1.9 Ga atmosphere-ocean system was anoxic. Depletion of these elements from the Ramah Group sediments may have occurred during diagenesis.

20 Gbit/s error free transmission with ~850 nm GaAs-based vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) containing InAs-GaAs submonolayer quantum dot insertions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lott, J. A.; Shchukin, V. A.; Ledentsov, N. N.; Stinz, A.; Hopfer, F.; Mutig, A.; Fiol, G.; Bimberg, D.; Blokhin, S. A.; Karachinsky, L. Y.; Novikov, I. I.; Maximov, M. V.; Zakharov, N. D.; Werner, P.

2009-02-01

We report on the modeling, epitaxial growth, fabrication, and characterization of 830-845 nm vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) that employ InAs-GaAs quantum dot (QD) gain elements. The GaAs-based VCSELs are essentially conventional in design, grown by solid-source molecular beam epitaxy, and include top and bottom gradedheterointerface AlGaAs distributed Bragg reflectors, a single selectively-oxidized AlAs waveguiding/current funneling aperture layer, and a quasi-antiwaveguiding microcavity. The active region consists of three sheets of InAs-GaAs submonolayer insertions separated by AlGaAs matrix layers. Compared to QWs the InAs-GaAs insertions are expected to offer higher exciton-dominated modal gain and improved carrier capture and retention, thus resulting in superior temperature stability and resilience to degradation caused by operating at the larger switching currents commonly employed to increase the data rates of modern optical communication systems. We investigate the robustness and temperature performance of our QD VCSEL design by fabricating prototype devices in a high-frequency ground-sourceground contact pad configuration suitable for on-wafer probing. Arrays of VCSELs are produced with precise variations in top mesa diameter from 24 to 36 μm and oxide aperture diameter from 1 to 12 μm resulting in VCSELs that operate in full single-mode, single-mode to multi-mode, and full multi-mode regimes. The single-mode QD VCSELs have room temperature threshold currents below 0.5 mA and peak output powers near 1 mW, whereas the corresponding values for full multi-mode devices range from about 0.5 to 1.5 mA and 2.5 to 5 mW. At 20°C we observe optical transmission at 20 Gb/s through 150 m of OM3 fiber with a bit error ratio better than 10-12, thus demonstrating the great potential of our QD VCSELs for applications in next-generation short-distance optical data communications and interconnect systems.

Strain field determination in III-V heteroepitaxy coupling finite elements with experimental and theoretical techniques at the nanoscale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Florini, Nikoletta; Dimitrakopulos, George P.; Kioseoglou, Joseph; Pelekanos, Nikos T.; Kehagias, Thomas

2017-04-01

We are briefly reviewing the current status of elastic strain field determination in III-V heteroepitaxial nanostructures, linking finite elements (FE) calculations with quantitative nanoscale imaging and atomistic calculation techniques. III-V semiconductor nanostructure systems of various dimensions are evaluated in terms of their importance in photonic and microelectronic devices. As elastic strain distribution inside nano-heterostructures has a significant impact on the alloy composition, and thus their electronic properties, it is important to accurately map its components both at the interface plane and along the growth direction. Therefore, we focus on the determination of the stress-strain fields in III-V heteroepitaxial nanostructures by experimental and theoretical methods with emphasis on the numerical FE method by means of anisotropic continuum elasticity (CE) approximation. Subsequently, we present our contribution to the field by coupling FE simulations on InAs quantum dots (QDs) grown on (211)B GaAs substrate, either uncapped or buried, and GaAs/AlGaAs core-shell nanowires (NWs) grown on (111) Si, with quantitative high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) methods and atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) calculations. Full determination of the elastic strain distribution can be exploited for band gap tailoring of the heterostructures by controlling the content of the active elements, and thus influence the emitted radiation.

Effect of high density H 2 plasmas on InGaP/GaAs and AlGaAs/GaAs HEMTs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, F.; Kopf, R. F.; Kuo, J. M.; Lothian, J. R.; Lee, J. W.; Pearton, S. J.; Shul, R. J.; Constantine, C.; Johnson, D.

1998-05-01

InGaP/GaAs and AlGaAs/GaAs high electron mobility transistors have been exposed to inductively coupled plasma or electron cyclotron resonance H 2 plasmas as a function of pressure, source power and rf chuck power. The transconductance, gate ideality factor and saturated drain-source current are all degraded by the plasma treatment. Two mechanisms are identified: passivation of Si dopants in the InGaP or AlGaAs donor layers by H 0 and lattice disorder created by H + and H 2+ ion bombardment. HEMTs are found to be more susceptible to plasma-induced degradation than heterojunction bipolar transistors.

Fabrication of Very High Efficiency 5.8 GHz Power Amplifiers using AlGaN HFETs on SiC Substrates for Wireless Power Transmission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sullivan, Gerry

2001-01-01

For wireless power transmission using microwave energy, very efficient conversion of the DC power into microwave power is extremely important. Class E amplifiers have the attractive feature that they can, in theory, be 100% efficient at converting, DC power to RF power. Aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) semiconductor material has many advantageous properties, relative to silicon (Si), gallium arsenide (GaAs), and silicon carbide (SiC), such as a much larger bandgap, and the ability to form AlGaN/GaN heterojunctions. The large bandgap of AlGaN also allows for device operation at higher temperatures than could be tolerated by a smaller bandgap transistor. This could reduce the cooling requirements. While it is unlikely that the AlGaN transistors in a 5.8 GHz class E amplifier can operate efficiently at temperatures in excess of 300 or 400 C, AlGaN based amplifiers could operate at temperatures that are higher than a GaAs or Si based amplifier could tolerate. Under this program, AlGaN microwave power HFETs have been fabricated and characterized. Hybrid class E amplifiers were designed and modeled. Unfortunately, within the time frame of this program, good quality HFETs were not available from either the RSC laboratories or commercially, and so the class E amplifiers were not constructed.

Fabrication and characterization of AlN metal-insulator-semiconductor grown Si substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahyuddin, A.; Azrina, A.; Mohd Yusoff, M. Z.; Hassan, Z.

2017-11-01

An experimental investigation was conducted to explore the effect of inserting a single AlGaN interlayer between AlN epilayer and GaN/AlN heterostructures on Si (111) grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). It is confirmed from the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) that the AlGaN interlayer has a remarkable effect on reducing the tensile stress and dislocation density in AlN top layer. Capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements were conducted to study the electrical properties of AlN/GaN heterostructures. While deriving the findings through the calculation it is suggested that the AlGaN interlayer can significantly reduce the value of effective oxide charge density and total effective number of charges per unit area which are 1.37 × 10-6C/cm2 and 8.55 × 1012cm-2, respectively.

Petrogenesis of Neoarchean metavolcanic rocks in Changyukou, Northwestern Hebei: Implications for the transition stage from a compressional to an extensional regime for the North China Craton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liou, Peng; Shan, Houxiang; Liu, Fu; Guo, Jinghui

2017-03-01

The 2.5 Ga metavolcanic rocks in Changyukou, Northwestern Hebei, can be classified into three groups based on major and trace elements: high-Mg basalts, tholeiitic basalts, and the calc-alkaline series (basaltic andesites-andesites and dacites-rhyolites). Both high-Mg basalts and tholeiitic basalts have negative anomalies of Nb, Zr, Ti and Heavy Rare Earth Elements (HREE) as well as enrichments of Sr, K, Pb, Ba and Light Rare Earth Elements (LREE) and show typical subduction zone affinities. The petrogenesis of high-Mg basalts can be ascribed to high-degree partial melting of an enriched mantle source in the spinel stability field that was previously enriched in Large Ion Lithophile Elements (LILE) and LREE by slab-derived hydrous fluids/melts/supercritical fluids, as well as the subsequent magma mixing processes of different sources at different source depths, with little or no influence of polybaric fractional crystallization. The flat HREE of tholeiitic basalts indicates they may also originate from the spinel stability field, but from obviously shallower depths than the source of high-Mg basalts. They may form at a later stage of the subduction process when rapid slab rollback leads to extension and seafloor spreading in the upper plate. We obtain the compositions of the Archean lower crust of the North China Craton based on the Archean Wutai-Jining section by compiling the average tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) components, average mafic granulite components, and average sedimentary rock components. The modeling results show that the generation of high-Al basalts, basaltic andesites and andesites can be attributed to assimilation by high-Mg basalts (primary basalts) of relatively high-Al2O3 thickened lower crust and the subsequent crystallization of prevailing mafic mineral phases, while Al2O3-rich plagioclase crystallization is suppressed under high-pressure and nearly water-saturated conditions. Dacites and rhyolites may be the result of further fractional crystallization of basaltic andesites (high-Al basalts) and andesites. Mixing of magmas at various stages along the fractionation course of basaltic andesites (high-Al basalts) toward rhyolites promotes the trend of the calc-alkaline series. To reconcile the 2.55 to 2.5 Ga TTGs derived from overthickened crust, the 2.51 to 2.50 Ga calc-alkaline volcanic rocks derived from thickened crust, tholeiitic basalts representing low pressure and an extensional tectonic setting, 2493 Ma leucosyenogranites derived from overthickened crust, 2437 Ma biotite-monzogranites derived from slightly thinner crust than leucosyenogranites but still thickened, as well as the clockwise hybrid ITD and IBC P-T paths of the HP granulites and widespread extension and rifting setting within the NCC from 2300 Ma, we propose a model of an evolving subduction process. Among them, the composition of the 2.5 Ga Changyukou volcanic rocks and potassic granites as well as the clockwise hybrid ITD and IBC P-T paths of the HP granulites may reveal that the tectonic setting in Northwest Hebei was in a transition stage from a subduction-related compressional regime to an extensional regime related to plate rollback.

Comparative research on the influence of varied Al component on the active layer of AlGaN photocathode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Minyou; Chen, Liang; Su, Lingai; Yin, Lin; Qian, Yunsheng

2017-06-01

To theoretically research the influence of a varied Al component on the active layer of AlGaN photocathodes, the first principle based on density functional theory is used to calculate the formation energy and band structure of Al x Ga1-x N with x at 0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.325, and 0.5. The calculation results show that the formation energy declines along with the Al component rise, while the band gap is increasing with Al component increasing. Al x Ga1-x N with x at 0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.325, and 0.5 are direct band gap semiconductors, and their absorption coefficient curves have the same variation tendency. For further study, we designed two kinds of reflection-mode AlGaN photocathode samples. Sample 1 has an Al x Ga1-x N active layer with varied Al component ranging from 0.5 to 0 and decreasing from the bulk to the surface, while sample 2 has an Al x Ga1-x N active layer with the fixed Al component of 0.25. Using the multi-information measurement system, we measured the spectral response of the activated samples at room temperature. Their photocathode parameters were obtained by fitting quantum efficiency curves. Results show that sample 1 has a better spectral response than sample 2 at the range of short-wavelength. This work provides a reference for the structure design of the AlGaN photocathode. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 61308089, 6144005) and the Public Technology Applied Research Project of Zhejiang Province (No. 2013C31068).

Parallel Douglas-Kroll Energy and Gradients in NWChem. Estimating Scalar Relativistic Effects Using Douglas-Kroll Contracted Basis Sets.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

De Jong, Wibe A.; Harrison, Robert J.; Dixon, David A.

A parallel implementation of the spin-free one-electron Douglas-Kroll(-Hess) Hamiltonian (DKH) in NWChem is discussed. An efficient and accurate method to calculate DKH gradients is introduced. It is shown that the use of standard (non-relativistic) contracted basis set can produce erroneous results for elements beyond the first row elements. The generation of DKH contracted cc-pVXZ (X = D, T, Q, 5) basis sets for H, He, B - Ne, Al - Ar, and Ga - Br will be discussed.

Asymmetric quantum-well structures for AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN resonant tunneling diodes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, Lin'an, E-mail: layang@xidian.edu.cn; Li, Yue; Wang, Ying

Asymmetric quantum-well (QW) structures including the asymmetric potential-barrier and the asymmetric potential-well are proposed for AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs). Theoretical investigation gives that an appropriate decrease in Al composition and thickness for emitter barrier as well as an appropriate increase of both for collector barrier can evidently improve the negative-differential-resistance characteristic of RTD. Numerical simulation shows that RTD with a 1.5-nm-thick GaN well sandwiched by a 1.3-nm-thick Al{sub 0.15}Ga{sub 0.85}N emitter barrier and a 1.7-nm-thick Al{sub 0.25}Ga{sub 0.75}N collector barrier can yield the I-V characteristic having the peak current (Ip) and the peak-to-valley current ratio (PVCR) of 0.39 A andmore » 3.6, respectively, about double that of RTD with a 1.5-nm-thick Al{sub 0.2}Ga{sub 0.8}N for both barriers. It is also found that an introduction of InGaN sub-QW into the diode can change the tunneling mode and achieve higher transmission coefficient of electron. The simulation demonstrates that RTD with a 2.8-nm-thick In{sub 0.03}Ga{sub 0.97}N sub-well in front of a 2.0-nm-thick GaN main-well can exhibit the I-V characteristic having Ip and PVCR of 0.07 A and 11.6, about 7 times and double the value of RTD without sub-QW, respectively. The purpose of improving the structure of GaN-based QW is to solve apparent contradiction between the device structure and the device manufacturability of new generation RTDs for sub-millimeter and terahertz applications.« less

Young infants’ perception of liquid coarticulatory influences on following stop consonants

PubMed Central

FOWLER, CAROL A.; BEST, CATHERINE T.; McROBERTS, GERALD W.

2009-01-01

Phonetic segments are coarticulated in speech. Accordingly, the articulatory and acoustic properties of the speech signal during the time frame traditionally identified with a given phoneme are highly context-sensitive. For example, due to carryover coarticulation, the front tongue-tip position for /l/ results in more fronted tongue-body contact for a /g/ preceded by /l/ than for a /g/ preceded by /r/. Perception by mature listeners shows a complementary sensitivity—when a synthetic /da/–/ga/ continuum is preceded by either /al/ or /ar/, adults hear more /g/s following /l/ rather than /r/. That is, some of the fronting information in the temporal domain of the stop is perceptually attributed to /l/ (Mann, 1980). We replicated this finding and extended it to a signal-detection test of discrimination with adults, using triads of disyllables. Three equidistant items from a /da/–/ga/ continuum were used preceded by /al/ and /ar/. In the identification test, adults had identified item ga5 as “ga,” and da1 as “da,” following both /al/ and /ar/, whereas they identified the crucial item d/ga3 predominantly as “ga” after /al/ but as “da” after /ar/. In the discrimination test, they discriminated d/ga3 from da1 preceded by /al/ but not /ar/; compatibly, they discriminated d/ga3 readily from ga5 preceded by /ar/ but poorly preceded by /al/. We obtained similar results with 4-month-old infants. Following habituation to either ald/ga3 or ard/ga3, infants heard either the corresponding ga5 or da1 disyllable. As predicted, the infants discriminated d/ga3 from da1 following /al/ but not /ar/; conversely, they discriminated d/ga3 from ga5 following /ar/ but not /al/. The results suggest that prelinguistic infants disentangle consonant-consonant coarticulatory influences in speech in an adult-like fashion. PMID:2270188

Growth temperature optimization of GaAs-based In0.83Ga0.17As on InxAl1-xAs buffers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, X. Y.; Gu, Y.; Zhang, Y. G.; Ma, Y. J.; Du, B.; Zhang, J.; Ji, W. Y.; Shi, Y. H.; Zhu, Y.

2018-04-01

Improved quality of gas source molecular beam epitaxy grown In0.83Ga0.17As layer on GaAs substrate was achieved by adopting a two-step InxAl1-xAs metamorphic buffer at different temperatures. With a high-temperature In0.83Al0.17As template following a low-temperature composition continuously graded InxAl1-xAs (x = 0.05-0.86) buffer, better structural, optical and electrical properties of succeeding In0.83Ga0.17As were confirmed by atomic force microscopy, photoluminescence and Hall-effect measurements. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy revealed significant effect of the two-step temperature grown InAlAs buffer layers on the inhibition of threading dislocations due to the deposition of high density nuclei on GaAs substrate at the low growth temperature. The limited reduction for the dark current of GaAs-based In0.83Ga0.17As photodetectors on the two-step temperature grown InxAl1-xAs buffer layers was ascribed to the contribution of impurities caused by the low growth temperature of InAlAs buffers.

Comparative Study on Graded-Barrier AlxGa1‑xN/AlN/GaN/Si Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Heterostructure Field-Effect Transistor by Using Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis Deposition Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Ching-Sung; Hsu, Wei-Chou; Huang, Yi-Ping; Liu, Han-Yin; Yang, Wen-Luh; Yang, Shen-Tin

2018-06-01

Comparative study on a novel Al2O3-dielectric graded-barrier (GB) AlxGa1‑xN/AlN/GaN/Si (x = 0.22 ∼ 0.3) metal-oxide-semiconductor heterostructure field-effect transistor (MOS-HFET) formed by using the ultrasonic spray pyrolysis deposition (USPD) technique has been made with respect to a conventional-barrier (CB) Al0.26Ga0.74N/AlN/GaN/Si MOS-HFET and the reference Schottky-gate HFET devices. The GB AlxGa1‑xN was devised to improve the interfacial quality and enhance the Schottky barrier height at the same time. A cost-effective ultrasonic spray pyrolysis deposition (USPD) method was used to form the high-k Al2O3 gate dielectric and surface passivation on the AlGaN barrier of the present MOS-HFETs. Comprehensive device performances, including maximum extrinsic transconductance (g m,max), maximum drain-source current density (I DS,max), gate-voltage swing (GVS) linearity, breakdown voltages, subthreshold swing (SS), on/off current ratio (I on /I off ), high frequencies, and power performance are investigated.

234 nm and 246 nm AlN-Delta-GaN quantum well deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Cheng; Ooi, Yu Kee; Islam, S. M.; Xing, Huili Grace; Jena, Debdeep; Zhang, Jing

2018-01-01

Deep ultraviolet (DUV) AlN-delta-GaN quantum well (QW) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with emission wavelengths of 234 nm and 246 nm are proposed and demonstrated in this work. Our results reveal that the use of AlN-delta-GaN QW with ˜1-3 monolayer GaN delta-layer can achieve a large transverse electric (TE)-polarized spontaneous emission rate instead of transverse magnetic-polarized emission, contrary to what is observed in conventional AlGaN QW in the 230-250 nm wavelength regime. The switching of light polarization in the proposed AlN-delta-GaN QW active region is attributed to the rearrangement of the valence subbands near the Γ-point. The light radiation patterns obtained from angle-dependent electroluminescence measurements for the Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE)-grown 234 nm and 246 nm AlN-delta-GaN QW LEDs show that the photons are mainly emitted towards the surface rather than the edge, consistent with the simulated patterns achieved by the finite-difference time-domain modeling. The results demonstrate that the proposed AlN-delta-GaN QWs would potentially lead to high-efficiency TE-polarized surface-emitting DUV LEDs.

First-principles study of alloying effects on fluorine incorporation in Al x Ga1-x N alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Rong; Tan, Wei; Zhang, Jian; Chen, Feng-Xiang; Wei, Su-Huai

2018-02-01

Incorporation of fluorine (F) into the AlGaN layer is crucial to the fabrication of enhancement-mode (E-mode) AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). However, the understanding of properties of F doping in AlGaN alloys is rather limited. Using first-principles calculations and the special quasirandom structure (SQS) approach, we investigate the alloying effects on the doping properties of F-incorporated Al x Ga1-x N alloys. We find that substitutional F on N sites (FN) and interstitial F (Fi) are dominant defects for F in Al x Ga1-x N alloys. For these two types of defects, both the global composition x and the local motif surrounding the dopant play important roles. On contrary, the incorporation of substitutional F on Ga sites (FGa) or Al sites (FAl) are affected only by the composition x. We also find that there exists a large asymmetric bowing for the effective formation energies of FN and Fi. These results are explained in terms of local structural distortion and electronic effects. The mechanism discussed in this paper can also be used in understanding doping in other semiconductor alloys.

Impact of gate engineering in enhancement mode n++GaN/InAlN/AlN/GaN HEMTs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adak, Sarosij; Swain, Sanjit Kumar; Rahaman, Hafizur; Sarkar, Chandan Kumar

2016-12-01

This paper illustrate the effect of gate material engineering on the performance of enhancement mode n++GaN/InAlN/AlN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). A comparative analysis of key device parameters is discussed for the Triple Material Gate (TMG), Dual Material Gate (DMG) and the Single Material Gate (SMG) structure HEMTs by considering the same device dimensions. The simulation results shows that an significant improvement is noticed in the key analysis parameters such as drain current (Id), transconductance (gm), cut off frequency (fT), RF current gain, maximum cut off frequency (fmax) and RF power gain of the gate material engineered devices with respect to SMG normally off n++GaN/InAlN/AlN/GaN HEMTs. This improvement is due to the existence of the perceivable step in the surface potential along the channel which successfully screens the drain potential variation in the source side of the channel for the gate engineering devices. The analysis suggested that the proposed TMG and DMG engineered structure enhancement mode n++GaN/InAlN/AlN/GaN HEMTs can be considered as a potential device for future high speed, microwave and digital application.

AlGaN/GaN HEMT grown on large size silicon substrates by MOVPE capped with in-situ deposited Si 3N 4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Kai; Leys, M.; Derluyn, J.; Degroote, S.; Xiao, D. P.; Lorenz, A.; Boeykens, S.; Germain, M.; Borghs, G.

2007-01-01

AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) have been grown on 4 and 6 in Si(1 1 1) substrates by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE). A record sheet resistance of 256 Ω/□ has been measured by contactless eddy current mapping on 4 in silicon substrates. The wafer also shows an excellent uniformity and the standard variation is 3.6 Ω/□ over the whole wafer. These values were confirmed by Hall-Van der Pauw measurements. In the 2DEG at the AlGaN/GaN interface, the electron mobility is in the range of 1500-1800 cm 2/Vs and the electron density is between 1.3×10 13 and 1.7×10 13 cm -2. The key step in obtaining these results is an in-situ deposited Si 3N 4 passivation layer. This in-situ Si 3N 4, deposited directly after AlGaN top layer growth in the MOVPE reactor chamber, not only prevents the stress relaxation in AlGaN/GaN hetero-structures but also passivates the surface states of the AlGaN cap layer. HEMT transistors have been processed on the epitaxial structures and the maximum source-drain current density is 1.1 A/mm for a gate-source voltage of 2 V. The current collapse is minimized thanks to in-situ Si 3N 4. First results on AlGaN/GaN structures grown on 6 in Si(1 1 1) are also presented.

Improved High-Energy Response of AlGaAs/GaAs Solar Cells Using a Low-Cost Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noorzad, Camron D.; Zhao, Xin; Harotoonian, Vache; Woodall, Jerry M.

2016-12-01

We report on an AlGaAs/GaAs solar cell with a significantly increased high-energy response that was produced via a modified liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) technique. This technique uses a one-step process in which the solid-liquid equilibrium Al-Ga-As:Zn melt in contact with an n-type vendor GaAs substrate simultaneously getters impurities in the substrate that shorten minority carrier lifetimes, diffuses Zn into the substrate to create a p- n junction, and forms a thin p-AlGaAs window layer that enables more high-energy light to be efficiently absorbed. Unlike conventional LPE, this process is performed isothermally. In our "double Al" method, the ratio of Al in the melt ("Al melt ratio") that was used in our process was two times more than what was previously reported in the record 1977 International Business Machines (IBM) solar cell. Photoluminescence (PL) results showed our double Al sample yielded a response to 405 nm light ("blue light"), which was more than twice as intense as the response from our replicated IBM cell. The original 1977 cell had a low-intensity spectral response to photon wavelengths under 443 nm (Woodall and Hovel in Sol Energy Mater Sol Cells 29:176, 1990). Secondary ion mass spectrometry results confirmed the increased blue light response was due to a large reduction in AlGaAs window layer thickness. These results proved increasing the Al melt ratio broadens the spectrum of light that can be transmitted through the window layer into the active GaAs region for absorption, increasing the overall solar cell efficiency. Our enhanced double Al method can pave the way for large-scale manufacturing of low-cost, high-efficiency solar cells.

Semi-polar (11-22) AlGaN on overgrown GaN on micro-rod templates: Simultaneous management of crystal quality improvement and cracking issue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Z.; Jiu, L.; Gong, Y.; Wang, L.; Zhang, Y.; Bai, J.; Wang, T.

2017-02-01

Thick and crack-free semi-polar (11-22) AlGaN layers with various high Al compositions have been achieved by means of growth on the top of nearly but not yet fully coalesced GaN overgrown on micro-rod templates. The range of the Al composition of up to 55.7% was achieved, corresponding to an emission wavelength of up to 270 nm characterised by photoluminescence at room temperature. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements show greatly improved crystal quality as a result of lateral overgrowth compared to the AlGaN counterparts on standard planar substrates. The full width at half maximums of the XRD rocking curves measured along the [1-100]/[11-2-3] directions (the two typical orientations for characterizing the crystal quality of (11-22) AlGaN) are 0.2923°/0.2006° for 37.8% Al and 0.3825°/0.2064° for 55.7% Al, respectively, which have never been achieved previously. Our calculation based on reciprocal space mapping measurements has demonstrated significant strain relaxation in the AlGaN as a result of utilising the non-coalesced GaN underneath, contributing to the elimination of any cracks. The results presented have demonstrated that our overgrowth technique can effectively manage strain and improve crystal quality simultaneously.

Study on the high-power semi-insulating GaAs PCSS with quantum well structure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Luan, Chongbiao; Wang, Bo; Huang, Yupeng

A high-power semi-insulating GaAs photoconductive semiconductor switch (PCSS) with quantum well structure was fabricated. The AlGaAs layer was deposited on the surface of the GaAs material, and the reflecting film and the antireflection film have been made on the surface of the GaAs and AlGaAs, respectively. When the prepared PCSS worked at a bias voltage of 9.8 kV and triggered by a laser pulse with an incident optical energy of 5.4 mJ, a wavelength of 1064 nm and an optical pulse width of 25 ns, the on-state resistance of the AlGaAs/GaAs PCSS was only 0.45 Ω, and the longevity ofmore » the AlGaAs/GaAs PCSS was larger than 10{sup 6} shots. The results show that this structure reduces the on-state resistance and extends the longevity of the GaAs PCSS.« less

ALD Al2O3 passivation of Lg = 100 nm metamorphic InAlAs/InGaAs HEMTs with Si-doped Schottky layers on GaAs substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Bing; Chang, Hudong; Wang, Shengkai; Niu, Jiebin; Liu, Honggang

2017-12-01

In0.52Al0.48As/In0.7Ga0.3As metamorphic high-electron-mobility transistors (mHEMTs) on GaAs substrates have been demonstrated. The devices feature an epitaxial structure with Si-doped InP/In0.52Al0.48As Schottky layers, together with an atomic layer deposition (ALD) Al2O3 passivation process. In comparison to the GaAs mHEMTs with plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) SiN passivation, the devices with ALD Al2O3 passivation exhibit more than one order of magnitude lower gate leakage current (Jg) and much lower contact resistance (RC) and specific contact resistivity (ρC). 100-nm gate length (Lg) In0.52Al0.48As/In0.7Ga0.3As mHEMTs with Si-doped InP/In0.52Al0.48As Schottky layers and ALD Al2O3 passivation exhibit excellent DC and RF characteristics, such as a maximum oscillation frequency (fmax) of 388.2 GHz.

GaAsP Top Solar Cells for Increased Solar Conversion Efficiency

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-01-01

responsible for high surface recombination in devices made from that material. Inorganic sulfide films have been used on GaAs to reduce surface recom...same time, Hamaker et al [2] demonstrated less radiation damage in 1.93 eV AlGaAs solar cells than GaAs counterparts. In very recent results on...material. Yablonovitch and coworkers [25] have used inorganic sulfide films on GaAs to reduce surface recombination rates to that of the nearly ideal AlGaAs

Substrate dependence of TM-polarized light emission characteristics of BAlGaN/AlN quantum wells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Seoung-Hwan; Ahn, Doyeol

2018-06-01

To study the substrate dependence of light emission characteristics of transverse-magnetic (TM)-polarized light emitted from BAlGaN/AlN quantum wells (QWs) grown on GaN and AlN substrates were investigated theoretically. It is found that the topmost valence subband for QW structures grown on AlN substrate, is heavy hole state (HH1) while that for QW structures grown on GaN substrate is crystal-field split off light hole state (CL1), irrespective of the boron content. Since TM-polarized light emission is associated with the light hole state, the TM-polarized emission peak of BAlGaN/AlN QW structures grown on GaN substrate is expected to be much larger than that of the QW structure grown on AlN substrate. Also, both QW structures show that the spontaneous emission peak of BAlGaN/AlN QW structures would be improved with the inclusion of the boron. However, it rapidly begins to decrease when the boron content exceeds a critical value.

Determination of the strain distribution for the Si3N4 passivated AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Chen; Lin, Zhaojun; Liu, Yan; Cui, Peng; Lv, Yuanjie; Zhou, Yang; Dai, Gang; Luan, Chongbiao

2017-11-01

A method to determine the strain distribution of the AlGaN barrier layer after the device fabrication and the passivation process has been presented. By fitting the calculated parasitic source access resistance with the measured ones for the AlGaN/AlN/GaN HFETs and using the polarization Coulomb field scattering theory, the strain variation of the AlGaN barrier layer after the passivation process has been quantitatively studied. The results show that the tensile strain in the access regions of the AlGaN barrier layer has been increased by 4.62% for the 250 nm-Si3N4 passivated device, and has been decreased by 2.0% for the 400 nm-Si3N4 passivated device, compared to that of before the passivation, respectively. For the gate region of the two devices, the tensile strain has been decreased by 60.77% and increased by 3.60% after the passivation of different thicknesses, oppositely.

Effects of GaN interlayer on the transport properties of lattice-matched AlInN/AlN/GaN heterostructures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu, F.; Gao, K. H., E-mail: khgao@tju.edu.cn; Li, Z. Q.

2015-04-21

We study the effects of GaN interlayer on the transport properties of two-dimensional electron gases confined in lattice-matched AlInN/AlN/GaN heterostructures. It is found that the Hall mobility is evidently enhanced when an additional ultrathin GaN interlayer is introduced between AlInN and AlN layers. The enhancement of the Hall mobility is especially remarkable at low temperature. The high Hall mobility results in a low sheet resistance of 23 Ω/◻ at 2 K. Meanwhile, Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations (SdH) are also remarkably enhanced due to the existence of GaN interlayer. The enhancement of the SdH oscillations is related to the larger quantum mobility μ{sub q}more » owing to the suppression of the interface roughness, alloy disorder, and ionized impurity scatterings by the GaN interlayer.« less

Terahertz time-domain magnetospectroscopy of a high-mobility two-dimensional electron gas.

PubMed

Wang, Xiangfeng; Hilton, David J; Ren, Lei; Mittleman, Daniel M; Kono, Junichiro; Reno, John L

2007-07-01

We have observed cyclotron resonance in a high-mobility GaAs/AlGaAs two-dimensional electron gas by using the techniques of terahertz time-domain spectroscopy combined with magnetic fields. From this, we calculate the real and imaginary parts of the diagonal elements of the magnetoconductivity tensor, which in turn allows us to extract the concentration, effective mass, and scattering time of the electrons in the sample. We demonstrate the utility of ultrafast terahertz spectroscopy, which can recover the true linewidth of cyclotron resonance in a high-mobility (>10(6) cm(2)V(-1)s(-1)) sample without being affected by the saturation effect.

Is the Lamb shift chemically significant?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dyall, Kenneth G.; Bauschlicher, Charles W., Jr.; Schwenke, David W.; Pyykko, Pekka; Arnold, James (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The contribution of the Lamb shift to the atomization energies of some prototype molecules, BF3, AlF3, and GaF3, is estimated by a perturbation procedure. It is found to be in the range of 3-5% of the one-electron scalar relativistic contribution to the atomization energy. The maximum absolute value is 0.2 kcal/mol for GaF3. These sample calculations indicate that the Lamb shift is probably small enough to be neglected for energetics of molecules containing light atoms if the target accuracy is 1 kcal/mol, but for higher accuracy calculations and for molecules containing heavy elements it must be considered.

The Development of Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diodes on p-SiC Substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brummer, Gordon

Ultraviolet (UV) light emitting diodes (LEDs) are promising light sources for purification, phototherapy, and resin curing applications. Currently, commercial UV LEDs are composed of AlGaN-based n-i-p junctions grown on sapphire substrates. These devices suffer from defects in the active region, inefficient p-type doping, and poor light extraction efficiency. This dissertation addresses the development of a novel UV LED device structure, grown on p-SiC substrates. In this device structure, the AlGaN-based intrinsic (i) and n-layers are grown directly on the p-type substrate, forming a p-i-n junction. The intrinsic layer (active region) is composed of an AlN buffer layer followed by three AlN/Al0.30Ga0.70N quantum wells. After the intrinsic layer, the n-layer is formed from n-type AlGaN. This device architecture addresses the deficiencies of UV LEDs on sapphire substrates while providing a vertical device geometry, reduced fabrication complexity, and improved thermal management. The device layers were grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The material properties were optimized by considering varying growth conditions and by considering the role of the layer within the device. AlN grown at 825 C and with a Ga surfactant yielded material with screw dislocation density of 1x10 7 cm-2 based on X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. AlGaN alloys grown in this work contained compositional inhomogeneity, as verified by high-resolution XRD, photoluminescence, and absorption measurements. Based on Stokes shift measurements, the degree of compositional inhomogeneity was correlated with the amount of excess Ga employed during growth. Compositional inhomogeneity yields carrier localizing potential fluctuations, which are advantages in light emitting device layers. Therefore, excess Ga growth conditions were used to grow AlN/Al0.30Ga0.70N quantum wells (designed using a wurtzite k.p model) with 35% internal quantum efficiency. Potential fluctuations limit the mobility of carriers and introduce sub-bandgap absorption, making them undesirable in the n-AlGaN layers. n-Al0.60Ga 0.40N grown under stoichiometric Ga flux and an In surfactant reduced the Stokes shift (compared to n-AlGaN grown without In) by 150 meV. However, even under these growth modes, some compositional inhomogeneity persisted which is speculatively attributed to the vicinal substrate. Device epitaxial layer stacks utilizing the optimum growth conditions were fabricated into prototype vertical UV LEDs which emit from 295-320 nm. In order to increase light extraction efficiency, UV distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) based on compositionally graded AlGaN alloys were designed using the transfer matrix method (TMM) and grown by MBE. DBRs were formed from repeated compositionally graded AlGaN alloys. This structure utilized the polarization doping and index of refraction variation of graded composition AlGaN. DBRs with square wave, sinusoidal, triangular, and sawtooth compositional profiles were realized, with reflectivity peaks over 50%, centered at 280 nm.

Identification of the limiting factors for high-temperature GaAs, GaInP, and AlGaInP solar cells from device and carrier lifetime analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perl, E. E.; Kuciauskas, D.; Simon, J.; Friedman, D. J.; Steiner, M. A.

2017-12-01

We analyze the temperature-dependent dark saturation current density and open-circuit voltage (VOC) for GaAs, GaInP, and AlGaInP solar cells from 25 to 400 °C. As expected, the intrinsic carrier concentration, ni, dominates the temperature dependence of the dark currents. However, at 400 °C, we measure VOC that is ˜50 mV higher for the GaAs solar cell and ˜60-110 mV lower for the GaInP and AlGaInP solar cells compared to what would be expected from commonly used solar cell models that consider only the ni2 temperature dependence. To better understand these deviations, we measure the carrier lifetimes of p-type GaAs, GaInP, and AlGaInP double heterostructures (DHs) from 25 to 400 °C using time-resolved photoluminescence. Temperature-dependent minority carrier lifetimes are analyzed to determine the relative contributions of the radiative recombination, interface recombination, Shockley-Read-Hall recombination, and thermionic emission processes. We find that radiative recombination dominates for the GaAs DHs with the effective lifetime approximately doubling as the temperature is increased from 25 °C to 400 °C. In contrast, we find that thermionic emission dominates for the GaInP and AlGaInP DHs at elevated temperatures, leading to a 3-4× reduction in the effective lifetime and ˜40× increase in the surface recombination velocity as the temperature is increased from 25 °C to 400 °C. These observations suggest that optimization of the minority carrier confinement layers for the GaInP and AlGaInP solar cells could help to improve VOC and solar cell efficiency at elevated temperatures. We demonstrate VOC improvement at 200-400 °C in GaInP solar cells fabricated with modified AlGaInP window and back surface field layers.

Identification of the limiting factors for high-temperature GaAs, GaInP, and AlGaInP solar cells from device and carrier lifetime analysis

DOE PAGES

Perl, E. E.; Kuciauskas, D.; Simon, J.; ...

2017-12-21

We analyze the temperature-dependent dark saturation current density and open-circuit voltage (VOC) for GaAs, GaInP, and AlGaInP solar cells from 25 to 400 degrees C. As expected, the intrinsic carrier concentration, ni, dominates the temperature dependence of the dark currents. However, at 400 degrees C, we measure VOC that is ~50 mV higher for the GaAs solar cell and ~60-110 mV lower for the GaInP and AlGaInP solar cells compared to what would be expected from commonly used solar cell models that consider only the ni2 temperature dependence. To better understand these deviations, we measure the carrier lifetimes of p-typemore » GaAs, GaInP, and AlGaInP double heterostructures (DHs) from 25 to 400 degrees C using time-resolved photoluminescence. Temperature-dependent minority carrier lifetimes are analyzed to determine the relative contributions of the radiative recombination, interface recombination, Shockley-Read-Hall recombination, and thermionic emission processes. We find that radiative recombination dominates for the GaAs DHs with the effective lifetime approximately doubling as the temperature is increased from 25 degrees C to 400 degrees C. In contrast, we find that thermionic emission dominates for the GaInP and AlGaInP DHs at elevated temperatures, leading to a 3-4x reduction in the effective lifetime and ~40x increase in the surface recombination velocity as the temperature is increased from 25 degrees C to 400 degrees C. These observations suggest that optimization of the minority carrier confinement layers for the GaInP and AlGaInP solar cells could help to improve VOC and solar cell efficiency at elevated temperatures. We demonstrate VOC improvement at 200-400 degrees C in GaInP solar cells fabricated with modified AlGaInP window and back surface field layers.« less

Identification of the limiting factors for high-temperature GaAs, GaInP, and AlGaInP solar cells from device and carrier lifetime analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Perl, E. E.; Kuciauskas, D.; Simon, J.

We analyze the temperature-dependent dark saturation current density and open-circuit voltage (VOC) for GaAs, GaInP, and AlGaInP solar cells from 25 to 400 degrees C. As expected, the intrinsic carrier concentration, ni, dominates the temperature dependence of the dark currents. However, at 400 degrees C, we measure VOC that is ~50 mV higher for the GaAs solar cell and ~60-110 mV lower for the GaInP and AlGaInP solar cells compared to what would be expected from commonly used solar cell models that consider only the ni2 temperature dependence. To better understand these deviations, we measure the carrier lifetimes of p-typemore » GaAs, GaInP, and AlGaInP double heterostructures (DHs) from 25 to 400 degrees C using time-resolved photoluminescence. Temperature-dependent minority carrier lifetimes are analyzed to determine the relative contributions of the radiative recombination, interface recombination, Shockley-Read-Hall recombination, and thermionic emission processes. We find that radiative recombination dominates for the GaAs DHs with the effective lifetime approximately doubling as the temperature is increased from 25 degrees C to 400 degrees C. In contrast, we find that thermionic emission dominates for the GaInP and AlGaInP DHs at elevated temperatures, leading to a 3-4x reduction in the effective lifetime and ~40x increase in the surface recombination velocity as the temperature is increased from 25 degrees C to 400 degrees C. These observations suggest that optimization of the minority carrier confinement layers for the GaInP and AlGaInP solar cells could help to improve VOC and solar cell efficiency at elevated temperatures. We demonstrate VOC improvement at 200-400 degrees C in GaInP solar cells fabricated with modified AlGaInP window and back surface field layers.« less

Atypical titration curves for GaAl12 Keggin-ions explained by a joint experimental and simulation approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sulpizi, Marialore; Lützenkirchen, Johannes

2018-06-01

Although they have been widely used as models for oxide surfaces, the deprotonation behaviors of the Keggin-ions (MeAl127+) and typical oxide surfaces are very different. On Keggin-ions, the deprotonation occurs over a very narrow pH range at odds with the broad charging curve of larger oxide surfaces. Depending on the Me concentration, the deprotonation curve levels off sooner (high Me concentration) or later (for low Me concentration). The leveling off shows the onset of aggregation before which the Keggin-ions are present as individual units. We show that the atypical titration data previously observed for some GaAl12 solutions in comparison to the originally reported data can be explained by the presence of Ga2Al11 ions. The pKa value of aquo-groups bound to octahedral Ga was determined from ab initio molecular dynamics simulations relative to the pure GaAl12 ions. Using these results within a surface complexation model, the onset of deprotonation of the crude solution is surprisingly well predicted and the ratio between the different species is estimated to be in the proportion 20 (Ga2Al11) : 20 (Al13) : 60 (GaAl12).

Glass-Based Transparent Conductive Electrode: Its Application to Visible-to-Ultraviolet Light-Emitting Diodes.

PubMed

Lee, Tae Ho; Kim, Kyeong Heon; Lee, Byeong Ryong; Park, Ju Hyun; Schubert, E Fred; Kim, Tae Geun

2016-12-28

Nitride-based ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (UV LEDs) are promising replacements for conventional UV lamps. However, the external quantum efficiency of UV LEDs is much lower than for visible LEDs due to light absorption in the p-GaN contact and electrode layers, along with p-AlGaN growth and doping issues. To minimize such absorption, we should obtain direct ohmic contact to p-AlGaN using UV-transparent ohmic electrodes and not use p-GaN as a contact layer. Here, we propose a glass-based transparent conductive electrode (TCE) produced using electrical breakdown (EBD) of an AlN thin film, and we apply the thin film to four (Al)GaN-based visible and UV LEDs with thin buffer layers for current spreading and damage protection. Compared to LEDs with optimal ITO contacts, our LEDs with AlN TCEs exhibit a lower forward voltage, higher light output power, and brighter light emission for all samples. The ohmic transport mechanism for current injection and spreading from the metal electrode to p-(Al)GaN layer via AlN TCE is also investigated by analyzing the p-(Al)GaN surface before and after EBD.

The Study of Al0.29Ga0.71N-BASED Schottky Photodiodes Grown on Silicon by Plasma-Assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohd Yusoff, M. Z.; Hassan, Z.; Chin, C. W.; Hassan, H. Abu; Abdullah, M. J.; Mohammad, N. N.; Ahmad, M. A.; Yusof, Y.

2013-05-01

In this paper, the growth and characterization of epitaxial Al0.29Ga0.71N grown on Si(111) by RF-plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) are described. The Al mole fraction was derived from the HR-XRD symmetric rocking curve (RC) ω/2θ scans of (0002) plane as x = 0.29. PL spectrum of sample has shown sharp and intense band edge emission of GaN without the existence of yellow emission band, showing that it is comparable in crystal quality of the sample when compared with previous reports. From the Raman measurement of as-grown Al0.29Ga0.71N layer on GaN/AlN/Si sample. We found that the dominant E2 (high) phonon mode of GaN appears at 572.7 cm-1. The E2 (high) mode of AlN appears at 656.7 cm-1 and deviates from the standard value of 655 cm-1 for unstrained AlN. Finally, AlGaN Schottky photodiode have been fabricated and analyzed by mean of electrical characterization, using current-voltage (I-V) measurement to evaluate the performance of this device.

Fixed interface charges between AlGaN barrier and gate stack composed of in situ grown SiN and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors with normally off capability

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Capriotti, M., E-mail: mattia.capriotti@tuwien.ac.at; Alexewicz, A.; Fleury, C.

2014-03-17

Using a generalized extraction method, the fixed charge density N{sub int} at the interface between in situ deposited SiN and 5 nm thick AlGaN barrier is evaluated by measurements of threshold voltage V{sub th} of an AlGaN/GaN metal insulator semiconductor high electron mobility transistor as a function of SiN thickness. The thickness of the originally deposited 50 nm thick SiN layer is reduced by dry etching. The extracted N{sub int} is in the order of the AlGaN polarization charge density. The total removal of the in situ SiN cap leads to a complete depletion of the channel region resulting in V{sub th} = +1 V.more » Fabrication of a gate stack with Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} as a second cap layer, deposited on top of the in situ SiN, is not introducing additional fixed charges at the SiN/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} interface.« less

Vertical cavity surface-emitting semiconductor lasers with injection laser pumping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDaniel, D. L., Jr.; McInerney, J. G.; Raja, M. Y. A.; Schaus, C. F.; Brueck, S. R. J.

1990-05-01

Continuous-wave GaAs/GaAlAs edge-emitting diode lasers were used to pump GaAs/AlGaAs and InGaAs/AlGaAs vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) with resonant periodic gain (RPG) at room temperature. Pump threshold as low as 11 mW, output powers as high as 27 mW at 850 nm, and external differential quantum efficiencies of about 70 percent were observed in GaAs/AlGaAs surface -emitters; spectral brightness 22 times that of the pump laser was also observed. Output powers as high as 85 mW at 950 nm and differential quantum efficiencies of up to 58 percent were recorded for the InGaAs surface-emitting laser. This is the highest quasi-CW output power ever reported for any RPG VCSEL, and the first time such a device has been pumped using an injection laser diode.

Efficient Ga(As)Sb quantum dot emission in AlGaAs by GaAs intermediate layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loeber, Thomas Henning; Richter, Johannes; Strassner, Johannes; Heisel, Carina; Kimmle, Christina; Fouckhardt, Henning

2013-03-01

Ga(As)Sb quantum dots (QDs) are epitaxially grown in AlGaAs/GaAs in the Stranski-Krastanov mode. In the recent past we achieved Ga(As)Sb QDs in GaAs with an extremely high dot density of 9.8•1010 cm-2 by optimization of growth temperature, Sb/Ga flux pressure ratio, and coverage. Additionally, the QD emission wavelength could be chosen precisely with these growth parameters in the range between 876 and 1035 nm. Here we report a photoluminescence (PL) intensity improvement for the case with AlGaAs barriers. Again growth parameters and layer composition are varied. The aluminium content is varied between 0 and 90%. Reflectance anisotropy spectroscopy (RAS) is used as insitu growth control to determine growth rate, layer thickness, and AlGaAs composition. Ga(As)Sb QDs, directly grown in AlxGa1-xAs emit no PL signal, even with a very low x ≈ 0.1. With additional around 10 nm thin GaAs intermediate layers between the Ga(As)Sb QDs and the AlGaAs barriers PL signals are detected. Samples with 4 QD layers and AlxGa1-xAs/GaAs barriers in between are grown. The thickness and composition of the barriers are changed. Depending on these values PL intensity is more than 4 times as high as in the case with simple GaAs barriers. With these results efficient Ga(As)Sb QD lasers are realized, so far only with pure GaAs barriers. Our index-guided broad area lasers operate continuous-wave (cw) @ 90 K, emit optical powers of more than 2•50 mW and show a differential quantum efficiency of 54% with a threshold current density of 528 A/cm2.

Variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry - Application to GaAs-AlGaAs multilayer homogeneity characterization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alterovitz, Samuel A.; Snyder, Paul G.; Merkel, Kenneth G.; Woollam, John A.; Radulescu, David C.

1988-01-01

Variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry has been applied to a GaAs-AlGaAs multilayer structure to obtain a three-dimensional characterization, using repetitive measurements at several spots on the same sample. The reproducibility of the layer thickness measurements is of order 10 A, while the lateral dimension is limited by beam diameter, presently of order 1 mm. Thus, the three-dimensional result mainly gives the sample homogeneity. In the present case three spots were used to scan the homogeneity over 1 in of a wafer which had molecular-beam epitaxially grown layers. The thickness of the AlGaAs, GaAs, and oxide layers and the Al concentration varied by 1 percent or less from edge to edge. This result was confirmed by two methods of data analysis. No evidence of an interfacial layer was observed on top of the AlGaAs.

Trace element fractionation and transport in boreal rivers and soil porewaters of permafrost-dominated basaltic terrain in Central Siberia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pokrovsky, O. S.; Schott, J.; Dupré, B.

2006-07-01

The chemical status of ˜40 major and trace elements (TE) and organic carbon (OC) in pristine boreal rivers draining the basaltic plateau of Central Siberia (Putorana) and interstitial solutions of permafrost soils was investigated. Water samples were filtered in the field through progressively decreasing pore size (5 μm → 0.22 μm → 0.025 μm → 10 kDa → 1 kDa) using cascade frontal filtration technique. Most rivers and soil porewaters exhibit 2-5 times higher than the world average concentration of dissolved (i.e., <0.22 μm) iron (0.03-0.4 mg/L), aluminum (0.03-0.4 mg/L), OC (10-20 mg/L) and various trace elements that are usually considered as immobile in weathering processes (Ti, Zr, Ga, Y, REEs). Ultrafiltration revealed strong relationships between concentration of TE and that of colloidal Fe and Al. According to their partition during filtration and association with colloids, two groups of elements can be distinguished: (i) those weakly dependent on ultrafiltration and that are likely to be present as truly dissolved inorganic species (Li, Na, K, Si, Mn, Mo, Rb, Cs, As, Sb) or, partially (20-30%) associated with small size Fe- and Al-colloids (Ca, Mg, Sr, Ba) and to small (<1-10 kDa) organic complexes (Co, Ni, Cu, Zn), and (ii) elements strongly associated with colloidal iron and aluminum in all ultrafiltrates largely present in 1-100 kDa fraction (Ga, Y, REEs, Pb, V, Cr, Ti, Ge, Zr, Th, U). TE concentrations and partition coefficients did not show any detectable variations between different colloidal fractions for soil porewaters, suprapermafrost flow and surface streams. TE concentration measurements in river suspended particles demonstrated significant contribution (i.e., ⩾30%) of conventionally dissolved (<0.22 μm) forms for usually "immobile" elements such as divalent transition metals, Cd, Pb, V, Sn, Y, REEs, Zr, Hf, Th. The Al-normalized accumulation coefficients of TE in vegetation litter compared to basalts achieve 10-100 for B, Mn, Zn, As, Sr, Sn, Sb, and the larch litter degradation is able to provide the major contribution to the annual dissolved flux of most trace elements. It is hypothesized that the decomposition of plant litter in the topsoil horizon leads to Fe(III)-, Al-organic colloids formation and serves as an important source of elements in downward percolating fluids.

Homogeneous AlGaN/GaN superlattices grown on free-standing (1100) GaN substrates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shao, Jiayi; Malis, Oana; Physics Department, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907

Two-dimensional and homogeneous growth of m-plane AlGaN by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy has been realized on free-standing (1100) GaN substrates by implementing high metal-to-nitrogen (III/N) flux ratio. AlN island nucleation, often reported for m-plane AlGaN under nitrogen-rich growth conditions, is suppressed at high III/N flux ratio, highlighting the important role of growth kinetics for adatom incorporation. The homogeneity and microstructure of m-plane AlGaN/GaN superlattices are assessed via a combination of scanning transmission electron microscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The predominant defects identified in dark field TEM characterization are short basal plane stacking faults (SFs) bounded by eithermore » Frank-Shockley or Frank partial dislocations. In particular, the linear density of SFs is approximately 5 × 10{sup −5} cm{sup −1}, and the length of SFs is less than 15 nm.« less

Recovery of shallow junction GaAs solar cells damaged by electron irradiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, G. H.; Conway, E. J.

1978-01-01

Solar cells operated in space are subject to degradation from electron and proton radiation damage. It has been found that for deep junction p-GaAlAs/p-GaAs solar cells some of the electron radiation damage is removed by annealing the cells at 200 C. The reported investigation shows that shallow junction p-GaAlAs/p-GaAs/n-GaAs heteroface solar cells irradiated with 1 MeV electrons show a more complete recovery of short-circuit current than do the deep junction cells. The heteroface p-GaAlAs/p-GaAs/n-GaAs solar cells studied were fabricated using the etch-back epitaxy process.

Trace Element Compositions of Pallasite Olivine Grains and Pallasite Origin

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mittlefehldt, David W.; Herrin, J. S.

2010-01-01

Pallasites are mixtures of metal with magnesian olivine. Most have similar metal compositions and olivine oxygen isotopic compositions; these are the main-group pallasites (PMG). The Eagle Station grouplet of pallasites (PES) have distinctive metal and olivine compositions and oxygen isotopic compositions. Pallasites are thought to have formed at the core-mantle boundary of their parent asteroids by mixing molten metal with solid olivine of either cumulatic or restitic origin. We have continued our investigation of pallasite olivines by doing in situ trace element analyses in order to further constrain their origin. We determined Al, P, Ca, Ga and first row transition element contents of olivine grains from suite of PMG and PES by LA-ICP-MS at JSC. Included in the PMG suite are some that have anomalous metal compositions (PMG-am) and atypically ferroan olivines (PMG-as). Our EMPA work has shown that there are unanticipated variations in olivine Fe/Mn, even within those PMG that have uni-form Fe/Mg. Manganese is homologous with Fe2+, and thus can be used the same way to investigate magmatic fractionation processes. It has an advantage for pallasite studies in that it is unaffected by redox exchange with the metal. PMG can be divided into three clusters on the basis of Mn/Mg; low, medium and high that can be thought of as less, typically and more fractionated in an igneous sense. The majority of PMG have medium Mn/Mg ratios. PMG-am occur in all three clusters; there does not seem to be any relationship between putative olivine igneous fractionation and metal composition. The PMG-as and one PMG-am make up the high Mn/Mg cluster; no PMG are in this cluster. The high Mn/Mg cluster ought to be the most fractionated (equivalent to the most Fe-rich in igneous suites), yet they have among the lowest contents of incompatible lithophile elements Al and Ti and the two PMG-as in this cluster also have low Ca and Sc contents. This is inconsistent with simple igneous fractionation on a single, initially homogeneous parent asteroid. For Al and Ti, the low and high Mn/Mg clusters have generally uniform contents, while the medium cluster has wide ranges. This is also true of analyses of duplicate grains from the medium cluster pallasites which can have very different Al and Ti contents. Those from the low and high clusters do not. These observations suggest that pallasite olivines are not cumulates, but rather are restites from high degrees of melting. The moderately siderophile elements P and Ga show wide ranges in the high Mn/Mg cluster, but very uniform compositions in the medium cluster, opposite the case for Al and Ti. There is no correlation of P or Ga and Fe/Mn as might be expected if redox processes controlled the contents of moderately siderophile elements in the olivines. The lack of correlation of P could reflect equilibration with phosphates, although there is no correlation of Ca with P as might be expected

High temperature and low pressure chemical vapor deposition of silicon nitride on AlGaN: Band offsets and passivation studies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reddy, Pramod; Washiyama, Shun; Kaess, Felix

2016-04-14

In this work, we employed X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to determine the band offsets and interface Fermi level at the heterojunction formed by stoichiometric silicon nitride deposited on Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}N (of varying Al composition “x”) via low pressure chemical vapor deposition. Silicon nitride is found to form a type II staggered band alignment with AlGaN for all Al compositions (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) and present an electron barrier into AlGaN even at higher Al compositions, where E{sub g}(AlGaN) > E{sub g}(Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}). Further, no band bending is observed in AlGaN for x ≤ 0.6 and a reduced band bending (by ∼1 eV in comparison to that atmore » free surface) is observed for x > 0.6. The Fermi level in silicon nitride is found to be at 3 eV with respect to its valence band, which is likely due to silicon (≡Si{sup 0/−1}) dangling bonds. The presence of band bending for x > 0.6 is seen as a likely consequence of Fermi level alignment at Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}/AlGaN hetero-interface and not due to interface states. Photoelectron spectroscopy results are corroborated by current-voltage-temperature and capacitance-voltage measurements. A shift in the interface Fermi level (before band bending at equilibrium) from the conduction band in Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}/n-GaN to the valence band in Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}/p-GaN is observed, which strongly indicates a reduction in mid-gap interface states. Hence, stoichiometric silicon nitride is found to be a feasible passivation and dielectric insulation material for AlGaN at any composition.« less

Improved Turn-On and Operating Voltages in AlGaN-Based Deep-Ultraviolet Light-Emitting Diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hao, Guo-Dong; Taniguchi, Manabu; Tamari, Naoki; Inoue, Shin-ichiro

2017-10-01

While good ohmic contact formation has been achieved on both p-GaN and n-AlGaN surfaces, the turn-on and operating voltages of AlGaN-based deep-ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (DUV-LEDs) remain very high. We find that this critical problem is mainly caused by the large difference between the annealing temperatures required for ohmic contact formation on the p-GaN and high Al-fraction n-AlGaN surfaces. We studied the effects of the high-temperature annealing treatments required for n-ohmic contact formation on the subsequent p-ohmic contact formation process in DUV-LEDs. The results show that post-annealing treatment at high temperature is necessary to form an ohmic contact on n-Al0.7Ga0.3N, but a treatment temperature of 900°C or more could cause severe degradation of the specific contact resistivity and the bulk resistivity of p-GaN. We conclude that 900°C is the optimum temperature to form an ohmic contact on n-Al0.7Ga0.3N in DUV-LEDs, where p-GaN and n-Al0.7Ga0.3N act as the p- and n-ohmic contact layers, respectively. We also found that the specific contact resistivity of p-GaN can be reduced by an additional low-temperature annealing treatment after the high-temperature annealing step; this effect can be attributed to the enhancement of the hole concentration in the p-GaN surface contact region. Finally, DUV-LEDs that emit at 280 nm were fabricated using four different annealing treatments during processing. A considerable reduction in the series resistance and thereby in the operating voltage was confirmed using the annealing process proposed above, consisting of a high-temperature anneal at 900°C followed by a low-temperature anneal at 500°C for 3 min.

Mid-infrared Photoconductive Response in AlGaN/GaN Step Quantum Wells

PubMed Central

Rong, X.; Wang, X. Q.; Chen, G.; Zheng, X. T.; Wang, P.; Xu, F. J.; Qin, Z. X.; Tang, N.; Chen, Y. H.; Sang, L. W.; Sumiya, M.; Ge, W. K.; Shen, B.

2015-01-01

AlGaN/GaN quantum structure is an excellent candidate for high speed infrared detectors based on intersubband transitions. However, fabrication of AlGaN/GaN quantum well infrared detectors suffers from polarization-induced internal electric field, which greatly limits the carrier vertical transport. In this article, a step quantum well is proposed to attempt solving this problem, in which a novel spacer barrier layer is used to balance the internal electric field. As a result, a nearly flat band potential profile is obtained in the step barrier layers of the AlGaN/GaN step quantum wells and a bound-to-quasi-continuum (B-to-QC) type intersubband prototype device with detectable photocurrent at atmosphere window (3–5 μm) is achieved in such nitride semiconductors. PMID:26395756

Chemical beam epitaxy growth of AlGaAs/GaAs tunnel junctions using trimethyl aluminium for multijunction solar cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Paquette, B.; DeVita, M.; Turala, A.

AlGaAs/GaAs tunnel junctions for use in high concentration multijunction solar cells were designed and grown by chemical beam epitaxy (CBE) using trimethyl aluminium (TMA) as the p-dopant source for the AlGaAs active layer. Controlled hole concentration up to 4⋅10{sup 20} cm{sup −3} was achieved through variation in growth parameters. Fabricated tunnel junctions have a peak tunneling current up to 6140 A/cm{sup 2}. These are suitable for high concentration use and outperform GaAs/GaAs tunnel junctions.

Influence of InGaN sub-quantum-well on performance of InAlN/GaN/InAlN resonant tunneling diodes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Haoran; Yang, Lin'an, E-mail: layang@xidian.edu.cn; Hao, Yue

The resonant tunneling mechanism of the GaN based resonant tunneling diode (RTD) with an InGaN sub-quantum-well has been investigated by means of numerical simulation. At resonant-state, Electrons in the InGaN/InAlN/GaN/InAlN RTD tunnel from the emitter region through the aligned discrete energy levels in the InGaN sub-quantum-well and GaN main-quantum-well into the collector region. The implantation of the InGaN sub-quantum-well alters the dominant transport mechanism, increase the transmission coefficient and give rise to the peak current and peak-to-valley current ratio. We also demonstrate that the most pronounced negative-differential-resistance characteristic can be achieved by choosing appropriately the In composition of In{sub x}Ga{submore » 1−x}N at around x = 0.06.« less

Diffusion of Mg dopant in metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy grown GaN and AlxGa1-xN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Köhler, K.; Gutt, R.; Wiegert, J.; Kirste, L.

2013-02-01

Diffusion of the p-type dopant Mg in GaN and AlxGa1-xN which is accompanied by segregation and affected by transient effects in metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy reactors is investigated. We have grown 110 nm thick Mg doped GaN and Al0.1Ga0.9N layers on top of undoped GaN and Al0.1Ga0.9N layers, respectively, in a temperature range between 925 °C and 1050 °C where we placed special emphasis on the lower temperature limit without diffusion to allow separation of Mg transients, diffusion, and segregation. Hereby, AlxGa1-xN layers enable monitoring of the resolution limit by secondary ion mass spectrometry analyses for the respective samples; therefore, thin AlxGa1-xN marker layers are incorporated in the thick GaN layers. We found an upper limit of 1.25 × 1019 cm-3 for diffusing Mg atoms in both sample types. Owing to the marked influence of Mg segregation in Al0.1Ga0.9N, diffusion is only seen by using a GaN cap on top of the Al0.1Ga0.9N layer sequence. Diffusion in Al0.1Ga0.9N is shown to be increased by about 25%-30% compared to GaN. Post growth annealing experiments under conditions equivalent to those used for growth of the Mg doped samples showed negligible diffusion. Comparing the results to well established findings on other doped III-V compounds, diffusion is explained by an interstitial-substitutional mechanism with a diffusion coefficient, which is concentration dependent. Analysis of the temperature dependent diffusivity revealed an activation energy of 5.0 eV for GaN:Mg and 5.2 eV for Al0.1Ga0.9N:Mg.

AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistor Grown and Fabricated on ZrTi Metallic Alloy Buffer Layers

DOE PAGES

Ren, Fan; Pearton, Stephen J.; Ahn, Shihyun; ...

2017-09-26

AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) were demonstrated for structures grown on ZrTi metallic alloy buffer layers, which provided lattice matching of the in-plane lattice parameter (“a-parameter”) to hexagonal GaN. The quality of the GaN buffer layer and HEMT structure were confirmed with X-ray 2θ and rocking scans as well as cross-section transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images. The X-ray 2θ scans showed full widths at half maximum (FWHM) of 0.06°, 0.05° and 0.08° for ZrTi alloy, GaN buffer layer, and the entire HEMT structure, respectively. TEM of the lower section of the HEMT structure containing the GaN buffer layer andmore » the AlN/ZrTi/AlN stack on the Si substrate showed that it was important to grow AlN on the top of ZrTi prior to growing the GaN buffer layer. Finally, the estimated threading dislocation (TD) density in the GaN channel layer of the HEMT structure was in the 10 8 cm -2 range.« less

Plasma-assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxy of N-polar InAlN-barrier High-electron-mobility Transistors.

PubMed

Hardy, Matthew T; Storm, David F; Katzer, D Scott; Downey, Brian P; Nepal, Neeraj; Meyer, David J

2016-11-24

Plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy is well suited for the epitaxial growth of III-nitride thin films and heterostructures with smooth, abrupt interfaces required for high-quality high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs). A procedure is presented for the growth of N-polar InAlN HEMTs, including wafer preparation and growth of buffer layers, the InAlN barrier layer, AlN and GaN interlayers and the GaN channel. Critical issues at each step of the process are identified, such as avoiding Ga accumulation in the GaN buffer, the role of temperature on InAlN compositional homogeneity, and the use of Ga flux during the AlN interlayer and the interrupt prior to GaN channel growth. Compositionally homogeneous N-polar InAlN thin films are demonstrated with surface root-mean-squared roughness as low as 0.19 nm and InAlN-based HEMT structures are reported having mobility as high as 1,750 cm 2 /V∙sec for devices with a sheet charge density of 1.7 x 10 13 cm -2 .

2.6-2.7 Ga continental crust growth in Yangtze craton, South China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, K.; Gao, S.; Wu, Y.

2013-12-01

A combined study of zircon U-Pb and Lu-Hf isotopes and whole rock major and trace elements and Sr-Nd isotopes has been conducted for 10 granitic and tonalitic-trondhjemitic-granodioritic (TTG) gneisses from the Kongling terrain, the only known Archean microcontinent in the Yangtze craton, South China. The results reveal a significant magmatic event at ~2.6-2.7 Ga (Fig. 1), in addition to the previously reported ~2.9 Ga and ~3.2-3.3 Ga magmatism (Zhang et al., 2006; Jiao et al., 2009; Gao et al., 2011). The ~2.6-2.7 Ga rocks show relatively high REE (530-1074 ppm), apparently negative Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu* = 0.22-0.35), low #Mg (19.51-22.63) and low LaN/YbN (10.3-24.2). Besides, they have high K-feldspar proportion and relatively evaluated (K2O+Na2O)/CaO, TFeO/MgO, Zr, Nb, Ce and Y contents. Their 10000 × Ga/Al ratios range between 3.00 and 3.54. All these features suggest that the protoliths of these gneisses are A-type granites. Most of the ~2.6-2.7 Ga zircon grains have ɛHf(t) values >0 (up to 7.93, close to the depleted mantle value). This clearly indicates a considerably higher proportion of new crustal components in the ~2.6-2.7 Ga granitoids compared to the ~3.2-3.3 Ga and ~2.9 Ga TTGs. Our results support the conclusion of worldwide studies of igneous and detrital zircons that age peaks at 2.65-2.76 Ga represent increases in the volume of juvenile continental crust. The present study also confirms the existence of the two older magmatic events in the Kongling terrain. Both whole rock ɛNd(t) values (-3.74 to 1.59) and the zircon ɛHf(t) values (-11.18 to 3.55) for the ~2.9 Ga TTG and the Hf isotopes of ~3.2-3.3 Ga igneous zircons (-7.37 to 3.12) are chondritic or subchondritic, suggesting that they were mainly generated by reworking of older rocks with a small amount of new crustal additions. References Gao, S., Yang, J., Zhou, L., Li, M., Hu, Z.C., Guo, J.L., Yuan, H.L., Gong, H.J., Xiao, G.Q., Wei, J.Q., 2011. Age and growth of the Archean Kongling terrain, South China, with emphasis on 3.3 Ga granitoid gneisses. American Journal of science 311, 153-182. Jiao, W.F., Wu, Y.B., Yang, S.H., Peng, M., Wang, J., 2009. The oldest basement rock in the Yangtze Craton revealed by zircon U-Pb age and Hf isotope composition. Science in China Series D-Earth Sciences 52, 1393-1399. Zhang, S.B., Zheng, Y.F., Wu, Y.B., Zhao, Z.F., Gao, S., Wu, F.Y., 2006a. Zircon isotope evidence for ≥3.5 Ga continental crust in the Yangtze craton of China. Precambrian Research 146, 16-34. Variation of zircon Hf isotopes with ages for rocks from the Kongling terrain in this study and previous studies (see references).

Valence subband coupling effect on polarization of spontaneous emissions from Al-rich AlGaN/AlN quantum wells.

PubMed

Lu, Huimin; Yu, Tongjun; Yuan, Gangcheng; Jia, Chuanyu; Chen, Genxiang; Zhang, Guoyi

2012-12-03

The optical polarization properties of Al-rich AlGaN/AlN quantum wells (QWs) were investigated using the theoretical model based on the k·p method. Numerical results show that there is valence subband coupling which can influence the peak emission wavelength and emission intensity for TE and TM polarization components from Al-rich AlGaN/AlN QWs. Especially the valence subband coupling could be strong enough when CH1 is close to HH1 and LH1 subbands to modulate the critical Al content switching dominant emissions from TE to TM polarization. It is believed that the valence subband coupling may give important influence on polarization properties of spontaneous emissions and should be considered in designing high efficiency AlGaN-based ultraviolet (UV) LEDs.

AlGaInN laser diode technology and systems for defence and security applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Najda, Stephen P.; Perlin, Piotr; Suski, Tadek; Marona, Lucja; Boćkowski, Mike; Leszczyński, Mike; Wisniewski, Przemek; Czernecki, Robert; Kucharski, Robert; Targowski, Grzegorz; Watson, Scott; Kelly, Antony E.

2015-05-01

The latest developments in AlGaInN laser diode technology are reviewed for defence and security applications such as underwater communications. The AlGaInN material system allows for laser diodes to be fabricated over a very wide range of wavelengths from u.v., ~380nm, to the visible ~530nm, by tuning the indium content of the laser GaInN quantum well. Thus AlGaInN laser diode technology is a key enabler for the development of new disruptive system level applications in displays, telecom, defence and other industries.

Analysis of SAW properties in ZnO/AlxGa1-xN/c-Al2O3 structures.

PubMed

Chen, Ying; Emanetoglu, Nuri William; Saraf, Gaurav; Wu, Pan; Lu, Yicheng; Parekh, Aniruddh; Merai, Vinod; Udovich, Eric; Lu, Dong; Lee, Dong S; Armour, Eric A; Pophristic, Milan

2005-07-01

Piezoelectric thin films on high acoustic velocity nonpiezoelectric substrates, such as ZnO, AlN, or GaN deposited on diamond or sapphire substrates, are attractive for high frequency and low-loss surface acoustic wave devices. In this work, ZnO films are deposited on AlxGa1-xN/c-Al2O3 (0 < or = chi < or = 1) substrates using the radio frequency (RF) sputtering technique. In comparison with a single AlxGa1-xN layer deposited on c-Al2O3 with the same total film thickness, a ZnO/AlxGa1-xN/c-Al2O3 multilayer structure provides several advantages, including higher order wave modes with higher velocity and larger electromechanical coupling coefficient (K2). The surface acoustic wave (SAW) velocities and coupling coefficients of the ZnO/AlxGa1-xN/c-Al2O3 structure are tailored as a function of the Al mole percentage in AlxGa1-xN films, and as a function of the ZnO (h1) to AlxGa1-xN (h2) thickness ratio. It is found that a wide thickness-frequency product (hf) region in which coupling is close to its maximum value, K(2)max, can be obtained. The K(2)max of the second order wave mode (h1 = h2) is estimated to be 4.3% for ZnO/GaN/c-Al2O3, and 3.8% for ZnO/AlN/c-Al2O3. The bandwidth of second and third order wave modes, in which the coupling coefficient is within +/- 0.3% of K(2)max, is calculated to be 820 hf for ZnO/GaN/c-Al2O3, and 3620 hf for ZnO/AlN/c-Al2O3. Thus, the hf region in which the coupling coefficient is close to the maximum value broadens with increasing Al content, while K(2)max decreases slightly. When the thickness ratio of AlN to ZnO increases, the K(2)max and hf bandwidth of the second and third higher wave modes increases. The SAW test devices are fabricated and tested. The theoretical and experimental results of velocity dispersion in the ZnO/AlxGa1-xN/c-Al2O3 structures are found to be well matched.

Lattice-matched double dip-shaped BAlGaN/AlN quantum well structures for ultraviolet light emission devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Seoung-Hwan; Ahn, Doyeol

2018-05-01

Ultraviolet light emission characteristics of lattice-matched BxAlyGa1-x-y N/AlN quantum well (QW) structures with double AlGaN delta layers were investigated theoretically. In contrast to conventional single dip-shaped QW structure where the reduction effect of the spatial separation between electron and hole wave functions is negligible, proposed double dip-shaped QW shows significant enhancement of the ultraviolet light emission intensity from a BAlGaN/AlN QW structure due to the reduced spatial separation between electron and hole wave functions. The emission peak of the double dip-shaped QW structure is expected to be about three times larger than that of the conventional rectangular AlGaN/AlN QW structure.

The role of AlGaN buffers and channel thickness in the electronic transport properties of Al{sub x}In{sub 1–x}N/AlN/GaN heterostructures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Amirabbasi, M., E-mail: mo.amirabbasi@gmail.com

We try to theoretically analyze the reported experimental data of the Al{sub x}In{sub 1–x}N/AlN/GaN heterostructures grown by MOCVD and quantitatively investigate the effects of AlGaN buffers and the GaNchannel thickness on the electrical transport properties of these systems. Also, we obtain the most important effective parameters of the temperature-dependent mobility in the range 35–300 K. Our results show that inserting a 1.1 μm thick Al{sub 0.04}Ga{sub 0.96}N buffer enhances electron mobility by decreasing the effect of phonons, the interface roughness, and dislocation and crystal defect scattering mechanisms. Also, as the channel thickness increases from 20 nm to 40 nm, themore » electron mobility increases from 2200 to 2540 cm{sup 2}/(V s) and from 870 to 1000 cm{sup 2}/(V s) at 35 and 300 K respectively, which is attributed to the reduction in the dislocation density and the strain-induced field. Finally, the reported experimental data show that inserting a 450 nm graded AlGaN layer before an Al{sub 0.04}Ga{sub 0.96}N buffer causes a decrease in the electron mobility, which is attributed to the enhancement of the lateral size of roughness, the dislocation density, and the strain-induced field in this sample.« less

Ga/1-x/Al/x/As LED structures grown on GaP substrates.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woodall, J. M.; Potemski, R. M.; Blum, S. E.; Lynch, R.

1972-01-01

Ga(1-x)Al(x)As light-emitting diode structures have been grown on GaP substrates by the liquid-phase-epitaxial method. In spite of the large differences in lattice constants and thermal-expansion coefficients, room-temperature efficiencies up to 5.5% in air have been observed for a peak emission of 8500 A. Using undoped GaP substrates, which are transparent to the infrared and red portions of the spectrum, thin structures of Ga(1-x)Al(x)As with large external efficiencies can now be made.

In-situ, Gate Bias Dependent Study of Neutron Irradiation Effects on AlGaN/GaN HFETs

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-01

band gap and high breakdown field, AlGaN devices can operate at very high temperature and operating frequency. AlGaN/GaN based structures, have been...stable under ambient conditions [3]. GaN has a wide, direct band gap of 3.4 eV. It is therefore suitable for high temperature devices. Its high...also be grown with a wurtzite crystal structure and has a band - gap of 6.1 eV. Aluminum, due to having smaller atoms than gallium, forms a smaller

Third Working Meeting on Gallium Arsenide Solar Cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, G. H. (Compiler)

1976-01-01

Research results are reported for GaAs Schottky barrier solar cells, GaAlAs/GaAs heteroface solar cells, and GaAlAs graded band gap solar cells. Related materials studies are presented. A systems study for GaAs and Si solar concentrator systems is given.

Characterization of Plasma-Induced Damage of Selectively Recessed GaN/InAlN/AlN/GaN Heterostructures Using SiCl4 and SF6

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ostermaier, Clemens; Pozzovivo, Gianmauro; Basnar, Bernhard; Schrenk, Werner; Carlin, Jean-François; Gonschorek, Marcus; Grandjean, Nicolas; Vincze, Andrej; Tóth, Lajos; Pécz, Bela; Strasser, Gottfried; Pogany, Dionyz; Kuzmik, Jan

2010-11-01

We have investigated an inductively coupled plasma etching recipe using SiCl4 and SF6 with a resulting selectivity >10 for GaN in respect to InAlN. The formation of an etch-resistant layer of AlF3 on InAlN required about 1 min and was noticed by a 4-times-higher initial etch rate on bare InAlN barrier high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). Comparing devices with and without plasma-treatment below the gate showed no degradation in drain current and gate leakage current for plasma exposure durations shorter than 30 s, indicating no plasma-induced damage of the InAlN barrier. Devices etched longer than the required time for the formation of the etch-resistant barrier exhibited a slight decrease in drain current and an increase in gate leakage current which saturated for longer etching-time durations. Finally, we could prove the quality of the recipe by recessing the highly doped 6 nm GaN cap layer of a GaN/InAlN/AlN/GaN heterostructure down to the 2 nm thin InAlN/AlN barrier layer.

Growth of AlGaN under the conditions of significant gallium evaporation: Phase separation and enhanced lateral growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayboroda, I. O.; Knizhnik, A. A.; Grishchenko, Yu. V.; Ezubchenko, I. S.; Zanaveskin, Maxim L.; Kondratev, O. A.; Presniakov, M. Yu.; Potapkin, B. V.; Ilyin, V. A.

2017-09-01

The growth kinetics of AlGaN in NH3 MBE under significant Ga desorption was studied. It was found that the addition of gallium stimulates 2D growth and provides better morphology of films compared to pure AlN. The effect was experimentally observed at up to 98% desorption of the impinging gallium. We found that under the conditions of significant thermal desorption, larger amounts of gallium were retained at lateral boundaries of 3D surface features than at flat terraces because of the higher binding energy of Ga atoms at specific surface defects. The selective accumulation of gallium resulted in an increase in the lateral growth component through the formation of the Ga-enriched AlGaN phase at boundaries of 3D surface features. We studied the temperature dependence of AlGaN growth rate and developed a kinetic model analytically describing this dependence. As the model was in good agreement with the experimental data, we used it to estimate the increase in the binding energy of Ga atoms at surface defects compared to terrace surface sites using data on the Ga content in different AlGaN phases. We also applied first-principles calculations to the thermodynamic analysis of stable configurations on the AlN surface and then used these surface configurations to compare the binding energy of Ga atoms at terraces and steps. Both first-principles calculations and analytical estimations of the experimental results gave similar values of difference in binding energies; this value is 0.3 eV. Finally, it was studied experimentally whether gallium can act as a surfactant in AlN growth by NH3 MBE at elevated temperatures. Gallium application has allowed us to grow a 300 nm thick AlN film with a RMS surface roughness of 2.2 Å over an area of 10 × 10 μm and a reduced density of screw dislocations.

High throughput vacuum chemical epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fraas, L. M.; Malocsay, E.; Sundaram, V.; Baird, R. W.; Mao, B. Y.; Lee, G. Y.

1990-10-01

We have developed a vacuum chemical epitaxy (VCE) reactor which avoids the use of arsine and allows multiple wafers to be coated at one time. Our vacuum chemical epitaxy reactor closely resembles a molecular beam epitaxy system in that wafers are loaded into a stainless steel vacuum chamber through a load chamber. Also as in MBE, arsenic vapors are supplied as reactant by heating solid arsenic sources thereby avoiding the use of arsine. However, in our VCE reactor, a large number of wafers are coated at one time in a vacuum system by the substitution of Group III alkyl sources for the elemental metal sources traditionally used in MBE. Higher wafer throughput results because in VCE, the metal-alkyl sources for Ga, Al, and dopants can be mixed at room temperature and distributed uniformly though a large area injector to multiple substrates as a homogeneous array of mixed element molecular beams. The VCE reactor that we have built and that we shall describe here uniformly deposits films on 7 inch diameter substrate platters. Each platter contains seven two inch or three 3 inch diameter wafers. The load chamber contains up to nine platters. The vacuum chamber is equipped with two VCE growth zones and two arsenic ovens, one per growth zone. Finally, each oven has a 1 kg arsenic capacity. As of this writing, mirror smooth GaAs films have been grown at up to 4 μm/h growth rate on multiple wafers with good thickness uniformity. The background doping is p-type with a typical hole concentration and mobility of 1 × 10 16/cm 3 and 350 cm 2/V·s. This background doping level is low enough for the fabrication of MESFETs, solar cells, and photocathodes as well as other types of devices. We have fabricated MESFET devices using VCE-grown epi wafers with peak extrinsic transconductance as high as 210 mS/mm for a threshold voltage of - 3 V and a 0.6 μm gate length. We have also recently grown AlGaAs epi layers with up to 80% aluminum using TEAl as the aluminum alkyl source. The AlGaAs layer thickness and aluminum content uniformity appear excellent.

Highly Sensitive Detection of Deoxyribonucleic Acid Hybridization Using Au-Gated AlInN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistor-Based Sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhan, Xiang-Mi; Hao, Mei-Lan; Wang, Quan; Li, Wei; Xiao, Hong-Ling; Feng, Chun; Jiang, Li-Juan; Wang, Cui-Mei; Wang, Xiao-Liang; Wang, Zhan-Guo

2017-03-01

Gallium nitride- (GaN) based high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) provide a good platform for biological detection. In this work, both Au-gated AlInN/GaN HEMT and AlGaN/GaN HEMT biosensors are fabricated for the detection of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) hybridization. The Au-gated AlInN/GaN HEMT biosensor exhibits higher sensitivity in comparison with the AlGaN/GaN HEMT biosensor. For the former, the drain-source current ( {V}{DS}=0.5 V) shows a clear decrease of 69 μA upon the introduction of 1 μmolL {}-1 (μM) complimentary DNA to the probe DNA at the sensor area, while for the latter it is only 38 μA. This current reduction is a notable indication of the hybridization. The high sensitivity can be attributed to the thinner barrier of the AlInN/GaN heterostructure, which makes the two-dimensional electron gas channel more susceptible to a slight change of the surface charge. Supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China under Grant Nos 2016YFB0400104 and 2016YFB0400301, the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China under Grant No 61334002, and the National Science and Technology Major Project.

GaN microcavities: Giant Rabi splitting and optical anisotropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kavokin, Alexey; Gil, Bernard

1998-06-01

Numerical simulation of light reflection from a λ/2 GaN microcavity with Ga0.8Al0.2N/Ga0.5Al0.5N Bragg mirrors grown on the A surface of Al2O3 revealed a Rabi splitting of the order of 50 meV and remarkable optical anisotropy. These effects are originated from the giant exciton oscillator strength in GaN and a pronounced uniaxial strain in the structure.

Effect of AlInGaN barrier layers with various TMGa flows on optoelectronic characteristics of near UV light-emitting diodes grown by atmospheric pressure metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Yi-Keng; Lu, Yu-Hsuan; Jiang, Ren-Hao; Chen, Bo-Chun; Fang, Yen-Hsiang; Xuan, Rong; Su, Yan-Kuin; Lin, Chia-Feng; Chen, Jebb-Fang

2011-08-01

Near ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with quaternary AlInGaN quantum barriers (QBs) are grown by atmospheric pressure metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. The indium mole fraction of AlInGaN QB could be enhanced as we increased the TMG flow rate. Both the wavelength shift in EL spectra and forward voltage at 20 mA current injection were reduced by using AlInGaN QB. Under 100 mA current injection, the LED output power with Al 0.089In 0.035Ga 0.876N QB can be enhanced by 15.9%, compared to LED with GaN QB. It should be attributed to a reduction of lattice mismatch induced polarization mismatch in the active layer.

Growth rate independence of Mg doping in GaN grown by plasma-assisted MBE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turski, Henryk; Muzioł, Grzegorz; Siekacz, Marcin; Wolny, Pawel; Szkudlarek, Krzesimir; Feduniewicz-Żmuda, Anna; Dybko, Krzysztof; Skierbiszewski, Czeslaw

2018-01-01

Doping of Ga(Al)N layers by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy in Ga-rich conditions on c-plane bulk GaN substrates was studied. Ga(Al)N samples, doped with Mg or Si, grown using different growth conditions were compared. In contrast to Si doped layers, no change in the Mg concentration was observed for layers grown using different growth rates for a constant Mg flux and constant growth temperature. This effect enables the growth of Ga(Al)N:Mg layers at higher growth rates, leading to shorter growth time and lower residual background doping, without the need of increasing Mg flux. Enhancement of Mg incorporation for Al containing layers was also observed. Change of Al content from 0% to 17% resulted in more than two times higher Mg concentration.

Suitability of surface acoustic wave oscillators fabricated using low temperature-grown AlN films on GaN/sapphire as UV sensors.

PubMed

Chen, Tzu Chieh; Lin, Yueh Ting; Lin, Chung Yi; Chen, W C; Chen, Meei Ru; Kao, Hui-Ling; Chyi, J I; Hsu, C H

2008-02-01

Epitaxial AlN films were prepared on GaN/sapphire using a helicon sputtering system at the low temperature of 300 degrees C. Surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices fabricated on AlN/GaN/sapphire exhibited superior characteristics compared with those made on GaN/sapphire. An oscillator using an AlN/GaN/sapphirebased SAW device is presented. The oscillation frequency decreased when the device was illuminated by ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and the downshift of the oscillation frequency increased with the illuminating UV power density. The results showed that the AlN/GaN/sapphire-layered structure SAW oscillators are suitable for visible blind UV detection and opened up the feasibility of developing remote UV sensors for different ranges of wavelengths on the III-nitrides.

Highly strained InAlP/InGaAs-based coupled double quantum wells on InP substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gozu, Shin-ichiro; Mozume, Teruo

2018-05-01

InAlP/InGaAs based coupled double quantum wells (CDQWs) are proposed for optelectronic devices utilizing intersubband transitions. The aim of the proposed CDQW structure was to reduce the Al volume as compared with that in InGaAs/AlAsSb(AlAs/InAlAs) based CDQWs. By careful consideration of the band gap energy as well as conduction band offset and lattice constants for III–V materials, highly strained InAlP was chosen as the barrier material. With the appropriate CDQW structure and under the optimized growth conditions, proposed CDQWs exhibited clear X-ray diffraction satellite peaks, and almost identical optical absorption spectrum as compared with the InGaAs/AlAs/InAlAs CDQWs.

Electron microscopy investigations of purity of AlN interlayer in Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}N/GaN heterostructures grown by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sridhara Rao, D. V.; Jain, Anubha; Lamba, Sushil

2013-05-13

The electron microscopy was used to characterize the AlN interlayer in Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}N/AlN/GaN heterostructures grown by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE). We show that the AlN interlayer grown by PAMBE is without gallium and oxygen incorporation and the interfaces are coherent. The AlN interlayer has the ABAB stacking of lattice planes as expected for the wurtzite phase. High purity of AlN interlayer with the ABAB stacking leads to larger conduction band offset along with stronger polarization effects. Our studies show that the origin of lower sheet resistance obtained by PAMBE is the purity of AlN interlayer.

AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors with selective area grown p-GaN gates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuliang, Huang; Lian, Zhang; Zhe, Cheng; Yun, Zhang; Yujie, Ai; Yongbing, Zhao; Hongxi, Lu; Junxi, Wang; Jinmin, Li

2016-11-01

We report a selective area growth (SAG) method to define the p-GaN gate of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. Compared with Schottky gate HEMTs, the SAG p-GaN gate HEMTs show more positive threshold voltage (V th) and better gate control ability. The influence of Cp2Mg flux of SAG p-GaN gate on the AlGaN/GaN HEMTs has also been studied. With the increasing Cp2Mg from 0.16 μmol/min to 0.20 μmol/min, the V th raises from -0.67 V to -0.37 V. The maximum transconductance of the SAG HEMT at a drain voltage of 10 V is 113.9 mS/mm while that value of the Schottky HEMT is 51.6 mS/mm. The SAG method paves a promising way for achieving p-GaN gate normally-off AlGaN/GaN HEMTs without dry etching damage. Project supported by the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China (Nos. 61376090, 61306008) and the National High Technology Program of China (No. 2014AA032606).

Engineering of electric field distribution in GaN(cap)/AlGaN/GaN heterostructures: theoretical and experimental studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gladysiewicz, M.; Janicki, L.; Misiewicz, J.; Sobanska, M.; Klosek, K.; Zytkiewicz, Z. R.; Kudrawiec, R.

2016-09-01

Polarization engineering of GaN-based heterostructures opens a way to develop advanced transistor heterostructures, although measurement of the electric field in such heterostructures is not a simple task. In this work, contactless electroreflectance (CER) spectroscopy has been applied to measure the electric field in GaN-based heterostructures. For a set of GaN(d  =  0, 5, 15, and 30 nm)/AlGaN(20 nm)/GaN(buffer) heterostructures a decrease of electric field in the GaN(cap) layer from 0.66 MV cm-1 to 0.27 MV cm-1 and an increase of the electric field in the AlGaN layer from 0.57 MV cm-1 to 0.99 MV cm-1 have been observed with the increase in the GaN(cap) thickness from 5-30 nm. For a set of GaN(20 nm)/AlGaN(d  =  10, 20, 30, and 40 nm)/GaN(buffer) heterostructures a decrease of the electric field in the AlGaN layer from 1.77 MV cm-1 to 0.64 MV cm-1 and an increase of the electric field in the GaN layer from 0.57 MV cm-1 to 0.99 MV cm-1 were observed with the increase in the AlGaN thickness from 10-40 nm. To determine the distribution of the electric field in these heterostructures the Schrödinger and Poisson equations are solved in a self-consistent manner and matched with experimental data. It is shown that the built-in electric field in the GaN(cap) and AlGaN layers obtained from measurements does not reach values of electric field resulting only from polarization effects. The measured electric fields are smaller due to a screening of polarization effects by free carriers, which are inhomogeneously distributed across the heterostructure and accumulate at interfaces. The results clearly demonstrate that CER measurements supported by theoretical calculations are able to determine the electric field distribution in GaN-based heterostructures quantitatively, which is very important for polarization engineering in this material system.

Fractal dimension study of polaron effects in cylindrical GaAs/Al x Ga1- x As core-shell nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Hui; Li, Hua; Tian, Qiang

2018-04-01

Polaron effects in cylindrical GaAs/Al x Ga1- x As core-shell nanowires are studied by applying the fractal dimension method. In this paper, the polaron properties of GaAs/Al x Ga1- x As core-shell nanowires with different core radii and aluminum concentrations are discussed. The polaron binding energy, polaron mass shift, and fractal dimension parameter are numerically determined as functions of shell width. The calculation results reveal that the binding energy and mass shift of the polaron first increase and then decrease as the shell width increases. A maximum value appears at a certain shell width for different aluminum concentrations and a given core radius. By using the fractal dimension method, polaron problems in cylindrical GaAs/Al x Ga1- x As core-shell nanowires are solved in a simple manner that avoids complex and lengthy calculations.

Highly antireflective AlGaN/GaN ultraviolet photodetectors using ZnO nanorod arrays on inverted pyramidal surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

So, Hongyun; Lim, Jongwoo; Suria, Ateeq J.; Senesky, Debbie G.

2017-07-01

Highly antireflective heterostructured aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN)/GaN ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors were demonstrated using a combination of inverted pyramidal surfaces and zinc oxide nanorod arrays (i.e., antireflective surface modification) to enhance the optical sensitivity. The microfabricated hierarchical surfaces significantly reduced the average surface reflectance to less than 0.3% in the UV region and less than 1% in the visible light region, allowing near-perfect absorption of incident light regardless of the angle of incidence (5-80°). As a result, the photodetectors fabricated on highly antireflective AlGaN/GaN surfaces showed higher sensitivity and responsivity over a broad range of incidence angles compared to photodetectors on planar AlGaN/GaN surfaces, supporting the use of a hierarchically modified sensing surface for omnidirectional UV monitoring with higher sensitivity.

Low-resistance gateless high electron mobility transistors using three-dimensional inverted pyramidal AlGaN/GaN surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

So, Hongyun; Senesky, Debbie G.

2016-01-01

In this letter, three-dimensional gateless AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) were demonstrated with 54% reduction in electrical resistance and 73% increase in surface area compared with conventional gateless HEMTs on planar substrates. Inverted pyramidal AlGaN/GaN surfaces were microfabricated using potassium hydroxide etched silicon with exposed (111) surfaces and metal-organic chemical vapor deposition of coherent AlGaN/GaN thin films. In addition, electrical characterization of the devices showed that a combination of series and parallel connections of the highly conductive two-dimensional electron gas along the pyramidal geometry resulted in a significant reduction in electrical resistance at both room and high temperatures (up to 300 °C). This three-dimensional HEMT architecture can be leveraged to realize low-power and reliable power electronics, as well as harsh environment sensors with increased surface area.

GaN ultraviolet p-i-n photodetectors with enhanced deep ultraviolet quantum efficiency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Guosheng; Xie, Feng; Wang, Jun; Guo, Jin

2017-10-01

GaN ultraviolet (UV) p-i-n photodetectors (PDs) with a thin p-AlGaN/GaN contact layer are designed and fabricated. The PD exhibits a low dark current density of˜7 nA/cm2 under -5 V, and a zero-bias peak responsivity of ˜0.16 A/W at 360 nm, which corresponds to a maximum quantum efficiency of 55%. It is found that, in the wavelength range between 250 and 365 nm, the PD with thin p-AlGaN/GaN contact layer exhibits enhanced quantum efficiency especially in a deep-UV wavelength range, than that of the control PD with conventional thin p-GaN contact layer. The improved quantum efficiency of the PD with thin p-AlGaN/GaN contact layer in the deep-UV wavelength range is mainly attributed to minority carrier reflecting properties of thin p-AlGaN/GaN heterojunction which could reduce the surface recombination loss of photon-generated carriers and improve light current collection efficiency.

Control of short-channel effects in InAlN/GaN high-electron mobility transistors using graded AlGaN buffer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Tiecheng; Zhao, Hongdong; Peng, Xiaocan; Li, Yuhai

2018-04-01

A graded AlGaN buffer is designed to realize the p-type buffer by inducing polarization-doping holes. Based on the two-dimensional device simulator, the effect of the graded AlGaN buffer on the direct-current (DC) and radio-frequency (RF) performance of short-gate InAlN/GaN high-electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) are investigated, theoretically. Compared to standard HEMT, an enhancement of electron confinement and a good control of short-channel effect (SCEs) are demonstrated in the graded AlGaN buffer HEMT. Accordingly, the pinched-off behavior and the ability of gate modulation are significantly improved. And, no serious SCEs are observed in the graded AlGaN buffer HEMT with an aspect ratio (LG/tch) of about 6.7, much lower than that of the standard HEMT (LG/tch = 13). In addition, for a 70-nm gate length, a peak current gain cutoff frequency (fT) of 171 GHz and power gain cutoff frequency (fmax) of 191 GHz are obtained in the grade buffer HEMT, which are higher than those of the standard one with the same gate length.

[Age and gender characteristics of the content of macro- and trace elements in the organisms of the children from the European North].

PubMed

Soroko, S I; Maksimova, I A; Protasova, O V

2014-01-01

By means of the nuclear-emission spectral analysis with inductively connected argon plasma were studied the contents of 28 macro- and trace elements (Al, Ag, Li, Ba, Bi, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ga, In, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Mo, P, Zn, Se, Tl, Pb, Sr, S, Si) in the hair of children and teenagers living in the European North of the Russian Federation (Arkhangelsk region). There were revealed both: decrease and increase of some elements' contents. Also were revealed the dynamics of mentioned elements contents in the hair of the same children in different years. Significant individual variability of the macro and trace elements' status of children-northerners and some gender dependence were revealed.

Study on GaN buffer leakage current in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor structures grown by ammonia-molecular beam epitaxy on 100-mm Si(111)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ravikiran, L.; Radhakrishnan, K., E-mail: ERADHA@e.ntu.edu.sg; Ng, G. I.

2015-06-28

The effect of carbon doping on the structural and electrical properties of GaN buffer layer of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) structures has been studied. In the undoped HEMT structures, oxygen was identified as the dominant impurity using secondary ion mass spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) measurements. In addition, a notable parallel conduction channel was identified in the GaN buffer at the interface. The AlGaN/GaN HEMT structures with carbon doped GaN buffer using a CBr{sub 4} beam equivalent pressure of 1.86 × 10{sup −7} mTorr showed a reduction in the buffer leakage current by two orders of magnitude. Carbon doped GaN buffersmore » also exhibited a slight increase in the crystalline tilt with some pits on the growth surface. PL and Raman measurements indicated only a partial compensation of donor states with carbon acceptors. However, AlGaN/GaN HEMT structures with carbon doped GaN buffer with 200 nm thick undoped GaN near the channel exhibited good 2DEG characteristics.« less

Impact of open-core threading dislocations on the performance of AlGaN metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walde, S.; Brendel, M.; Zeimer, U.; Brunner, F.; Hagedorn, S.; Weyers, M.

2018-04-01

The influence of open-core threading dislocations on the bias-dependent external quantum efficiency (EQE) of bottom-illuminated Al0.5Ga0.5N/AlN metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodetectors (PDs) is presented. These defects originate at the Al0.5Ga0.5N/AlN interface and terminate on the Al0.5Ga0.5N surface as hexagonal prisms. They work as electrically active paths bypassing the Al0.5Ga0.5N absorber layer and therefore alter the behavior of the MSM PDs under bias voltage. This effect is included in the model of carrier collection in the MSM PDs showing a good agreement with the experimental data. While such dislocations usually limit the device performance, the MSM PDs benefit by high EQE at a reduced bias voltage while maintaining a low dark current.

Optical Properties of Gallium Arsenide and Indium Gallium Arsenide Quantum Wells and Their Applications to Opto-Electronic Devices.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Daming

1990-01-01

In this thesis we investigate the optical properties of modulation doped GaAs/AlGaAs and strained-layer undoped InGaAs/GaAs multiple quantum well structures (MQWS). The phenomena studied are the effects of carrier, strain, and the electric field on the absorption of excitons. For GaAs/AlGaAs modulation doped MQWS, the quenching of excitons by free carriers has been demonstrated. The comparison of the experimental results with calculations which consider phase space filling, screening, and exchange interaction showed the phase space filling to be the dominant mechanism responsible for the change of oscillator strength and binding energy of excitons associated with partially filled subband. On the other hand, the screening and exchange interaction are equally important to excitons associated with empty subbands. For InGaAs/GaAs strained-layer MQWS, we have demonstrated that the band edges are dramatically modified by strain. We determined the band discontinuities at InGaAs/GaAs interfaces using optical absorption, and showed that in this structure the heavy holes are confined in InGaAs layers while the light holes are in GaAs layers, in contrast to GaAs/AlGaAs MQWS. We also explore applications of GaAs/AlGaAs and InGaAs/GaAs MQWS to opto-electronic devices. The principle of devices investigated is mainly based on the electric field effect on the excitonic absorption in MQWS (the quantum confined Stark effect). Two examples presented in this thesis are the strained-layer InGaAs/GaAs MQWS electroabsorption modulators grown on GaAs substrates and the GaAs/AlGaAs MQWS reflection modulators grown on Si substrates. The large modulation observed in the absorption coefficient by an electric field is expected to facilitate opto-electronic integration.

The solubility of gallium oxide in vapor and two-phase fluid filtration in hydrothermal systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bychkov, Andrew; Matveeva, Svetlana; Nekrasov, Stanislav

2010-05-01

The solubility of gallium and aluminum oxides in gas phase in the system Ga2O3 (Al2O3)-HCl-H2O was studied at 150-350°C and pressure up to saturated vapor. The concentration of gallium increases with the increasing of HCl pressure. The formulae of gallium gaseous specie was determined as GaOHCl2. The constant of gallium oxide solubility reaction was calculated at 150, 200, 250, 300 and 350°C. The concentration of aluminum in gas phase is insignificant in the same conditions. The possibility of gallium transportation in gas phase with small quantity of Al allow to divide this elements in hydrothermal processes with gas phase. The Ga/Al ratio in muscovite can be used as the indicator of gas phase separation and condensation. This indicator was not considered in the geochemical literature earlier. The separation of gas and liquid phases was determined in Akchatau (Kazahstan) and Spokoinoe (Russia) greisen W deposit by carbon isotope fractionation of carbon dioxide in fluid inclusion. The important feature of both ore mains is heterogenization and boiling of ore-forming fluids. Greisen ore bodies are formed as a result of strongly focused solution flow in the T-P gradient fields. It is possible to divide ore bodies of Akchatau in two types: muscovite and quartz. Muscovite type veins are thin and have small metasyntactic zone. Quartz type veins are localized in fault with large vertical extent (500 m) and content the large quantity of wolframite. These veins formed in condition of significant pressure decreasing from 2.5 to 0.5 kbar with fluid boiling. Gas and liquid phase separation specifies the vertical zonality of quartz type veins. The gas phase with the high gallium concentration is separated from a flow of liquid phase. Liquid phase react with the granites forming greisen metasomatites. Condensation of the gas phase in upper parts of massive produces the increasing of Ga/Al ratio in muscovite 3-5 times more, then in granites and bottom part of vein (from 2×10-4 to 8×10-4 mass ratio). The muscovite type veins has no separation between gas and liquid due to there thickness and small pressure gradient. There is no difference in Ga/Al ratio in muscovite from this veins. The Spokoinoe deposit is classified by mineralized dome type. The heterogenization of fluid occurs in H2O-CO2 system for water phase and carbon dioxide with temperature decreasing. Two-phase flow is separated in granite, forming greisen metosomatites. The Ga/Al ratio in rock increase up to 3 times to the upper part of metasomatitic zone. The Ga/Al ratio in muscovite can be applied for other hydrothermal systems for geochemical indicator of gas phase separation and condensation zone determination. This work is supported by RFBR project 10-05-00670 and 10-05-00320.

Disorder induced gap states as a cause of threshold voltage instabilities in Al2O3/AlGaN/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor high-electron-mobility transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matys, M.; Kaneki, S.; Nishiguchi, K.; Adamowicz, B.; Hashizume, T.

2017-12-01

We proposed that the disorder induced gap states (DIGS) can be responsible for the threshold voltage (Vth) instability in Al2O3/AlGaN/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor high-electron-mobility transistors. In order to verify this hypothesis, we performed the theoretical calculations of the capacitance voltage (C-V) curves for the Al2O3/AlGaN/GaN structures using the DIGS model and compared them with measured ones. We found that the experimental C-V curves with a complex hysteresis behavior varied with the maximum forward bias and the sweeping rate can be well reproduced theoretically by assuming a particular distribution in energy and space of the DIGS continuum near the Al2O3/AlGaN interface, i.e., a U-shaped energy density distribution and exponential depth decay from the interface into Al2O3 layer (up to 4 nm), as well as suitable DIGS capture cross sections (the order of magnitude of 10-15 cm2). Finally, we showed that the DIGS model can also explain the negative bias induced threshold voltage instability. We believe that these results should be critical for the successful development of the passivation techniques, which allows to minimize the Vth instability related effects.

Control of Defects in Aluminum Gallium Nitride ((Al)GaN) Films on Grown Aluminum Nitride (AlN) Substrates

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-02-01

Nord, J.; Albe, K.; Erhart, P.; Nordlund, K. Modelling of Compound Semiconductors: Analytical Bond-order Potential for Gallium , Nitrogen and Gallium ...Control of Defects in Aluminum Gallium Nitride ((Al)GaN) Films on Grown Aluminum Nitride (AlN) Substrates by Iskander G. Batyrev, Chi-Chin Wu...Aluminum Gallium Nitride ((Al)GaN) Films on Grown Aluminum Nitride (AlN) Substrates Iskander G. Batyrev and N. Scott Weingarten Weapons and

Active zinc-blende III-nitride photonic structures on silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sergent, Sylvain; Kako, Satoshi; Bürger, Matthias; Blumenthal, Sarah; Iwamoto, Satoshi; As, Donat Josef; Arakawa, Yasuhiko

2016-01-01

We use a layer transfer method to fabricate free-standing photonic structures in a zinc-blende AlN epilayer grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on a 3C-SiC pseudosubstrate and containing GaN quantum dots. The method leads to the successful realization of microdisks, nanobeam photonic crystal cavities, and waveguides integrated on silicon (100) and operating at short wavelengths. We assess the quality of such photonic elements by micro-photoluminescence spectroscopy in the visible and ultraviolet ranges, and extract the absorption coefficient of ZB AlN membranes (α ˜ (2-5) × 102 cm-1).

Growth and Characterisation of GaAs/AlGaAs Core-shell Nanowires for Optoelectronic Device Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Nian

III-V semiconductor nanowires have been investigated as key components for future electronic and optoelectronic devices and systems due to their direct band gap and high electron mobility. Amongst the III-V semiconductors, the planar GaAs material system has been extensively studied and used in industries. Accordingly, GaAs nanowires are the prime candidates for nano-scale devices. However, the electronic performance of GaAs nanowires has yet to match that of state-of-the-art planar GaAs devices. The present deficiency of GaAs nanowires is typically attributed to the large surface-to- volume ratio and the tendency for non-radiative recombination centres to form at the surface. The favoured solution of this problem is by coating GaAs nanowires with AlGaAs shells, which replaces the GaAs surface with GaAs/AlGaAs interface. This thesis presents a systematic study of GaAs/AlGaAs core-shell nanowires grown by metal organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD), including understanding the growth, and characterisation of their structural and optical properties. The structures of the nanowires were mainly studied by scanning electron microscopy and transmis- sion electron microscopy (TEM). A procedure of microtomy was developed to prepare the cross-sectional samples for the TEM studies. The optical properties were charac- terised by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Carrier lifetimes were measured by time-resolved PL. The growth of AlGaAs shell was optimised to obtain the best optical properties, e.g. the strongest PL emission and the longest minority carrier lifetimes. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).

α-Al2O3/Ga2O3 superlattices coherently grown on r-plane sapphire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oshima, Takayoshi; Kato, Yuji; Imura, Masataka; Nakayama, Yoshiko; Takeguchi, Masaki

2018-06-01

Ten-period binary α-Al2O3/Ga2O3 superlattices were fabricated on r-plane sapphire substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. By systematic variation of α-Ga2O3 thickness and evaluation through X-ray reflectivity and diffraction measurements and scanning transmission electron microscopy, we verified that the superlattice with α-Ga2O3 thickness up to ∼1 nm had coherent interfaces without misfit dislocation in spite of the large lattice mismatches. This successful fabrication of coherent α-Al2O3/Ga2O3 superlattices will encourage further development of α-(Al x Ga1‑ x )2O3-based heterostructures including superlattices.

AlGaInN laser diode technology for defence, security and sensing applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Najda, Stephen P.; Perlin, Piotr; Suski, Tadek; Marona, Lucja; Boćkowski, Mike; Leszczyński, Mike; Wisniewski, Przemek; Czernecki, Robert; Kucharski, Robert; Targowski, Grzegorz; Watson, Scott; Kelly, Antony E.

2014-10-01

The latest developments in AlGaInN laser diode technology are reviewed for defence, security and sensing applications. The AlGaInN material system allows for laser diodes to be fabricated over a very wide range of wavelengths from u.v., i.e, 380nm, to the visible, i.e., 530nm, by tuning the indium content of the laser GaInN quantum well. Advantages of using Plasma assisted MBE (PAMBE) compared to more conventional MOCVD epitaxy to grow AlGaInN laser structures are highlighted. Ridge waveguide laser diode structures are fabricated to achieve single mode operation with optical powers of <100mW in the 400-420nm wavelength range that are suitable for telecom applications. Visible light communications at high frequency (up to 2.5 Gbit/s) using a directly modulated 422nm Gallium-nitride (GaN) blue laser diode is reported. High power operation of AlGaInN laser diodes is demonstrated with a single chip, AlGaInN laser diode `mini-array' with a common p-contact configuration at powers up to 2.5W cw at 410nm. Low defectivity and highly uniform GaN substrates allow arrays and bars of nitride lasers to be fabricated. GaN laser bars of up to 5mm with 20 emitters, mounted in a CS mount package, give optical powers up to 4W cw at ~410nm with a common contact configuration. An alternative package configuration for AlGaInN laser arrays allows for each individual laser to be individually addressable allowing complex free-space and/or fibre optic system integration within a very small form-factor.or.

Surface segregation and the Al problem in GaAs quantum wells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chung, Yoon Jang; Baldwin, K. W.; West, K. W.; Shayegan, M.; Pfeiffer, L. N.

2018-03-01

Low-defect two-dimensional electron systems (2DESs) are essential for studies of fragile many-body interactions that only emerge in nearly-ideal systems. As a result, numerous efforts have been made to improve the quality of modulation-doped AlxGa1 -xAs /GaAs quantum wells (QWs), with an emphasis on purifying the source material of the QW itself or achieving better vacuum in the deposition chamber. However, this approach overlooks another crucial component that comprises such QWs, the AlxGa1 -xAs barrier. Here we show that having a clean Al source and hence a clean barrier is instrumental to obtain a high-quality GaAs 2DES in a QW. We observe that the mobility of the 2DES in GaAs QWs declines as the thickness or Al content of the AlxGa1 -xAs barrier beneath the QW is increased, which we attribute to the surface segregation of oxygen atoms that originate from the Al source. This conjecture is supported by the improved mobility in the GaAs QWs as the Al cell is cleaned out by baking.

High-speed directly modulated widely tunable two-section InGaAlAs DBR lasers.

PubMed

Zhou, Daibing; Liang, Song; Zhao, Lingjuan; Zhu, Hongliang; Wang, Wei

2017-02-06

We report widely tunable two-section distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) lasers, which have InGaAlAs multiple quantum wells (MQWs) as the gain material. By butt-jointing InGaAsP, which has a photoluminescence wavelength of 1.4 μm as the material of the DBR section, a wavelength tuning range of 12 nm can be obtained by current injection into the DBR section. The direct modulation bandwidth of the lasers is greater than 10 GHz over the entire wavelength tuning range up to 40°C. Compared with InGaAsP DBR lasers having the same structure, the InGaAlAs lasers have smaller variations in both the threshold current and slope efficiency with the temperature because of the better electron confinement in the InGaAlAs MQWs. Moreover, the DBR-current-induced decreases in the modulation bandwidth and side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) of the optical spectra are notably smaller for the InGaAlAs lasers than for the InGaAsP lasers.

Growth and Characterization of Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Oxide Thin Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghose, Susmita

Wide bandgap semiconductors are receiving extensive attention due to their exceptional physical and chemical properties making them useful for high efficiency and high power electronic devices. Comparing other conventional wide bandgap materials, monoclinic beta-Ga2O3 also represents an outstanding semiconductor oxide for next generation of UV optoelectronics and high temperature sensors due to its wide band gap ( 4.9eV). This new semiconductor material has higher breakdown voltage (8MV/cm) and n-type conductivity which make it more suitable for potential application as high power electronics. The properties and potential applications of these wide bandgap materials have not yet fully explored. In this study, the growth and characterization of single crystal beta-Ga2O3 thin films grown on c-plane sapphire (Al2O3) substrate using two different techniques; molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and pulsed laser deposition (PLD) techniques has been investigated. The influence of the growth parameters of MBE and PLD on crystalline quality and surface has been explored. Two methods have been used to grow Ga2O3 using MBE; one method is to use elemental Ga and the second is the use of a polycrystalline Ga2O3 compound source with and without an oxygen source. Using the elemental Ga source, growth rate of beta-Ga2O3 thin films was limited due to the formation and desorption of Ga2O molecules. In order to mitigate this problem, a compound Ga2O3 source has been introduced and used for the growth of crystalline beta-Ga2O 3 thin films without the need for additional oxygen since this source produces Ga-O molecules and additional oxygen. Two different alloys (InGa) 2O3 and (AlGa)2O3 has been grown on c-plane sapphire substrate by pulsed laser deposition technique to tune the bandgap of the oxide thin films from 3.5-8.6 eV suitable for applications such as wavelength-tunable optical devices, solid-state lighting and high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). The crystallinity, chemical bonding, surface morphology and optical properties have been systematically evaluated by a number of in-situ and ex-situ techniques. The crystalline Ga2O 3 films showed pure phase of (2¯01) plane orientation and in-plane XRD phi-scan exhibited the six-fold rotational symmetry for beta-Ga 2O3 when grown on sapphire substrate. The alloys exhibit different phases has been stabilized depending on the compositions. Finally, a metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) structure deep-ultraviolet (DUV) photodetector has been fabricated on beta-Ga2O3 film grown with an optimized growth condition has been demonstrated. This photodetector exhibited high resistance as well as small dark current with expected photoresponse for 254 nm UV light irradiation suggesting beta-Ga2O3 thin films as a potential candidate for deep-UV photodetectors. While the grown Ga2O3 shows high resistivity, the electrical properties of (In0.6Ga0.4)2O3 and (In 0.8Ga0.2)2O3 alloys show low resistivity with a high carrier concentration and increasing mobility with In content.

Role of Ga particulates on the structure and optical properties of Y3(Al,Ga)5O12:Tb thin films prepared by PLD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yousif, A.; Duvenhage, M. M.; Ntwaeaborwa, O. M.; Swart, H. C.

2018-04-01

Y3(Al,Ga)5O12:Tb thin films (70 nm) have been prepared by pulsed laser deposition on a Si (100) substrate at the substrate temperature of 300 °C. The effect of annealing time on the structural, morphological and luminescence properties of Y3(Al,Ga)5O12:Tb thin films at 800 °C were studied. The crystal structure of the samples was studied by X- ray diffraction (XRD) and showed shifts in the peak positions to lower diffraction angles for the annealed film compared to the XRD peak positions of the commercial Y3(Al,Ga)5O12:Tb powder. A new excitation band different from the original Y3(Al,Ga)5O12:Tb powder was also observed for the annealed films. The shift in the XRD pattern and the new excitation band for the annealed film suggested that the films were enriched with Ga after annealing.

Design of Al-rich AlGaN quantum well structures for efficient UV emitters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Funato, Mitsuru; Ichikawa, Shuhei; Kumamoto, Kyosuke; Kawakami, Yoichi

2017-02-01

The effects of the structure design of AlGaN-based quantum wells (QWs) on the optical properties are discussed. We demonstrate that to achieve efficient emission in the germicidal wavelength range (250 - 280 nm), AlxGa1-xN QWs in an AlyGa1-yN matrix (x < y) is quite effective, compared with those in an AlN matrix: Time-resolved photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence spectroscopies show that the AlyGa1-yN matrix can enhance the radiative recombination process and can prevent misfit dislocations, which act as non-radiative recombination centers, from being induced in the QW interface. As a result, the emission intensity at room temperature is about 2.7 times larger for the AlxGa1-xN QW in the AlyGa1-yN matrix than that in the AlN matrix. We also point out that further reduction of point defects is crucial to achieve an even higher emission efficiency.

Oxygen-induced high diffusion rate of magnesium dopants in GaN/AlGaN based UV LED heterostructures.

PubMed

Michałowski, Paweł Piotr; Złotnik, Sebastian; Sitek, Jakub; Rosiński, Krzysztof; Rudziński, Mariusz

2018-05-23

Further development of GaN/AlGaN based optoelectronic devices requires optimization of the p-type material growth process. In particular, uncontrolled diffusion of Mg dopants may decrease the performance of a device. Thus it is meaningful to study the behavior of Mg and the origins of its diffusion in detail. In this work we have employed secondary ion mass spectrometry to study the diffusion of magnesium in GaN/AlGaN structures. We show that magnesium has a strong tendency to form Mg-H complexes which immobilize Mg atoms and restrain their diffusion. However, these complexes are not present in samples post-growth annealed in an oxygen atmosphere or Al-rich AlGaN structures which naturally have a high oxygen concentration. In these samples, more Mg atoms are free to diffuse and thus the average diffusion length is considerably larger than for a sample annealed in an inert atmosphere.

Investigation of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs degradation with gate pulse stressing at cryogenic temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ning; Wang, Hui; Lin, Xinpeng; Qi, Yongle; Duan, Tianli; Jiang, Lingli; Iervolino, Elina; Cheng, Kai; Yu, Hongyu

2017-09-01

Degradation on DC characteristics of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) after applying pulsed gate stress at cryogenic temperatures is presented in this paper. The nitrogen vacancy near to the AlGaN/GaN interface leads to threshold voltage of stress-free sample shifting positively at low temperature. The anomalous behavior of threshold voltage variation (decrease first and then increase) under gate stressing as compared to stress-free sample is observed when lowing temperature. This can be correlated with the pre-existing electron traps in SiNX layer or at SiNX/AlGaN interface which can be de-activated and the captured electrons inject back to channel with lowering temperature, which counterbalances the influence of nitrogen vacancy on threshold voltage shift.

Characterization of multilayer GaAs/AlGaAs transistor structures by variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Merkel, Kenneth G.; Snyder, Paul G.; Woollam, John A.; Alterovitz, Samuel; Rai, A. K.

1989-01-01

Variable angle of incidence spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE) has been implemented as a means of determining layer thickness, alloy composition, and growth quality of GaAs/AlGaAs samples composed of relatively thick layers as well as superlattices. The structures studied in this work contained GaAs/AlGaAs multilayers with a superlattice 'barrier' and were grown for later formation of modulation-doped field effect transistors (MODFETs). Sample modeling was performed by treating the superlattice as a bulk AlGaAs layer of unknown composition. Extremely good data fits were realized when five layer thicknesses and two alloy ratios were allowed to vary in a regression analysis. Room temperature excitonic effects associated with the e-hh(1), e-lh(1) and e-hh(2) transitions were observed in the VASE data.

Growth of quaternary InAlGaN barrier with ultrathin thickness for HEMT application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zhonghui; Li, Chuanhao; Peng, Daqing; Zhang, Dongguo; Dong, Xun; Pan, Lei; Luo, Weike; Li, Liang; Yang, Qiankun

2018-06-01

Quaternary InAlGaN barriers with thickness of 7 nm for HEMT application were grown on 3-inch semi-insulating 4H-SiC substrates by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Focused on growth mechanism of the InAlGaN barrier, the surface morphology and characteristics of InAlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructures were studied with different growth parameters, including the temperature, Al/Ga ratio and chamber pressure. Among the as-grown samples, high electron mobility is consistent with smooth surface morphology, while high crystalline quality of the quaternary barrier is confirmed by measurements of Photoluminescence (PL) and Mercury-probe Capacity-Voltage (C-V). The recommended heterostructures without SiN passivation is characterized by mobility of 1720 cm2/(V·s), 2DEG density of 1.71*1013 cm-2, sheet resistance of about 210 Ω/□ with a smooth surface morphology and moderate tensile state, specially applied for microwave devices.

Degradation mechanisms of 2 MeV proton irradiated AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Greenlee, Jordan D., E-mail: jordan.greenlee.ctr@nrl.navy.mil; Anderson, Travis J.; Koehler, Andrew D.

2015-08-24

Proton-induced damage in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs was investigated using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and simulated using a Monte Carlo technique. The results were correlated to electrical degradation using Hall measurements. It was determined by EDS that the interface between GaN and AlGaN in the irradiated HEMT was broadened by 2.2 nm, as estimated by the width of the Al EDS signal compared to the as-grown interface. The simulation results show a similar Al broadening effect. The extent of interfacial roughening was examined using high resolution TEM. At a 2 MeV proton fluence of 6 × 10{sup 14} H{supmore » +}/cm{sup 2}, the electrical effects associated with the Al broadening and surface roughening include a degradation of the ON-resistance and a decrease in the electron mobility and 2DEG sheet carrier density by 28.9% and 12.1%, respectively.« less

Use of a bilayer lattice-matched AlInGaN barrier for improving the channel carrier confinement of enhancement-mode AlInGaN/GaN hetero-structure field-effect transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahbardar Mojaver, Hassan; Gosselin, Jean-Lou; Valizadeh, Pouya

2017-06-01

A quaternary lattice-matched layer structure based on employing a bilayer barrier for improving the carrier confinement in the channel of enhancement-mode metal-face c-plane wurtzite AlInGaN/GaN hetero-structure field effect transistors (HFETs) is for the first time proposed. Using the commercial self-consistent Poisson-Schrödinger solver Nextnano, electronic properties of the proposed hetero-structure, including the sheet charge density and carrier confinement on the GaN side of the hetero-interface, are evaluated. Based on these evaluations, it is shown that while the proposed layer structure substantially improves the carrier confinement in the GaN channel layer, it also upholds the merits of employing a lattice-matched barrier towards achieving an enhancement-mode operation (i.e., in the absence of the piezoelectric effect). According to these simulations, in terms of maintaining the required positive threshold-voltage for the enhancement-mode operation, it is also shown that the proposed layer structure substantially outperforms the quaternary AlInGaN/GaN HFETs employing a thin AlN spacer layer.

Hydrogenation of GaAs covered by GaAlAs and subgrain boundary passivation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Djemel, A.; Castaing, J.; Chevallier, J.; Henoc, P.

1992-12-01

Cathodoluminescence (CL) has been performed to study the influence of hydrogen on electronic properties of GaAs with and without a GaAlAs layer. Recombination at sub-boundaries has been examined. These extended defects have been introduced by high temperature plastic deformation. The results show that they are passivated by hydrogen. The penetration of hydrogen is slowed down by the GaAlAs layer. La cathodoluminescence (CL) a été utilisée pour étudier l'influence de l'hydrogène sur les propriétés électroniques de GaAs nu et recouvert d'une couche de GaAlAs. Le caractère recombinant des sous-joints de grains a été examiné. Ces défauts étendus ont été introduits par déformation plastique à chaud. Les résultats montrent que l'hydrogène passive ces défauts. La pénétration de l'hydrogène à l'intérieur de GaAs est retardée par la présence de la couche de GaAlAs.

Heteroepitaxial growth of ɛ-(AlxGa1-x)2O3 alloy films on c-plane AlN templates by mist chemical vapor deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tahara, Daisuke; Nishinaka, Hiroyuki; Morimoto, Shota; Yoshimoto, Masahiro

2018-04-01

In this study, ɛ-(AlxGa1-x)2O3 alloy films were grown on c-plane AlN templates by mist chemical vapor deposition. The Al content of two samples was determined by Rutherford backscattering analysis. The lattice constant of the ɛ-(AlxGa1-x)2O3 alloy films followed Vegard's law, and the Al contents of other samples were determined to be as high as x = 0.395 by Vegard's law. The direct bandgap was obtained in the range of 5.0-5.9 eV by transmittance measurements. The valence-band offset between ɛ-(Al0.395Ga0.605)2O3 and ɛ-Ga2O3 was analyzed to be 0.2 eV, and the conduction-band offset was calculated to be 0.7 eV by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The ɛ-(AlxGa1-x)2O3/ɛ-Ga2O3 interface band discontinuity was type I. Our experimental results will be important for the actual application of ɛ-(AlxGa1-x)2O3/ɛ-Ga2O3 heterojunction devices.

GaSb superluminescent diodes with broadband emission at 2.55 μm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zia, Nouman; Viheriälä, Jukka; Koivusalo, Eero; Virtanen, Heikki; Aho, Antti; Suomalainen, Soile; Guina, Mircea

2018-01-01

We report the development of superluminescent diodes (SLDs) emitting mW-level output power in a broad spectrum centered at a wavelength of 2.55 μm. The emitting structure consists of two compressively strained GaInAsSb/GaSb-quantum wells placed within a lattice-matched AlGaAsSb waveguide. An average output power of more than 3 mW and a peak power of 38 mW are demonstrated at room temperature under pulsed operation. A cavity suppression element is used to prevent lasing at high current injection allowing emission in a broad spectrum with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 124 nm. The measured far-field of the SLD confirms a good beam quality at different currents. These devices open further development possibilities in the field of spectroscopy, enabling, for example, detection of complex molecules and mixtures of gases that manifest a complex absorption spectrum over a broad spectral range.

Doping of epitaxial III-V semiconductors for optoelectronic and magnetoelectronic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Overberg, Mark Eddy

Doped III-V semiconducting materials were studied in this dissertation for use in optoelectronic and magnetoelectronic applications. The specific areas of use are emitters for fiber optic communication and room temperature ferromagnetic layers for spintronic devices. The general requirement for both application areas is the ability to heavily dope (or alloy) the III-Vs with the intended active element, while still maintaining good crystallinity and semiconducting properties. Four dopant/semiconductor systems were investigated: erbium in gallium nitride (GaN:Er), europium in gallium nitride (GaN:Eu), manganese in gallium nitride (GaMnN), and manganese in gallium phosphide (GaMnP). These materials were fabricated using variants of the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) technique, where beams of the constituent elements are produced in a high vacuum environment. The technique allows for a wide variety of parameters to be adjusted during the material preparation. The materials were deposited on sapphire, gallium nitride, and gallium phosphide surfaces; with particular emphasis on the correlation between growth conditions and the final chemical, structural, morphological, electronic, optical, and magnetic properties. The materials were characterized using a variety of techniques. Results with the GaN:Er material indicated that several percent of Er could be successfully incorporated into the material, and that the optical emission could be increased by incorporating C impurities into the film. These impurities were found to increase the overall emission and decrease the quenching of the emission with temperature. Optical emission results for GaN:Eu indicated that this material produced a visible red emission that was brighter under optical excitation than the AlGaAs used in commercial red emitting devices. The dilute magnetic semiconductors n-GaMnN and p-GaMnP were produced for the first time by the MBE technique. The SQUID magnetometry and magnetotransport results for n-GaMnN indicated the presence of ferromagnetic ordering with a Curie temperature between 20 K and 25 K. Magnetic measurements of the p-GaMnP indicated the presence of ferromagnetic ordering to 250 K, far above the theoretically predicted value of 100 K. Similar results were also produced by the direct implantation of Mn into GaP.

Improved mobility in InAlN/AlGaN two-dimensional electron gas heterostructures with an atomically smooth heterointerface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hosomi, Daiki; Miyachi, Yuta; Egawa, Takashi; Miyoshi, Makoto

2018-04-01

We attempted to improve the mobility of InAlN/AlGaN two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) heterostructures by achieving an atomically smooth heterointerface in metalorganic chemical vapor deposition processes. In the result, it was confirmed that the high-growth-rate AlGaN layer was very effective to improve the surface morphology. The atomically smooth surface morphology with a root-mean-square roughness of 0.26 nm was achieved for an Al0.15Ga0.85N layer under the growth rate of approximately 6 µm/h. Furthermore, nearly lattice-matched In0.17Al0.83N/Al0.15Ga0.85N 2DEG heterostructures with the atomically smooth heterointerface exhibited a 2DEG mobility of 242 cm2 V-1 s-1 with a 2DEG density of 2.6 × 1013/cm2, which was approximately 1.5 times larger than the mobility in a sample grown under original conditions.

An elegant route to overcome fundamentally-limited light extraction in AlGaN deep-ultraviolet light-emitting diodes: Preferential outcoupling of strong in-plane emission

PubMed Central

Lee, Jong Won; Kim, Dong Yeong; Park, Jun Hyuk; Schubert, E. Fred; Kim, Jungsub; Lee, Jinsub; Kim, Yong-Il; Park, Youngsoo; Kim, Jong Kyu

2016-01-01

While there is an urgent need for semiconductor-based efficient deep ultraviolet (DUV) sources, the efficiency of AlGaN DUV light-emitting diodes (LEDs) remains very low because the extraction of DUV photons is significantly limited by intrinsic material properties of AlGaN. Here, we present an elegant approach based on a DUV LED having multiple mesa stripes whose inclined sidewalls are covered by a MgF2/Al omni-directional mirror to take advantage of the strongly anisotropic transverse-magnetic polarized emission pattern of AlGaN quantum wells. The sidewall-emission-enhanced DUV LED breaks through the fundamental limitations caused by the intrinsic properties of AlGaN, thus shows a remarkable improvement in light extraction as well as operating voltage. Furthermore, an analytic model is developed to understand and precisely estimate the extraction of DUV photons from AlGaN DUV LEDs, and hence to provide promising routes for maximizing the power conversion efficiency. PMID:26935402

An elegant route to overcome fundamentally-limited light extraction in AlGaN deep-ultraviolet light-emitting diodes: Preferential outcoupling of strong in-plane emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jong Won; Kim, Dong Yeong; Park, Jun Hyuk; Schubert, E. Fred; Kim, Jungsub; Lee, Jinsub; Kim, Yong-Il; Park, Youngsoo; Kim, Jong Kyu

2016-03-01

While there is an urgent need for semiconductor-based efficient deep ultraviolet (DUV) sources, the efficiency of AlGaN DUV light-emitting diodes (LEDs) remains very low because the extraction of DUV photons is significantly limited by intrinsic material properties of AlGaN. Here, we present an elegant approach based on a DUV LED having multiple mesa stripes whose inclined sidewalls are covered by a MgF2/Al omni-directional mirror to take advantage of the strongly anisotropic transverse-magnetic polarized emission pattern of AlGaN quantum wells. The sidewall-emission-enhanced DUV LED breaks through the fundamental limitations caused by the intrinsic properties of AlGaN, thus shows a remarkable improvement in light extraction as well as operating voltage. Furthermore, an analytic model is developed to understand and precisely estimate the extraction of DUV photons from AlGaN DUV LEDs, and hence to provide promising routes for maximizing the power conversion efficiency.

Defect observations of Ni/AlGaN/GaN Schottky contacts on Si substrates using scanning internal photoemission microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shiojima, Kenji; Konishi, Hiroaki; Imadate, Hiroyoshi; Yamaoka, Yuya; Matsumoto, Kou; Egawa, Takashi

2018-04-01

We have demonstrated the use of scanning internal photoemission microscopy (SIPM) to characterize crystal defects in an AlGaN/GaN heterostructure grown on Si substrates. SIPM enabled the visualization of unusually grown regions owing to cracking of the Si substrates. In these regions, photocurrent was large, which was consistent with leaky current-voltage characteristics. We also found smaller photoyield regions, which may originate from the Al-rich AlGaN regions on hillocks. We confirmed the usefulness of SIPM for investigating the inhomogeneity of crystal quality and electrical characteristics from macroscopic viewpoints.

Studies on the InAlN/InGaN/InAlN/InGaN double channel heterostructures with low sheet resistance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yachao; Wang, Zhizhe; Xu, Shengrui; Chen, Dazheng; Bao, Weimin; Zhang, Jinfeng; Zhang, Jincheng; Hao, Yue

2017-11-01

High quality InAlN/InGaN/InAlN/InGaN double channel heterostructures were proposed and grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition. Benefiting from the adoption of the pulsed growth method and Two-Step AlN interlayer, the material quality and interface characteristics of the double channel heterostructures are satisfactory. The results of the temperature-dependent Hall effect measurement indicated that the transport properties of the double channel heterostructures were superior to those of the traditional single channel heterostructures in the whole test temperature range. Meanwhile, the sheet resistance of the double channel heterostructures reached 218.5 Ω/□ at 300 K, which is the record of InGaN-based heterostructures. The good transport properties of the InGaN double channel heterostructures are beneficial to improve the performance of the microwave power devices based on nitride semiconductors.

Hf and Nd Isotope Evidence for Production of an Incompatible Trace Element Enriched Crustal Reservoir in Early Earth (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandon, A. D.; Debaille, V.; Lapen, T. J.

2010-12-01

The final significant stage of accretion of the Earth was likely a collision between proto-Earth and a Mars sized impactor that formed the Moon. This event is thought to have produced enough thermal energy to melt all or most of the Earth, with a consequent magma ocean (MO). During subsequent cooling, the Earth would have formed its protocrust and corresponding mantle lithosphere, consisting of solidified basalt-komatiitic melt, in combination with buoyant cumulates and late stage residual melts from the MO. Relative to the convecting mantle, portions of this protolithosphere are likely to have been enriched in incompatible trace elements (ITE) in sufficient quantities to contain a significant amount of the bulk Earth’s budget for rare earth elements, U, Th, and Hf. If the protolithosphere was negatively buoyant, it may have overturned at or near the final stages of MO crystallization and a significant portion of that material may have been transported into the deep mantle where it resided and remixed into the convecting mantle over Earth history [1,2]. If the protolithosphere remained positively buoyant, its crust would have likely begun to erode from surface processes, and subsequently recycled back into the mantle over time as sediment and altered crust, once a subduction mechanism arose. The Nd and Hf isotopic compositions of Earth’s earliest rocks support the idea that an early-formed ITE-enriched reservoir was produced. The maxima in 142Nd/144Nd for 3.85 to 3.64 Ga rocks from Isua, Greenland decreases from +20 ppm to +12 ppm relative to the present day mantle value, respectively [3]. This indicates mixing of an early-formed ITE enriched reservoir back into the convecting mantle. In addition, zircons from the 3.1 Ga Jack Hills conglomerate indicate that material with an enriched 176Lu/177Hf of ~0.02 and an age of 4.4 Ga or greater was present at the Earth’s surface over the first 2 Ga of Earth history, supporting the scenario of a positively buoyant, early-formed ITE-enriched reservoir [4]. This early-formed enriched ITE reservoir is indistinguishable in age and 176Lu/177Hf to those that formed in the Moon and Mars [5,6]. Hence all three terrestrial bodies must have undergone similar early differentiation and each formed and sustained their requisite early-formed ITE-enriched reservoirs at or near their surfaces. For all three terrestrial bodies, their early-formed ITE-enriched reservoirs appear to be the result of solidification of late stage residual liquids from their respective MO’s at or prior to 4.4 Ga. In Earth, mixing of an early-formed ITE-enriched reservoir back into the mantle likely occurred back into the convecting mantle at or before 3.9 Ga. For the Moon and Mars, the lack of plate tectonics preserved their early-formed ITE-enriched lithospheric reservoirs. [1] Tolstikhin and Hofmann, PEPI (2005) 148, 109. [2] Boyet and Carlson, Science (2005) 309, 576. [3] Bennett et al., Science (2007) 218, 1907. [3] Kemp et al., EPSL (2010) 296, 45. [5] Taylor et al. (2009) 279, 157. [6] Lapen et al., Science (2010) 328, 347.

Element-resolved Kikuchi pattern measurements of non-centrosymmetric materials

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vos, Maarten, E-mail: maarten.vos@anu.edu.au

2017-01-15

Angle-resolved electron Rutherford backscattering (ERBS) measurements using an electrostatic electron energy analyser can provide unique access to element-resolved crystallographic information. We present Kikuchi pattern measurements of the non-centrosymmetric crystal GaP, separately resolving the contributions of electrons backscattered from Ga and P. In comparison to element-integrated measurements like in the method of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), the effect of the absence of a proper 4-fold rotation axis in the point group of GaP can be sensed with a much higher visibility via the element-resolved Ga to P intensity ratio. These element-resolved measurements make it possible to experimentally attribute the previously observedmore » point-group dependent effect in element-integrated EBSD measurements to the larger contribution of electrons scattered from Ga compared to P. - Highlights: •Element specific Kikuchi patterns are presented for GaP. •Absence of a proper four-fold rotation axis is demonstrated. •Ga and P intensity variations after 90 degree rotation have opposite phase. •The asymmetry in the total intensity distribution resembles that of Ga.« less

Influence of internal electric fields on band gaps in short period GaN/GaAlN and InGaN/GaN polar superlattices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorczyca, I.; Skrobas, K.; Suski, T.; Christensen, N. E.; Svane, A.

2015-08-01

The electronic structures of short period mGaN/nGayAl1-yN and mInyGa1-yN/nGaN superlattices grown along the wurtzite c axis have been calculated for different alloy compositions y and various small numbers m of well- and n of barrier-monolayers. The general trends in gap behavior can, to a large extent, be related to the strength of the internal electric field, E, in the GaN and InGaN quantum wells. In the GaN/GaAlN superlattices, E reaches 4 MV/cm, while in the InGaN/GaN superlattices, values as high as E ≈ 6.5 MV/cm are found. The strong electric fields are caused by spontaneous and piezoelectric polarizations, the latter contribution dominating in InGaN/GaN superlattices. The influence of different arrangements of In atoms (indium clustering) on the band gap values in InGaN/GaN superlattices is examined.

Quantified hole concentration in AlGaN nanowires for high-performance ultraviolet emitters.

PubMed

Zhao, Chao; Ebaid, Mohamed; Zhang, Huafan; Priante, Davide; Janjua, Bilal; Zhang, Daliang; Wei, Nini; Alhamoud, Abdullah A; Shakfa, Mohammad Khaled; Ng, Tien Khee; Ooi, Boon S

2018-06-13

p-Type doping in wide bandgap and new classes of ultra-wide bandgap materials has long been a scientific and engineering problem. The challenges arise from the large activation energy of dopants and high densities of dislocations in materials. We report here, a significantly enhanced p-type conduction using high-quality AlGaN nanowires. For the first time, the hole concentration in Mg-doped AlGaN nanowires is quantified. The incorporation of Mg into AlGaN was verified by correlation with photoluminescence and Raman measurements. The open-circuit potential measurements further confirmed the p-type conductivity, while Mott-Schottky experiments measured a hole concentration of 1.3 × 1019 cm-3. These results from photoelectrochemical measurements allow us to design prototype ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) incorporating the AlGaN quantum-disks-in-nanowire and an optimized p-type AlGaN contact layer for UV-transparency. The ∼335 nm LEDs exhibited a low turn-on voltage of 5 V with a series resistance of 32 Ω, due to the efficient p-type doping of the AlGaN nanowires. The bias-dependent Raman measurements further revealed the negligible self-heating of devices. This study provides an attractive solution to evaluate the electrical properties of AlGaN, which is applicable to other wide bandgap nanostructures. Our results are expected to open doors to new applications for wide and ultra-wide bandgap materials.

Recovery of Electron/Proton Radiation-Induced Defects in n+p AlInGaP Solar Cell by Minority-Carrier Injection Annealing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, H. S.; Yamaguchi, M.; Elkins-Daukes, N. J.; Khan, A.; Takamoto, T.; Imaizumi, M.; Ohshima, T.; Itoh, H.

2007-01-01

A high efficient In0.48Ga0.52P/In0.01Ga0.99As/Ge triple junction solar cell has been developed for application in space and terrestrial concentrator PV system [1-3]. Recently, a high conversion efficiency of 31.5% (AM1.5G) has been obtained in InGaP/(In)GaAs/Ge triple junction solar cell, and as a new top cell material of triple junction cells, (Al)InGaP [1] has been proposed to improve the open-circuit voltage (Voc) because it shows a higher Voc of 1.5V while maintaining the same short-circuit current (ISC) as a conventional InGaP top cell under AM1.5G conditions as seen in figure 1 (a). Moreover, the spectral response of 1.96eV AlInGaP cell with a thickness of 2.5..m shows a higher response in the long wavelength region, compared with that of 1.87eV InGaP cell with 0.6..m thickness, as shown in figure 1 (b). Its development will realize next generation multijunction (MJ) solar cells such as a lattice mismatched AlInGaP/InGaAs/Ge 3-junction and lattice matched AlInGaP/GaAs/InGaAsN/Ge 4-junction solar cells. Figure 2 shows the super high-efficiency MJ solar cell structures and wide band spectral response by MJ solar cells under AM1.5G conditions. For realizing high efficient MJ space solar cells, the higher radiation-resistance under the electron or proton irradiation is required. The irradiation studies for a conventional top cell InGaP have been widely done [4-6], but little irradiation work has been performed on AlInGaP solar cells. Recently, we made the first reports of 1 MeV electron or 30 keV proton irradiation effects on AlInGaP solar cells, and evaluated the defects generated by the irradiation [7,8]. The present study describes the recovery of 1 MeV electron / 30 keV proton irradiation-induced defects in n+p- AlInGaP solar cells by minority-carrier injection enhanced annealing or isochronal annealing. The origins of irradiation-induced defects observed by deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) measurements are discussed.

Strain Engineering of Epitaxially Transferred, Ultrathin Layers of III-V Semiconductor on Insulator

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

The structure of the source wafer is shown schematically in Fig. 2a, with both InAs and AlGaSb layers coherently strained to the GaSb 001...is due to the surface plasmon-LO phonon FIG. 2. Color online a The structure of GaSb /AlGaSb/InAs source wafer with an assumed strain state for...insulator layers obtained from an epitaxial transfer process is studied. The as-grown InAs epilayer 10–20 nm thick on the GaSb /AlGaSb source wafer has the

Above room temperature operation of InGaAs/AlGaAs/GaAs quantum cascade lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pierścińska, D.; Gutowski, P.; Hałdaś, G.; Kolek, A.; Sankowska, I.; Grzonka, J.; Mizera, J.; Pierściński, K.; Bugajski, M.

2018-03-01

In this work we report on the performance of mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) based on strained InGaAs/AlGaAs grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs substrate. Structures were grown with indium content from 1% to 6% in GaAs quantum wells (QW) and 45% of Al in AlGaAs barrier layers. The design results in strained heterostructure, however, no strain relaxation was observed as documented by x-ray diffraction measurements up to ∼3% of In content in QWs. The investigation of heterostructures and devices was performed, including structural measurements and electrooptical characterization of devices. Devices fabricated from epi wafers with 2.64% of In exhibited performance largely improved over GaAs/AlGaAs QCLs. Roughly two times reduction of the threshold current density was observed at lasing wavelength ∼9.45 μm. The lasers operated in pulsed mode up to T = 50 °C with characteristic temperature T 0 = 115 K. The decrease of the threshold current density has been mainly attributed to the reduction of interface roughness scattering and the increase of activation energy for the escape of carriers from the upper laser level to the 3D continuum. Further increase of In content in QWs resulted in the deterioration of device parameters.

High kappa Dielectrics on InGaAs and GaN - Growth, Interfacial Structural Studies, and Surface Fermi Level Unpinning

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-04-20

ALD-Al2O3 and in-situ MBE-Al2O3/ Ga2O3 (Gd2O3) [GGO] as the gate dielectrics. The advances of the InGaAs MOSFETs achieved will enable future CMOS...and GaN MOSFETs:  High-performance self-aligned inversion-channel In0.53Ga0.47As and In0.75Ga0.25As MOSFET’s with Al2O3/ Ga2O3 (Gd2O3) as gate... Ga2O3 (Gd2O3) as gate dielectrics Key accomplishments in devices of 1m gate length: High drain current of 1.23 mA/m High transcoductance of 714

Czochralski growth of 2 in. Ca3Ta(Ga,Al)3Si2O14 single crystals for piezoelectric applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshikawa, Akira; Shoji, Yasuhiro; Ohashi, Yuji; Yokota, Yuui; Chani, Valery I.; Kitahara, Masanori; Kudo, Tetsuo; Kamada, Kei; Kurosawa, Shunsuke; Medvedev, Andrey; Kochurikhin, Vladimir

2016-10-01

Growth of 2-in. diameter Al-substituted Ca3TaGa3Si2O14 crystals by Czochralski method is reported. The crystals were grown from the melt of Ca3TaGa1.5Al1.5Si2O14 composition and had langasite structure. No inclusions of secondary phases were detected in these crystals. The Ca3Ta(Ga,Al)3Si2O14 mixed crystals produced using non-substituted Ca3TaGa3Si2O14 seeds were defective. They had cracks and/or poly-crystalline structure. However, those grown on the seed of approximately Ca3TaGa1.5Al1.5Si2O14 composition were defect-free. Phase diagram of the Ca3TaGa3Si2O14-Ca3TaAl3Si2O14 pseudo-binary system and segregation phenomenon are discussed in some details. Homogeneity of the crystals was evaluated by measuring 2D-mapping of leaky surface acoustic wave (LSAW) velocities for Y-cut Ca3TaGa1.5Al1.5Si2O14 substrate. Although some inhomogeneities were observed due to slight variations in chemical composition, the crystal had acceptable homogeneity for applications in acoustic wave devices exhibiting the LSAW velocity variation within ±0.048%.

The effect of different module configurations on the radiation tolerance of multijunction solar cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gee, James M.; Curtis, Henry B.

1988-01-01

The effect of different module configurations on the performance of multijunction (MJ) solar cells in a radiation environment was investigated. Module configuration refers to the electrical circuit in which the subcells of the multijunction cell are wired. Experimental data for AlCaAs, GaAs, InGaAs, and silicon single-junction concentrator cells subjected to 1 MeV electron irradiation was used to calculate the expected performance of AlGaAs/InGaAs, AlGa/silicon, GaAs/InGaAs, and GaAs/silicon Mj concentrator cells. These calculations included independent, series, and voltage-matched configurations. The module configuration was found to have a significant impact on the radiation tolerance characteristic of the MJ cells.

Photocurrent characteristics of metal–AlGaN/GaN Schottky-on-heterojunction diodes induced by GaN interband excitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Xi; Li, Baikui; Chen, Kevin J.; Wang, Jiannong

2018-05-01

The photocurrent characteristics of metal–AlGaN/GaN Schottky-on-heterojunction diodes were investigated. When the photon energy of incident light was larger than the bandgap of GaN but smaller than that of AlGaN, the alternating-current (ac) photocurrent measured using lock-in techniques increased with the chopper frequency. Analyzing the generation and flow processes of photocarriers revealed that the photocurrent induced by GaN interband excitation featured a transient behavior, and its direction reversed when the light excitation was removed. The abnormal dependence of the measured ac photocurrent magnitude on the chopper frequency was explained considering the detection principles of a lock-in amplifier.

Modulating the band structure and sub-bandgap absorption of Co-hyperdoped silicon by co-doping with shallow-level elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Xiao; Fang, Xiuxiu; Wang, Yongyong; Song, Xiaohui; Lu, Zhansheng

2018-06-01

Hyperdoped group-III elements can lower the Fermi energy in the band structures of Co-hyperdoped silicon. When the Co-to-X (X = B, Al, Ga) ratio is 2:1, the intermediate band (IB) in the bandgap includes the Fermi energy and is partially filled by electrons, which is in accordance with the requirement of an IB material. The hyperdoped X atoms can cause the blueshift of the sub-bandgap absorption of the compound compared with the material with no shallow-level elements, which is due to the enlargement of the electronic excitation energy of the Co,X-co-doped silicon.

Doping and compensation in Al-rich AlGaN grown on single crystal AlN and sapphire by MOCVD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bryan, Isaac; Bryan, Zachary; Washiyama, Shun; Reddy, Pramod; Gaddy, Benjamin; Sarkar, Biplab; Breckenridge, M. Hayden; Guo, Qiang; Bobea, Milena; Tweedie, James; Mita, Seiji; Irving, Douglas; Collazo, Ramon; Sitar, Zlatko

2018-02-01

In order to understand the influence of dislocations on doping and compensation in Al-rich AlGaN, thin films were grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on different templates on sapphire and low dislocation density single crystalline AlN. AlGaN grown on AlN exhibited the highest conductivity, carrier concentration, and mobility for any doping concentration due to low threading dislocation related compensation and reduced self-compensation. The onset of self-compensation, i.e., the "knee behavior" in conductivity, was found to depend only on the chemical potential of silicon, strongly indicating the cation vacancy complex with Si as the source of self-compensation. However, the magnitude of self-compensation was found to increase with an increase in dislocation density, and consequently, AlGaN grown on AlN substrates demonstrated higher conductivity over the entire doping range.

The Effect of Plume Impingement on Lithospheric Preservation Beneath the Kenya Rift, East Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamblock, J. M.; Anthony, E. Y.; Chesley, J. T.; Omenda, P. A.

2003-12-01

The Kenya Rift is located at the transition between Archean Tanzanian craton and Proterozoic mobile belt. Currently, discrepancies exist between geochemical and geophysical interpretations of lithospheric preservation in the Kenya Rift. Seismic data show a sharp vertical boundary between low velocity mantle in the axis and higher velocity mantle on the flanks, which is interpreted to reflect lithospheric erosion from the axis (Mechie et al., 1997; Prodehl et al., 1997). However, geochemical data suggest that the lithospheric mantle is intact beneath both the axis and the flanks. Different elemental groups are observed for rocks from Kenya (Hamblock et al., 2003). One group is characterized by elemental concentrations greater than ocean island basalts (OIB), negative K and Sr anomalies, and Lan and Cen greater than 100. These characteristics are found in silica-undersaturated rocks such as nephelinites, basanites, and some alkali basalts from the flank and the axis and are interpreted to represent melting of an enriched lithosphere. A second group is characterized by elemental concentrations less than OIB, a flat overall pattern, and Lan and Cen less than 100. This pattern is found in alkali basalts and hypersthene-normative rocks. The multi-element pattern varies minimally between axis and flank lavas, with axial lavas containing higher concentrations of Ba (Macdonald et al., 2001). Because rocks of both groups are present in the axis and the flanks, lithosphere appears to be intact across the Kenya Rift, and strong lateral contrasts in composition do not exist. Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopes also suggest that ancient lithospheric mantle is present in Kenya and Tanzania (Macdonald et al., 2001; Paslick et al., 1995). A consistent difference between axis and flank is lower La/Yb for axis lavas, indicating that they originate in the spinel stability field. Flank lavas, regardless of their silica saturation, have higher La/Yb and are interpreted to come from garnet peridotite. Discrepancies between geophysical and geochemical data exist for other parts of the East African Rift as well. In the axis of the rift in Tanzania, tomography suggests that upwelling asthenosphere has eroded the lithosphere (Nyblade, 2002). However, gravity models (Simiyu and Keller, 1997, 2001) and the presence of subchondritic 187Os/188Os in spinel and garnet-bearing xenoliths (TRD of 2.6 Ga) suggest that the lithosphere is intact (Chesley et al., 1999). In contrast, for the Tanzanian craton, Os isotopes, gravity, and tomography are consistent with 2.5-2.9 Ga lithosphere existing to depths of 140 km and a broad thermal and geochemical anomaly (plume?) below the lithosphere (Chesley et al., 1999; Owens et al., 2000; Nyblade et al., 2000; Simiyu and Keller, 1997, 2001). In the Sidamo region of Ethiopia, Os isotopes suggest that ancient depleted mantle is present and has been modified by recent melt percolation (Lorand et al., 2003; Reisberg et al., in press). Finally, for Ethiopian flood basalts, element chemistry, petrology, and 3He/4He (Marty et al., 1996; Scarsi and Craig, 1996) indicate a dominant role for plume. Os isotopes (Davies et al., 2003), however, are lower than PUM, indicating that an ancient lithospheric mantle reservoir is present. In order to help resolve the discrepancies between geophysical and geochemical interpretations, we will obtain petrologic and isotopic data for xenoliths and mafic lavas in both east-west and north-south directions. The lavas span a wide range of silica saturation and La/Yb ratios, and thus are intended to represent lithospheric as well as asthenospheric sources.

Screw dislocation-induced growth spirals as emissive exciton localization centers in Al-rich AlGaN/AlN quantum wells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Funato, Mitsuru, E-mail: funato@kuee.kyoto-u.ac.jp; Banal, Ryan G.; Kawakami, Yoichi

2015-11-15

Screw dislocations in Al-rich AlGaN/AlN quantum wells cause growth spirals with an enhanced Ga incorporation, which create potential minima. Although screw dislocations and their surrounding potential minima suggest non-radiative recombination processes within growth spirals, in reality, screw dislocations are not major non-radiative sinks for carriers. Consequently, carriers localized within growth spirals recombine radiatively without being captured by non-radiative recombination centers, resulting in intense emissions from growth spirals.

Eight-band k·p modeling of InAs/InGaAsSb type-II W-design quantum well structures for interband cascade lasers emitting in a broad range of mid infrared

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryczko, K.; Sek, G.; Misiewicz, J.

2013-12-01

Band structure properties of the type-II W-design AlSb/InAs/GaIn(As)Sb/InAs/AlSb quantum wells have been investigated theoretically in a systematic manner and with respect to their use in the active region of interband cascade laser for a broad range of emission in mid infrared between below 3 to beyond 10 μm. Eight-band k.p approach has been utilized to calculate the electronic subbands. The fundamental optical transition energy and the corresponding oscillator strength have been determined in function of the thickness of InAs and GaIn(As)Sb layers and the composition of the latter. There have been considered active structures on two types of relevant substrates, GaSb and InAs, introducing slightly modified strain conditions. Additionally, the effect of external electric field has been taken into account to simulate the conditions occurring in the operational devices. The results show that introducing arsenic as fourth element into the valence band well of the type-II W-design system, and then altering its composition, can efficiently enhance the transition oscillator strength and allow additionally increasing the emission wavelength, which makes this solution prospective for improved performance and long wavelength interband cascade lasers.

Experimental determination of crystal/melt partitioning of Ga and Ge in the system forsterite-anorthite-diopside

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Malvin, D.J.; Drake, M.J.

1987-08-01

The crystal/liquid partitioning of Ga and Ge has been measured experimentally between forsterite, diopside, anorthite and spinel and melts in the pseudoternary system forsterite-anorthite-diopside at one atmosphere pressure and 1300/sup 0/C. Gallium is incompatible with forsterite and diopside, is only slightly incompatible in anorthite, and is highly compatible in spinel. The partition coefficient for Ge is within a factor of two of unity for forsterite, diopside, and anorthite, but Ge is incompatible in spinel (D (Ge) = 0.1). The coefficients for the exchange of Ga and Al and the exchange of Ge and Si between minerals and melts generally aremore » within a factor of two of unity, as it expected from the geochemical coherence of these element pairs in natural samples. The application of these results to the interpretation of natural basaltic and mantle samples from the Earth and basalts from the Moon and the Shergottite Parent Body demonstrates that it is possible to discriminate between different mantle source compositions using Ga/Al and Ge/Si ratios. The Ge variation among lunar mare basalts may be indicative of a heterogeneous lunar mantle. The substantial depletion of Ge in Chassigny relative to the other SNC meteorites may be evidence of either a heterogeneous Shergottite Parent Body (SPB) mantle, or of different geochemical behavior for Ge in the SPB.« less

Eight-band k·p modeling of InAs/InGaAsSb type-II W-design quantum well structures for interband cascade lasers emitting in a broad range of mid infrared

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ryczko, K.; Sęk, G.; Misiewicz, J.

Band structure properties of the type-II W-design AlSb/InAs/GaIn(As)Sb/InAs/AlSb quantum wells have been investigated theoretically in a systematic manner and with respect to their use in the active region of interband cascade laser for a broad range of emission in mid infrared between below 3 to beyond 10 μm. Eight-band k·p approach has been utilized to calculate the electronic subbands. The fundamental optical transition energy and the corresponding oscillator strength have been determined in function of the thickness of InAs and GaIn(As)Sb layers and the composition of the latter. There have been considered active structures on two types of relevant substrates, GaSbmore » and InAs, introducing slightly modified strain conditions. Additionally, the effect of external electric field has been taken into account to simulate the conditions occurring in the operational devices. The results show that introducing arsenic as fourth element into the valence band well of the type-II W-design system, and then altering its composition, can efficiently enhance the transition oscillator strength and allow additionally increasing the emission wavelength, which makes this solution prospective for improved performance and long wavelength interband cascade lasers.« less

Band-Bending of Ga-Polar GaN Interfaced with Al2O3 through Ultraviolet/Ozone Treatment.

PubMed

Kim, Kwangeun; Ryu, Jae Ha; Kim, Jisoo; Cho, Sang June; Liu, Dong; Park, Jeongpil; Lee, In-Kyu; Moody, Baxter; Zhou, Weidong; Albrecht, John; Ma, Zhenqiang

2017-05-24

Understanding the band bending at the interface of GaN/dielectric under different surface treatment conditions is critically important for device design, device performance, and device reliability. The effects of ultraviolet/ozone (UV/O 3 ) treatment of the GaN surface on the energy band bending of atomic-layer-deposition (ALD) Al 2 O 3 coated Ga-polar GaN were studied. The UV/O 3 treatment and post-ALD anneal can be used to effectively vary the band bending, the valence band offset, conduction band offset, and the interface dipole at the Al 2 O 3 /GaN interfaces. The UV/O 3 treatment increases the surface energy of the Ga-polar GaN, improves the uniformity of Al 2 O 3 deposition, and changes the amount of trapped charges in the ALD layer. The positively charged surface states formed by the UV/O 3 treatment-induced surface factors externally screen the effect of polarization charges in the GaN, in effect, determining the eventual energy band bending at the Al 2 O 3 /GaN interfaces. An optimal UV/O 3 treatment condition also exists for realizing the "best" interface conditions. The study of UV/O 3 treatment effect on the band alignments at the dielectric/III-nitride interfaces will be valuable for applications of transistors, light-emitting diodes, and photovoltaics.

Luminescence and luminescence quenching in Gd3(Ga,Al)5O12 scintillators doped with Ce3+.

PubMed

Ogiegło, Joanna M; Katelnikovas, Arturas; Zych, Aleksander; Jüstel, Thomas; Meijerink, Andries; Ronda, Cees R

2013-03-28

The optical properties of gadolinium gallium aluminum garnet, Gd3(Ga,Al)5O12, doped with Ce(3+) are investigated as a function of the Ga/Al ratio, aimed at an improved understanding of the energy flow and luminescence quenching in these materials. A decrease of both the crystal field strength and band gap with increasing content of Ga(3+) is observed and explained by the geometrical influence of Ga(3+) on the crystal field splitting of the 5d level in line with theoretical work of Muñoz-García et al. ( uñoz-García, A. B.; Seijo, L. Phys. Rev. B 2010, 82, 184118 ). Thermal quenching results in shorter decay times as well as reduced emission intensities for all samples in the temperature range from 100 to 500 K. An activation energy for emission quenching is calculated from the data. The band gap of the host is measured upon Ga substitution and the decrease in band gap is related to Ga(3+) substitution into tetrahedral sites after all octahedral sites are occupied in the garnet material. Based on the change in band gap and crystal field splitting, band diagrams can be constructed explaining the low thermal quenching temperatures in the samples with high Ga content. The highest luminescence intensity is found for Gd3(Ga,Al)5O12 with 40% of Al(3+) replaced by Ga(3+).

Comparative analysis of the effects of tantalum doping and annealing on atomic layer deposited (Ta2O5)x(Al2O3)1-x as potential gate dielectrics for GaN/AlxGa1-xN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Partida-Manzanera, T.; Roberts, J. W.; Bhat, T. N.; Zhang, Z.; Tan, H. R.; Dolmanan, S. B.; Sedghi, N.; Tripathy, S.; Potter, R. J.

2016-01-01

This paper describes a method to optimally combine wide band gap Al2O3 with high dielectric constant (high-κ) Ta2O5 for gate dielectric applications. (Ta2O5)x(Al2O3)1-x thin films deposited by thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) on GaN-capped AlxGa1-xN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) structures have been studied as a function of the Ta2O5 molar fraction. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows that the bandgap of the oxide films linearly decreases from 6.5 eV for pure Al2O3 to 4.6 eV for pure Ta2O5. The dielectric constant calculated from capacitance-voltage measurements also increases linearly from 7.8 for Al2O3 up to 25.6 for Ta2O5. The effect of post-deposition annealing in N2 at 600 °C on the interfacial properties of undoped Al2O3 and Ta-doped (Ta2O5)0.12(Al2O3)0.88 films grown on GaN-HEMTs has been investigated. These conditions are analogous to the conditions used for source/drain contact formation in gate-first HEMT technology. A reduction of the Ga-O to Ga-N bond ratios at the oxide/HEMT interfaces is observed after annealing, which is attributed to a reduction of interstitial oxygen-related defects. As a result, the conduction band offsets (CBOs) of the Al2O3/GaN-HEMT and (Ta2O5)0.16(Al2O3)0.84/GaN-HEMT samples increased by ˜1.1 eV to 2.8 eV and 2.6 eV, respectively, which is advantageous for n-type HEMTs. The results demonstrate that ALD of Ta-doped Al2O3 can be used to control the properties of the gate dielectric, allowing the κ-value to be increased, while still maintaining a sufficient CBO to the GaN-HEMT structure for low leakage currents.

Electronic and optical properties of GaN/AlN quantum dots with adjacent threading dislocations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Han; Lu, Peng-Fei; Yu, Zhong-Yuan; Yao, Wen-Jie; Chen, Zhi-Hui; Jia, Bo-Yong; Liu, Yu-Min

2010-04-01

We present a theory to simulate a coherent GaN QD with an adjacent pure edge threading dislocation by using a finite element method. The piezoelectric effects and the strain modified band edges are investigated in the framework of multi-band k · p theory to calculate the electron and the heavy hole energy levels. The linear optical absorption coefficients corresponding to the interband ground state transition are obtained via the density matrix approach and perturbation expansion method. The results indicate that the strain distribution of the threading dislocation affects the electronic structure. Moreover, the ground state transition behaviour is also influenced by the position of the adjacent threading dislocation.

Direct observation of trapped charges under field-plate in p-GaN gate AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors by electric field-induced optical second-harmonic generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katsuno, Takashi; Manaka, Takaaki; Soejima, Narumasa; Iwamoto, Mitsumasa

2017-02-01

Trapped charges underneath the field-plate (FP) in a p-gallium nitride (GaN) gate AlGaN/ GaN high electron mobility transistor device were visualized by using electric field-induced optical second-harmonic generation imaging. Second-harmonic (SH) signals in the off-state of the device with FP indicated that the electric field decreased at the p-GaN gate edge and concentrated at the FP edge. Nevertheless, SH signals originating from trapped charges were slightly observed at the p-GaN gate edge and were not observed at the FP edge in the on-state. Compared with the device without FP, reduction of trapped charges at the p-GaN gate edge of the device with FP is attributed to attenuation of the electric field with the aid of the FP. Negligible trapped charges at the FP edge is owing to lower trap density of the SiO2/AlGaN interface at the FP edge compared with that of the SiO2/p-GaN sidewall interface at the p-GaN gate edge and attenuated electric field by the thickness of the SiO2 passivation layer on the AlGaN surface.

187Re- 187Os Nuclear Geochronometry: Dating Peridotitic Diamond Sulphide Inclusions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roller, Goetz

2015-04-01

Nuclear geochronometry [1-2] is a new dating method which combines principles of geochronology with nuclear astrophysics. It is embedded in other scientific fields like cosmochemistry, cosmology and nuclear theory, which pose tight constraints for nuclear geochronometry. It is based upon identified Re/Os element ratios ˜ 1, interpreted as the nuclear production ratio, and ultra-subchondritic initial 187Os/188Os ratios within terrestrial rocks, suggesting that Earth's core still contains element ratios and isotopic signatures of at least two rapid (r) neutron-capture process [3] events. The 13.78 Ga old component, represented by the isotopic signature of a komatiitic basalt [5085 BasKom] [4] from the Barberton Greenstone Belt (Onverwacht Group, South Africa), is assigned to the Earth's inner core. The other isotopic signatures identified so far within pyroxenites / komatiites are assigned to its outer core due to at least one gravitational collapse of the old component, commencing ˜ 3.48 Ga [2] and resulting in one or more additional r-process event(s). Here I show that 187Re-187Os nuclear geochronometry can also be successfully applied for dating peridotitic diamond sulphide inclusions by means of two-point-isochrones (TPI), using a so-called nuclear geochronometer always as the second data point in a TPI diagram. It turns out that the method may have a huge potential to constrain the chemical evolution of the SCLM. For example, TPI ages for Ellendale (Australia) peridotitic diamond sulphide inclusions EL50, EL23, EL54-1, EL54-3, EL55-1 and EL65 reported in the literature [5] reveal at least two main fractionation events. The age cluster between 1.4 Ga and 1.5 Ga is consistent with a previously reported isochrone age [5]. The event ˜ 2.3 ± 0.3 Ga overlaps the Great Oxidation Event (GOE) between 2.22 Ga and 2.46 Ga. While the ˜ 1.4 Ga to 1.5 Ga events lead to fractionation of the 187Re/188Os ratios towards values typical for mantle peridotite, the latter caused only minor disturbance of the 187Re/188Os nuclear production ratio assigned to the outer core. It cannot be excluded that a major change in oxygen/sulfur fugacitiy across the core - mantle boundary (CMB), coincident with the GOE, is responsible for the 187Re/188Os fractionation of the EL50 sample. Because of its minor degree of fractionation, EL50 can still be used as a so-called fractionated chronometer for dating those Ellendale peridotitic diamond sulphide inclusions, which do not show open system behaviour. Whether the ˜ 1.4 Ga to 1.5 Ga fractionation events are due to an even more pronounced change in oxygen and/or sulfur fugacities across the CMB, within the mantle or, alternatively/additionally, reworking of the mantle because of mantle convection and/or subduction of oceanic crust, remains an open question. This question will be addressed in future studies. [1] Roller (2014), GSA Abstr. with Programs, 46, 323. [2] Roller (2014), Abstract S51B-4444, Fall Meeting, AGU 2014. [3] Burbidge et al. (1957) Revs. Mod. Phys. 29, 547 - 650. [4] Birck et al. (1994), EPSL 124, 139 - 148. [5] Smit et al. (2010) GCA 74, 3292 - 3306.

A model for Nb-Zr-REE-Ga enrichment in Lopingian altered alkaline volcanic ashes: Key evidence of H-O isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dai, Shifeng; Nechaev, Victor P.; Chekryzhov, Igor Yu.; Zhao, Lixin; Vysotskiy, Sergei V.; Graham, Ian; Ward, Colin R.; Ignatiev, Alexander V.; Velivetskaya, Tatyana A.; Zhao, Lei; French, David; Hower, James C.

2018-03-01

Clay-altered volcanic ash with highly-elevated concentrations of Nb(Ta), Zr(Hf), rare earth elements (REE), and Ga, is a new type of critical metal deposit with high commercial prospects that has been discovered in Yunnan Province, southwest China. Previous studies showed that the volcanic ashes had been subjected to hydrothermal fluids, the nature of which, however, is not clear. Here we show that the volcanic ashes were originated from alkaline magmatism, followed by a continuous hydrothermal-weathering process. Heated meteoric waters, which were sourced from acidic rains and mixed with CO2 from degassing of the Emeishan plume, have caused partial, but widespread, acidic leaching of Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf, REE, and Ga into ground water and residual enrichment of these elements, along with Al and Ti, in the deeply altered rocks. Subsequent alteration occurring under cooler, neutral or alkaline conditions, caused by water-rock interaction, resulted in precipitation of the leached critical metals in the deposit. Polymetallic mineralization of similar origin may be found in other continental regions subjected to explosive alkaline volcanism associated with deep weathering in humid conditions.

Ab initio velocity-field curves in monoclinic β-Ga2O3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, Krishnendu; Singisetti, Uttam

2017-07-01

We investigate the high-field transport in monoclinic β-Ga2O3 using a combination of ab initio calculations and full band Monte Carlo (FBMC) simulation. Scattering rate calculation and the final state selection in the FBMC simulation use complete wave-vector (both electron and phonon) and crystal direction dependent electron phonon interaction (EPI) elements. We propose and implement a semi-coarse version of the Wannier-Fourier interpolation method [Giustino et al., Phys. Rev. B 76, 165108 (2007)] for short-range non-polar optical phonon (EPI) elements in order to ease the computational requirement in FBMC simulation. During the interpolation of the EPI, the inverse Fourier sum over the real-space electronic grids is done on a coarse mesh while the unitary rotations are done on a fine mesh. This paper reports the high field transport in monoclinic β-Ga2O3 with deep insight into the contribution of electron-phonon interactions and velocity-field characteristics for electric fields ranging up to 450 kV/cm in different crystal directions. A peak velocity of 2 × 107 cm/s is estimated at an electric field of 200 kV/cm.

Simulation study on AlGaN/GaN diode with Γ-shaped anode for ultra-low turn-on voltage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zeheng; Chen, Wanjun; Wang, Fangzhou; Cao, Jun; Sun, Ruize; Ren, Kailin; Luo, Yi; Guo, Songnan; Wang, Zirui; Jin, Xiaosheng; Yang, Lei; Zhang, Bo

2018-05-01

An ultra-low turn-on voltage (VT) Γ-shaped anode AlGaN/GaN Schottky barrier diode (GA-SBD) is proposed via modeling and simulation for the first time, in which a Γ-shaped anode consists of a metal-2DEG junction together with a metal-AlGaN junction beside a shallowly recessed MIS field plate (MFP). An analytic forward current-voltage model matching the simulation results well is presented where an ultra-low VT of 0.08 V is obtained. The turn-on and blocking mechanisms are investigated to reveal the GA-SBD's great potential for applications of highly efficient power ICs.

Device Performance and Reliability Improvements of AlGaN/GaN/Si MOSFET Using Defect-Free Gate Recess and Laser Annealing

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-07-18

For AlGaN, it is found that Al2O3, Ga2O3 and N-O states were detected on native oxide and HF-treated surfaces. During the course of the ALD process...the N-O bonds are seen to decrease to a level near XPS detection limits, as well as a small decrease in the Ga2O3 concentration, consistent with a...and the other at 1118.2 eV, indicative of a Ga 3+ oxidation state, likely due to Ga2O3 , consistent with previous reports.22,23 There is no evidence

Structural and optical properties of Ga auto-incorporated InAlN epilayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, E.; Smith, M. D.; Sadler, T. C.; Lorenz, K.; Li, H. N.; Alves, E.; Parbrook, P. J.; Martin, R. W.

2014-12-01

InAlN epilayers deposited on thick GaN buffer layers grown by metalorganic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) revealed an auto-incorporation of Ga when analysed by wavelength dispersive x-ray (WDX) spectroscopy and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). Samples were grown under similar conditions with the change in reactor flow rate resulting in varying Ga contents of 12-24%. The increase in flow rate from 8000 to 24 000 sccm suppressed the Ga auto-incorporation which suggests that the likely cause is from residual Ga left behind from previous growth runs. The luminescence properties of the resultant InAlGaN layers were investigated using cathodoluminescence (CL) measurements.

Medium energy proton radiation damage to (AlGa)As-GaAs solar cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Loo, R. Y.; Kamath, G. S.; Knechtli, R. C.

1982-01-01

The performance of (AlGa)As-GaAs solar cells irradiated by medium energy 2, 5, and 10 MeV protons was evaluated. The Si cells without coverglass and a number of GaAs solar cells with 12 mil coverglass were irradiated simultaneously with bare GaAs cells. The cell degradation is directly related to the penetration of depth of protons with GaAs. The influence of periodic and continuous thermal annealing on the GaAs solar cells was investigated.

Effects of Mg-doped AlN/AlGaN superlattices on properties of p-GaN contact layer and performance of deep ultraviolet light emitting diodes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Al tahtamouni, T. M., E-mail: talal@yu.edu.jo; Lin, J. Y.; Jiang, H. X.

2014-04-15

Mg-doped AlN/AlGaN superlattice (Mg-SL) and Mg-doped AlGaN epilayers have been investigated in the 284 nm deep ultraviolet (DUV) light emitting diodes (LEDs) as electron blocking layers. It was found that the use of Mg-SL improved the material quality of the p-GaN contact layer, as evidenced in the decreased density of surface pits and improved surface morphology and crystalline quality. The performance of the DUV LEDs fabricated using Mg-SL was significantly improved, as manifested by enhanced light intensity and output power, and reduced turn-on voltage. The improved performance is attributed to the enhanced blocking of electron overflow, and enhanced hole injection.

Stress in (Al, Ga)N heterostructures grown on 6H-SiC and Si substrates byplasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koshelev, O. A.; Nechaev, D. V.; Sitnikova, A. A.; Ratnikov, V. V.; Ivanov, S. V.; Jmerik, V. N.

2017-11-01

The paper describes experimental results on low temperature plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy of GaN/AlN heterostructures on both 6H-SiC and Si(111) substrates. We demonstrate that application of migration enhanced epitaxy and metal-modulated epitaxy for growth of AlN nucleation and buffer layers lowers the screw and edge(total)threading dislocation (TD) densities down to 1.7·108 and 2·109 cm-2, respectively, in a 2.8-μm-thick GaN buffer layer grown atop of AlN/6H-SiC. The screw and total TD densities of 1.2·109 and 7.4·109 cm-2, respectively, were achieved in a 1-μm-thickGaN/AlNheterostructure on Si(111). Stress generation and relaxation in GaN/AlN heterostructures were investigated by using multi-beam optical stress sensor (MOSS) to achieve zero substrate curvature at room temperature. It is demonstrated that a 1-μm-thick GaN/AlN buffer layer grown by PA MBE provides planar substrate morphology in the case of growth on Si substrates whereas 5-μm-thick GaN buffer layers have to be used to achieve the same when growing on 6H-SiC substrates.

Transport properties of doped AlP for the development of conductive AlP/GaP distributed Bragg reflectors and their integration into light-emitting diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hestroffer, Karine; Sperlich, Dennis; Dadgostar, Shabnam; Golz, Christian; Krumland, Jannis; Masselink, William Ted; Hatami, Fariba

2018-05-01

The transport properties of n- and p-doped AlP layers grown by gas-source molecular beam epitaxy are investigated. n- and p-types of conductivities are achieved using Si and Be with peak room-temperature mobilities of 59.6 cm2/Vs and 65.0 cm2/Vs for electrons and holes, respectively. Si-doping results are then used for the design of n-doped AlP/GaP distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) with an ohmic resistance of about 7.5 ± 0.1 Ω. The DBRs are integrated as bottom mirrors in GaP-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) containing InGaP/GaP quantum dots. The functionality of the LED structure and the influence of the DBRs on the InGaP/GaP electroluminescence spectra are demonstrated.

Electrical characteristics of proton-irradiated Sc2O3 passivated AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, B.; Kim, Jihyun; Ren, F.; Gillespie, J. K.; Fitch, R. C.; Sewell, J.; Dettmer, R.; Via, G. D.; Crespo, A.; Jenkins, T. J.; Gila, B. P.; Onstine, A. H.; Allums, K. K.; Abernathy, C. R.; Pearton, S. J.; Dwivedi, R.; Fogarty, T. N.; Wilkins, R.

2003-03-01

Sc2O3-passivated AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) were irradiated with 40 MeV protons to a fluence corresponding to approximately 10 years in low-earth orbit (5×109 cm-2). Devices with an AlGaN cap layer showed less degradation in dc characteristics than comparable GaN-cap devices, consistent with differences in average band energy. The changes in device performance could be attributed completely to bulk trapping effects, demonstrating that the effectiveness of the Sc2O3 layers in passivating surface states in the drain-source region was undiminished by the proton irradiation. Sc2O3-passivated AlGaN/HEMTs appear to be attractive candidates for space and terrestrial applications where resistance to high fluxes of ionizing radiation is a criteria.

Visible-wavelength semiconductor lasers and arrays

DOEpatents

Schneider, R.P. Jr.; Crawford, M.H.

1996-09-17

The visible semiconductor laser includes an InAlGaP active region surrounded by one or more AlGaAs layers on each side, with carbon as the sole p-type dopant. Embodiments of the invention are provided as vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) and as edge-emitting lasers (EELs). One or more transition layers comprised of a substantially indium-free semiconductor alloy such as AlAsP, AlGaAsP, or the like may be provided between the InAlGaP active region and the AlGaAS DBR mirrors or confinement layers to improve carrier injection and device efficiency by reducing any band offsets. Visible VCSEL devices fabricated according to the invention with a one-wavelength-thick (1{lambda}) optical cavity operate continuous-wave (cw) with lasing output powers up to 8 mW, and a peak power conversion efficiency of up to 11%. 5 figs.

Visible-wavelength semiconductor lasers and arrays

DOEpatents

Schneider, Jr., Richard P.; Crawford, Mary H.

1996-01-01

A visible semiconductor laser. The visible semiconductor laser includes an InAlGaP active region surrounded by one or more AlGaAs layers on each side, with carbon as the sole p-type dopant. Embodiments of the invention are provided as vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) and as edge-emitting lasers (EELs). One or more transition layers comprised of a substantially indium-free semiconductor alloy such as AlAsP, AlGaAsP, or the like may be provided between the InAlGaP active region and the AlGaAS DBR mirrors or confinement layers to improve carrier injection and device efficiency by reducing any band offsets. Visible VCSEL devices fabricated according to the invention with a one-wavelength-thick (1.lambda.) optical cavity operate continuous-wave (cw) with lasing output powers up to 8 mW, and a peak power conversion efficiency of up to 11%.

High-performance enhancement-mode Al2O3/InAlGaN/GaN MOS high-electron mobility transistors with a self-aligned gate recessing technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Kai; Kong, Cen; Zhou, Jianjun; Kong, Yuechan; Chen, Tangsheng

2017-02-01

The paper reports high-performance enhancement-mode MOS high-electron mobility transistors (MOS-HEMTs) based on a quaternary InAlGaN barrier. Self-aligned gate technology is used for gate recessing, dielectric deposition, and gate electrode formation. An improved digital recessing process is developed, and an Al2O3 gate dielectric grown with O2 plasma is used. Compared to results with AlGaN barrier, the fabricated E-mode MOS-HEMT with InAlGaN barrier delivers a record output current density of 1.7 A/mm with a threshold voltage (V TH) of 1.5 V, and a small on-resistance (R on) of 2.0 Ω·mm. Excellent V TH hysteresis and greatly improved gate leakage characteristics are also demonstrated.

Manufacturable Tri-Stack AlSb/InAs HEMT Low-Noise Amplifiers Using Wafer-Level-Packaging Technology for Light-Weight and Ultralow-Power Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-05-01

shown in Fig. 1 was grown by molecular - beam epitaxy (MBE) on 3-inch semi-insulating GaAs substrates. AlGaSb was used as a buffer. AlSb was used as... beam epitaxy for low-power applications,” J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B. 24, pp. 2581-2585, 2006. [12] Y. C. Chou, L. J. Lee, J. M. Yang, M. D. Lange, P...passivation AlGaSb buffer Figure 1: Cross section of an AlSb/InAs HEMT device on a 3-inch GaAs substrate. The interface region between the

He-Ion Microscopy as a High-Resolution Probe for Complex Quantum Heterostructures in Core-Shell Nanowires.

PubMed

Pöpsel, Christian; Becker, Jonathan; Jeon, Nari; Döblinger, Markus; Stettner, Thomas; Gottschalk, Yeanitza Trujillo; Loitsch, Bernhard; Matich, Sonja; Altzschner, Marcus; Holleitner, Alexander W; Finley, Jonathan J; Lauhon, Lincoln J; Koblmüller, Gregor

2018-06-13

Core-shell semiconductor nanowires (NW) with internal quantum heterostructures are amongst the most complex nanostructured materials to be explored for assessing the ultimate capabilities of diverse ultrahigh-resolution imaging techniques. To probe the structure and composition of these materials in their native environment with minimal damage and sample preparation calls for high-resolution electron or ion microscopy methods, which have not yet been tested on such classes of ultrasmall quantum nanostructures. Here, we demonstrate that scanning helium ion microscopy (SHeIM) provides a powerful and straightforward method to map quantum heterostructures embedded in complex III-V semiconductor NWs with unique material contrast at ∼1 nm resolution. By probing the cross sections of GaAs-Al(Ga)As core-shell NWs with coaxial GaAs quantum wells as well as short-period GaAs/AlAs superlattice (SL) structures in the shell, the Al-rich and Ga-rich layers are accurately discriminated by their image contrast in excellent agreement with correlated, yet destructive, scanning transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography analysis. Most interestingly, quantitative He-ion dose-dependent SHeIM analysis of the ternary AlGaAs shell layers and of compositionally nonuniform GaAs/AlAs SLs reveals distinct alloy composition fluctuations in the form of Al-rich clusters with size distributions between ∼1-10 nm. In the GaAs/AlAs SLs the alloy clustering vanishes with increasing SL-period (>5 nm-GaAs/4 nm-AlAs), providing insights into critical size dimensions for atomic intermixing effects in short-period SLs within a NW geometry. The straightforward SHeIM technique therefore provides unique benefits in imaging the tiniest nanoscale features in topography, structure and composition of a multitude of diverse complex semiconductor nanostructures.

Novel symmetry in the growth of gallium nitride on magnesium aluminate substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

George, T.; Jacobsohn, E.; Pike, W. T.; Chang-Chien, P.; Khan, M. A.; Yang, J. W.; Mahajan, S.

1996-01-01

The growth of GaN by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on (111) and (100) magnesium aluminate (MgAl2O4) substrates is examined using transmission electron microscopy. The results indicate that mainly wurtzite GaN is grown for both orientations. On the (111) substrate the following epitaxial relationship is observed: (0001)GaN ∥ (111)MgAl2O4, and [112¯0]GaN ∥ [11¯0]MgAl2O4. During the early stages of the (100) growth, four orientations of the wurtzite phase and a zinc-blende phase are formed. With increasing thickness, one of the wurtzite orientations dominates, with the epitaxial relationship being (11¯01)GaN ∥ (100)MgAl2O4 and the [112¯0]GaN nearly parallel to [011]MgAl2O4. This choice of growth orientation appears to be determined primarily by the nature of the interfacial bonding, with the basal plane of each of the four wurtzite GaN variants being nearly aligned along one of the four {111} planes intersecting the (100) surface of the MgAl2O4.

Structure Shift of GaN Among Nanowall Network, Nanocolumn, and Compact Film Grown on Si (111) by MBE.

PubMed

Zhong, Aihua; Fan, Ping; Zhong, Yuanting; Zhang, Dongping; Li, Fu; Luo, Jingting; Xie, Yizhu; Hane, Kazuhiro

2018-02-13

Structure shift of GaN nanowall network, nanocolumn, and compact film were successfully obtained on Si (111) by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). As is expected, growth of the GaN nanocolumns was observed in N-rich condition on bare Si, and the growth shifted to compact film when the Ga flux was improved. Interestingly, if an aluminum (Al) pre-deposition for 40 s was carried out prior to the GaN growth, GaN grows in the form of the nanowall network. Results show that the pre-deposited Al exits in the form of droplets with typical diameter and height of ~ 80 and ~ 6.7 nm, respectively. A growth model for the nanowall network is proposed and the growth mechanism is discussed. GaN grows in the area without Al droplets while the growth above Al droplets is hindered, resulting in the formation of continuous GaN nanowall network that removes the obstacles of nano-device fabrication.

Structure Shift of GaN Among Nanowall Network, Nanocolumn, and Compact Film Grown on Si (111) by MBE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, Aihua; Fan, Ping; Zhong, Yuanting; Zhang, Dongping; Li, Fu; Luo, Jingting; Xie, Yizhu; Hane, Kazuhiro

2018-02-01

Structure shift of GaN nanowall network, nanocolumn, and compact film were successfully obtained on Si (111) by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). As is expected, growth of the GaN nanocolumns was observed in N-rich condition on bare Si, and the growth shifted to compact film when the Ga flux was improved. Interestingly, if an aluminum (Al) pre-deposition for 40 s was carried out prior to the GaN growth, GaN grows in the form of the nanowall network. Results show that the pre-deposited Al exits in the form of droplets with typical diameter and height of 80 and 6.7 nm, respectively. A growth model for the nanowall network is proposed and the growth mechanism is discussed. GaN grows in the area without Al droplets while the growth above Al droplets is hindered, resulting in the formation of continuous GaN nanowall network that removes the obstacles of nano-device fabrication.

Doping concentration effect on performance of single QW double-heterostructure InGaN/AlGaN light emitting diode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halim, N. Syafira Abdul; Wahid, M. Halim A.; Hambali, N. Azura M. Ahmad; Rashid, Shanise; Shahimin, Mukhzeer M.

2017-11-01

Light emitting diode (LED) employed a numerous applications such as displaying information, communication, sensing, illumination and lighting. In this paper, InGaN/AlGaN based on one quantum well (1QW) light emitting diode (LED) is modeled and studied numerically by using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.1 version. We have selected In0.06Ga0.94N as the active layer with thickness 50nm sandwiched between 0.15μm thick layers of p and n-type Al0.15Ga0.85N of cladding layers. We investigated an effect of doping concentration on InGaN/AlGaN double heterostructure of light-emitting diode (LED). Thus, energy levels, carrier concentration, electron concentration and forward voltage (IV) are extracted from the simulation results. As the doping concentration is increasing, the performance of threshold voltage, Vth on one quantum well (1QW) is also increases from 2.8V to 3.1V.

Dramatic enhancement of near-infrared intersubband absorption in c-plane AlInN/GaN superlattices

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shirazi-HD, M.; Birck Nanotechnology Center, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907; Turkmeneli, K.

2016-03-21

We report substantial improvement of near-infrared (2–2.6 μm) intersubband absorption in c-plane AlInN/GaN superlattices grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Progress was obtained through optimization of AlInN growth conditions using an AlInN growth rate of 0.9-nm/min at substrate temperature of 550 °C, as well as by judiciously placing the charge into two delta-doping sheets. Structural characterization suggests that AlInN crystal quality is enhanced and interface roughness is reduced. Importantly, near-infrared absorption data indicate that the optical quality of the AlInN/GaN superlattices is now comparable with that of AlN/GaN superlattices designed to exploit near-infrared intersubband transitions.

Study of Spin Splitting in GaN/AlGaN Quantum Wells

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-05-11

plasma-assisted molecular - beam epitaxy ”, Jap. J. Appl. Phys. 47, 891 (2008), we have grown M-plane GaN films with self-assembled C-plane GaN nanopillars...on a γ-LiAlO2 substrate by plasma-assisted molecular - beam epitaxy . The diameters of the basal plane of the nanopillars are about 200 to 900 nm and...Line defects of M-plane GaN grown on γ-LiAlO2 by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy ”, Appl. Phys. Lett. 92 pp.202106 (2008), we studied the

OMVPE Growth of Quaternary (Al,Ga,In)N for UV Optoelectronics (title change from A)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

HAN,JUNG; FIGIEL,JEFFREY J.; PETERSEN,GARY A.

We report the growth and characterization of quaternary AlGaInN. A combination of photoluminescence (PL), high-resolution x-ray diffraction (XRD), and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) characterizations enables us to explore the contours of constant PL peak energy and lattice parameter as functions of the quaternary compositions. The observation of room temperature PL emission at 351nm (with 20% Al and 5% In) renders initial evidence that the quaternary could be used to provide confinement for GaInN (and possibly GaN). AlGaInN/GrdnN MQW heterostructures have been grown; both XRD and PL measurements suggest the possibility of incorporating this quaternary into optoelectronic devices.

The function of an In0.17Al0.83N interlayer in n-ZnO/In0.17Al0.83N/p-GaN heterojunctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xiao; Gan, Xuewei; Zhang, Guozhen; Su, Xi; Zheng, Meijuan; Ai, Zhiwei; Wu, Hao; Liu, Chang

2017-01-01

ZnO thin films were deposited on p-type GaN with a thin In0.17Al0.83N interlayer, forming double heterostructural diodes of n-ZnO/In0.17Al0.83N/p-GaN. The crystalline quality of the ZnO films was improved and its orientation was kept along < 70 7 bar 4 > that was perpendicular to (10 1 bar 1) plane. The reverse leakage current was reduced by introducing the In0.17Al0.83N interlayer. The electroluminescence spectra of the n-ZnO/In0.17Al0.83N/p-GaN heterojunctions were dominated by p-GaN emissions under forward biases and n-ZnO emissions under reverse biases. The valence-band offset and conduction-band offset between the ZnO and In0.17Al0.83N were determined to be -0.72 and 1.95 eV, respectively.

Planar Ohmic Contacts to Al 0.45 Ga 0.55 N/Al 0.3 Ga 0.7 N High Electron Mobility Transistors

DOE PAGES

Klein, Brianna A.; Baca, Albert G.; Armstrong, Andrew M.; ...

2017-09-23

Here, we present a low resistance, straightforward planar ohmic contact for Al 0.45Ga 0.55N/Al 0.3Ga 0.7N high electron mobility transistors. Five metal stacks (a/Al/b/Au; a = Ti, Zr, V, Nb/Ti; b = Ni, Mo, V) were evaluated at three individual annealing temperatures (850, 900, and 950°C). The Ti/Al/Ni/Au achieved the lowest specific contact resistance at a 900°C anneal temperature. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed a metal-semiconductor interface of Ti-Al-Au for an ohmic (900°C anneal) and a Schottky (850°C anneal) Ti/Al/Ni/Au stack. HEMTs were fabricated using the optimized recipe with resulting contacts that had room-temperature specific contact resistances of ρ c = 2.5 × 10 -5 Ω cm², sheet resistances of R SH = 3.9 kΩ/more » $$\\blacksquare$$, and maximum current densities of 75 mA/mm (at VGATE of 2 V). Electrical measurements from -50 to 200°C had decreasing specific contact resistance and increasing sheet resistance, with increasing temperature. These contacts enabled state-of-the-art performance of Al 0.45Ga 0.55N/Al 0.3Ga 0.7N HEMTs.« less

Enhanced water purification: a single atom makes a difference.

PubMed

Stewart, Tom A; Trudell, Daniel E; Alam, Todd M; Ohlin, C André; Lawler, Christian; Casey, William H; Jett, Stephen; Nyman, May

2009-07-15

The aluminum Keggin polycation (Al13) has been identified as an effective specie for neutralization and coagulation of anionic contaminants in water. In this study, we compare efficacy of the aluminum Keggin-ion to the analogues containing a single Ga-atom or single Ge-atom (GaAl12 and GeAl12, respectively) substituted into the center of the polycation in water-treatment studies. We investigated removal of bacteriophage (model viruses), Cryptosporidium, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and turbidity. In every study, the order of contaminant removal efficacy trends GaAl12 > Al13 > GeAl12. By ESI MS (electrospray ionization mass spectrometry), we noted the GaAl12 deprotonates least of the three aluminum polycations, and thus probably carries the highest charge, and also optimal contaminant-neutralization ability. The ESI MS studies of the aluminum polycation solutions, as well as solid-state characterization of their resulting precipitates both reveal some conversion of Al13 to larger polycations, Al30 for instance. The GaAl12 does not show any evidence for this alteration that is responsible for poor shelf life of commercial prehydrolyzed aluminum coagulants such as polyaluminum chloride. Based on these studies, we conclude that substitution of a single Ga-atom in the center of the aluminum Keggin polycation produces an optimal water-treatment product due to enhanced shelf life and efficacy in neutralization of anionic contaminants.

Planar Ohmic Contacts to Al 0.45 Ga 0.55 N/Al 0.3 Ga 0.7 N High Electron Mobility Transistors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Klein, Brianna A.; Baca, Albert G.; Armstrong, Andrew M.

Here, we present a low resistance, straightforward planar ohmic contact for Al 0.45Ga 0.55N/Al 0.3Ga 0.7N high electron mobility transistors. Five metal stacks (a/Al/b/Au; a = Ti, Zr, V, Nb/Ti; b = Ni, Mo, V) were evaluated at three individual annealing temperatures (850, 900, and 950°C). The Ti/Al/Ni/Au achieved the lowest specific contact resistance at a 900°C anneal temperature. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed a metal-semiconductor interface of Ti-Al-Au for an ohmic (900°C anneal) and a Schottky (850°C anneal) Ti/Al/Ni/Au stack. HEMTs were fabricated using the optimized recipe with resulting contacts that had room-temperature specific contact resistances of ρ c = 2.5 × 10 -5 Ω cm², sheet resistances of R SH = 3.9 kΩ/more » $$\\blacksquare$$, and maximum current densities of 75 mA/mm (at VGATE of 2 V). Electrical measurements from -50 to 200°C had decreasing specific contact resistance and increasing sheet resistance, with increasing temperature. These contacts enabled state-of-the-art performance of Al 0.45Ga 0.55N/Al 0.3Ga 0.7N HEMTs.« less

Influence of internal electric fields on band gaps in short period GaN/GaAlN and InGaN/GaN polar superlattices

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gorczyca, I., E-mail: iza@unipress.waw.pl; Skrobas, K.; Suski, T.

2015-08-21

The electronic structures of short period mGaN/nGa{sub y}Al{sub 1−y}N and mIn{sub y}Ga{sub 1-y}N/nGaN superlattices grown along the wurtzite c axis have been calculated for different alloy compositions y and various small numbers m of well- and n of barrier-monolayers. The general trends in gap behavior can, to a large extent, be related to the strength of the internal electric field, E, in the GaN and InGaN quantum wells. In the GaN/GaAlN superlattices, E reaches 4 MV/cm, while in the InGaN/GaN superlattices, values as high as E ≈ 6.5 MV/cm are found. The strong electric fields are caused by spontaneous and piezoelectric polarizations,more » the latter contribution dominating in InGaN/GaN superlattices. The influence of different arrangements of In atoms (indium clustering) on the band gap values in InGaN/GaN superlattices is examined.« less

Low nonalloyed Ohmic contact resistance to nitride high electron mobility transistors using N-face growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, Man Hoi; Pei, Yi; Palacios, Tomás; Shen, Likun; Chakraborty, Arpan; McCarthy, Lee S.; Keller, Stacia; DenBaars, Steven P.; Speck, James S.; Mishra, Umesh K.

2007-12-01

Nonalloyed Ohmic contacts on Ga-face n+-GaN/AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) structures typically have significant contact resistance to the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) due to the AlGaN barrier. By growing the HEMT structure inverted on the N-face, electrons from the contacts were able to access the 2DEG without going through an AlGaN layer. A low contact resistance of 0.16Ωmm and specific contact resistivity of 5.5×10-7Ωcm2 were achieved without contact annealing on the inverted HEMT structure.

Nonlinear absorption in AlGaAs/GaAs multiple quantum well structures grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, H. C.; Hariz, A.; Dapkus, P. D.; Kost, A.; Kawase, M.

1987-01-01

This paper reports the study of growth conditions for achieving the sharp exciton resonances and low-intensity saturation of these resonances in AlGaAs-GaAs multiple quantum well structures grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. Low growth temperature is necessary to observe this sharp resonance feature at room temperature. The optimal growth conditions are a tradeoff between the high temperatures required for high quality AlGaAs and low temperatures required for high-purity GaAs. A strong optical saturation of the excitonic absorption has been observed. A saturation density as low as 250 W/sq cm is reported.

AlGaN/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor high electron mobility transistors using Sc2O3 as the gate oxide and surface passivation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mehandru, R.; Luo, B.; Kim, J.; Ren, F.; Gila, B. P.; Onstine, A. H.; Abernathy, C. R.; Pearton, S. J.; Gotthold, D.; Birkhahn, R.; Peres, B.; Fitch, R.; Gillespie, J.; Jenkins, T.; Sewell, J.; Via, D.; Crespo, A.

2003-04-01

We demonstrated that Sc2O3 thin films deposited by plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy can be used simultaneously as a gate oxide and as a surface passivation layer on AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). The maximum drain source current, IDS, reaches a value of over 0.8 A/mm and is ˜40% higher on Sc2O3/AlGaN/GaN transistors relative to conventional HEMTs fabricated on the same wafer. The metal-oxide-semiconductor HEMTs (MOS-HEMTs) threshold voltage is in good agreement with the theoretical value, indicating that Sc2O3 retains a low surface state density on the AlGaN/GaN structures and effectively eliminates the collapse in drain current seen in unpassivated devices. The MOS-HEMTs can be modulated to +6 V of gate voltage. In particular, Sc2O3 is a very promising candidate as a gate dielectric and surface passivant because it is more stable on GaN than is MgO.

Comparison of stress states in GaN films grown on different substrates: Langasite, sapphire and silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Byung-Guon; Saravana Kumar, R.; Moon, Mee-Lim; Kim, Moon-Deock; Kang, Tae-Won; Yang, Woo-Chul; Kim, Song-Gang

2015-09-01

We demonstrate the evolution of GaN films on novel langasite (LGS) substrate by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy, and assessed the quality of grown GaN film by comparing the experimental results obtained using LGS, sapphire and silicon (Si) substrates. To study the substrate effect, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) spectra were used to characterize the microstructure and stress states in GaN films. Wet etching of GaN films in KOH solution revealed that the films deposited on GaN/LGS, AlN/sapphire and AlN/Si substrates possess Ga-polarity, while the film deposited on GaN/sapphire possess N-polarity. XRD, Raman and PL analysis demonstrated that a compressive stress exist in the films grown on GaN/LGS, AlN/sapphire, and GaN/sapphire substrates, while a tensile stress appears on AlN/Si substrate. Comparative analysis showed the growth of nearly stress-free GaN films on LGS substrate due to the very small lattice mismatch ( 3.2%) and thermal expansion coefficient difference ( 7.5%). The results presented here will hopefully provide a new framework for the further development of high performance III-nitride-related devices using GaN/LGS heteroepitaxy.

Native defect-assisted enhanced response to CH4 near room temperature by Al0.07Ga0.93N nanowires.

PubMed

Parida, Santanu; Das, A; Prasad, Arun K; Ghatak, Jay; Dhara, Sandip

2018-06-26

Gas sensors at low operating temperature with high sensitivity require group III nitrides owing to their high chemical and thermal stabilities. For the first time, Al0.07Ga0.93N nanowires (NWs) have been utilized in CH4 sensing, and it has been demonstrated that they exhibit an improved response compared to GaN NWs at the low operating temperature of 50 °C. Al0.07Ga0.93N NWs have been synthesized via the ion beam mixing process using inert gas ion irradiation on the bilayer of Al/GaN NWs. The sensing mechanism is explained with the help of native defects present in the system. The number of shallow acceptors created by Ga vacancies (VGa) is found to be higher in Al0.07Ga0.93N NWs than in as-grown GaN NWs. The role of the O antisite defect (ON) for the formation of shallow VGa is inferred from photoluminescence spectroscopic analysis. These native defects strongly influence the gas sensing behaviour, which results in enhanced and low-temperature CH4 sensing.

Polariton Bose–Einstein condensate at room temperature in an Al(Ga)N nanowire–dielectric microcavity with a spatial potential trap

PubMed Central

Das, Ayan; Bhattacharya, Pallab; Heo, Junseok; Banerjee, Animesh; Guo, Wei

2013-01-01

A spatial potential trap is formed in a 6.0-μm Al(Ga)N nanowire by varying the Al composition along its length during epitaxial growth. The polariton emission characteristics of a dielectric microcavity with the single nanowire embedded in-plane have been studied at room temperature. Excitation is provided at the Al(Ga)N end of the nanowire, and polariton emission is observed from the lowest bandgap GaN region within the potential trap. Comparison of the results with those measured in an identical microcavity with a uniform GaN nanowire and having an identical exciton–photon detuning suggests evaporative cooling of the polaritons as they are transported into the trap in the Al(Ga)N nanowire. Measurement of the spectral characteristics of the polariton emission, their momentum distribution, first-order spatial coherence, and time-resolved measurements of polariton cooling provides strong evidence of the formation of a near-equilibrium Bose–Einstein condensate in the GaN region of the nanowire at room temperature. In contrast, the condensate formed in the uniform GaN nanowire–dielectric microcavity without the spatial potential trap is only in self-equilibrium. PMID:23382183

Defect reduction in Si-doped Al{sub 0.45}Ga{sub 0.55}N films by SiN{sub x} interlayer method

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Yang; Chen, Shengchang; Kong, Man

2014-01-28

The dislocation density in AlGaN epitaxial layers with Al content as high as 45% grown on sapphire substrates has been effectively reduced by introducing an in-situ deposited SiN{sub x} nanomask layer in this study. By closely monitoring the evolution of numerous material properties, such as surface morphology, dislocation density, photoluminescence, strain states, and electron mobility of the Si-Al{sub 0.45}Ga{sub 0.55}N layers as the functions of SiN{sub x} interlayer growth time, the surface coverage fraction of SiN{sub x} is found to be a crucial factor determining the strain states and dislocation density. The dependence of the strain states and the dislocationmore » density on the surface coverage fraction of SiN{sub x} nanomask supports the very different growth models of Al-rich AlGaN on SiN{sub x} interlayer due to the reduced nucleation selectivity compared with the GaN counterpart. Compared with GaN, which can only nucleate at open pores of SiN{sub x} nanomask, Al-rich AlGaN can simultaneously nucleate at both open pores and SiN{sub x} covered areas. Dislocations will annihilate at the openings due to the 3D growth initiated on the opening area, while 2D growth mode is preserved on SiN{sub x} and the threading dislocations are also preserved. During the following growth process, lateral overgrowth will proceed from the Al{sub 0.45}Ga{sub 0.55}N islands on the openings towards the regions covered by SiN{sub x}, relaxing the compressive strain and bending the dislocations at the same time.« less

Defect characterization of MOCVD grown AlN/AlGaN films on sapphire substrates by TEM and TKD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Connell, J. H.; Lee, M. E.; Westraadt, J.; Engelbrecht, J. A. A.

2018-04-01

High resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has been used to characterize defects structures in AlN/AlGaN epilayers grown by metal-organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) on c-plane sapphire (Al2O3) substrates. The AlN buffer layer was shown to be epitaxially grown on the sapphire substrate with the two lattices rotated relatively through 30°. The AlN layer had a measured thickness of 20-30 nm and was also shown to contain nano-sized voids. The misfit dislocations in the buffer layer have been shown to be pure edge with a spacing of 1.5 nm. TEM characterization of the AlGaN epilayers was shown to contain a higher than expected threading dislocation density of the order 1010 cm-2 as well as the existence of "nanopipes". TEM analysis of the planar lamella for AlGaN has presented evidence for the possibility of columnar growth. The strain and misorientation mapping in the AlGaN epilayer by transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD) using the FIB lamella has also been demonstrated to be complimentary to data obtained by TEM imaging.

Elemental and Isotopic Tomography at Single-Atom-Scale in 4.0 and 2.4 Ga Zircons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valley, J. W.; Reinhard, D. A.; Snoeyenbos, D.; Lawrence, D.; Martin, I.; Kelly, T. F.; Ushikubo, T.; Strickland, A.; Cavosie, A. J.

2012-12-01

Atom probe tomography can determine identity (mass/charge ratio) and 3-D position of individual atoms in minerals such as zircon. These data provide unique information for understanding the thermal history and mechanisms of mineral reaction and exchange, including radiation damage. Nine needle-shaped specimens ~100 nm in diameter (at the apex) were sampled from 2 zircons by FIB and analyzed with a local-electrode atom probe (LEAP), CAMECA LEAP 4000X HR. The LEAP uses pulsed-laser heating to field evaporate the tip of a zircon needle and accelerates the ions into a position-sensitive TOF-MS. With due care for complex isobaric interferences (molecules, multiple ionizations) and background correction, it is possible to individually identify up to 10E8 atoms/needle (36% detection efficiency) by mass/charge (MRP ~ 1000@ m/n=16Da) and position (X-Y-Z coordinates on 0.2 nm scale) (Kelly & Larson 2012). The 3-D distribution of Pb and Y differ at atom-scale in the 2 zircons. Zircon #1 (4007 Ma, Jack Hills, W. Australia, Cavosie 2005, Ushikubo et al. 2008, Bouvier et al. 2011) is homogeneous in Pb and Y. In contrast, incompatible elements, including Pb and Y, are concentrated in equant 5-10 nm dia. domains, spaced ~50 nm apart in zircon #2 (2438 Ma, Albion-Raft R-Grouse Ck core complex, Utah, Strickland et al. 2011). U is homogeneously distributed in both zircons. The analyzed domains suffered 4-8 x 10E15 α-decay events/mg due to U and Th decay and yet both zircons yield >97% concordant U-Pb ages by SIMS, suggesting annealing of radiation damage during the life of the zircons. The 207-Pb/206-Pb ratios for these nm-scale domains, as measured by LEAP, average 0.17 for the 2.4 Ga Zrc2 (3 needles) and 0.43 for the 4.0 Ga Zrc1 (5 needles). These ratios are less precise (±40% 2σ) due to ultra-small sample size, but are in excellent agreement with values measured by SIMS, 0.1684 and 0.4269, respectively. Thus Pb in both zircons is radiogenic. The Pb-Y-rich domains and lack of correlation with U in Zrc2 is best explained by diffusion of Pb and other incompatible elements (Y, REEs) into 5-10 nm domains that were damaged by α-recoil and may have been metamict as the result of single U- or Th-decay chains. Diffusion distances of ~20 nm for these elements in crystalline zircon require temperatures above 700 C for ~10 myrs (Cherniak 2010). This is consistent with the known history of Zrc2, as a xenocrystic 2.4 Ga zircon in a 29 Ma granodiorite phase of a long-lived, extension-related plutonic suite that experienced high-grade regional metamorphism. In contrast, the absence of enriched domains in Zrc1 suggests that this zircon did not experience similar high-grade metamorphism before or after its deposition within the ~3 Ga Jack Hills metaconglomerate.

Investigation of drinking water quality in Kosovo.

PubMed

Berisha, Fatlume; Goessler, Walter

2013-01-01

In the recent years, not much environmental monitoring has been conducted in the territory of Kosovo. This study represents the first comprehensive monitoring of the drinking water situation throughout most of the territory of Kosovo. We present the distribution of major and minor trace elements in drinking water samples from Kosovo. During our study we collected 951 samples from four different sources: private-bored wells; naturally flowing artesian water; pumped-drilled wells; and public water sources (tap water). The randomly selected drinking water samples were investigated by routine water analyses using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) for 32 elements (Li, Be, B, Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Rb, Sr, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sn, Sb, Te, Ba, Tl, Pb, Bi, Th, U). Even though there are set guidelines for elemental exposure in drinking water worldwide, in developing countries, such as Kosovo, the lack of monitoring drinking water continues to be an important health concern. This study reports the concentrations of major and minor elements in the drinking water in Kosovo. Additionally, we show the variation of the metal concentration within different sources. Of the 15 regulated elements, the following five elements: Mn, Fe, Al, Ni, As, and U were the elements which most often exceeded the guidelines set by the EU and/or WHO.

Influence of carrier concentration on the performance of CIAS solar cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patel, Kinjal; Ray, Jaymin

2018-05-01

Photovoltaic research has moved beyond the use of single crystalline materials such as Group IV elemental Si and Group III-V compounds like GaAs to much more complex compounds of the Group I-III-VI2 with chalcopyrite structure. The ternary ABC2 chalcopyrites (A=Cu; B=In, Ga or Al; C= S, Se or Te) form a large group of semiconducting materials with diverse structural and electrical properties. These materials are attractive for thin film photovoltaic application for a number of reasons. The bandgap of CuInSe2 is relatively low, 1.04 eV, but it can be adjusted to better match the solar spectrum either by substituting part of In by Ga or part of Se by S. Most reported and popular Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) is one of its derivative. Efficiency of the CIGS devices with Eg >1.3 eV is reduced by the degradation of the electronic properties of the absorber leading to losses in the fill-factor and the open-circuit voltage. Alternatively, the performance can be improved by the addition of Al to form CuInAlSe2 (CIAS) absorber layers with an increase in the bandgap energy, which matches closely with the solar spectrum. In the present work an effort was made in the direction of improving the conversion efficiency by studying the influence of carrier concentration. SCAPS simulation program is used to simulate the CIAS structure numerically. The obtained results intended the significant variation in the values of conversion efficiency. Variation in the efficiency can be considered because of the relation optical absorption and carrier concentration. Observed highest efficiency is 10 %, which can be further improved by considering actual parameters of the device as well as the operating condition.

Growth and characterization of single crystalline Zn0.8-xMg0.2AlxO films with UV band gap on GaN/Al2O3 template by RF magnetron sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Min-Sung; Lee, Byung-Teak

2013-02-01

Single crystalline Zn0.8-xMg0.2AlxO thin films were grown on a GaN/Al2O3 template. As the Al content is increased from 0 to 0.06, the optical band gap increased from 3.6 eV to 4.0 eV, growth rate decreased from 6 nm/min to 3 nm/min, and the surface roughness decreased from 17 nm to 0.8 nm. It was observed that interfacial layers were formed between the thin films and the substrates, identified as cubic MgAl2O4 in the case of ZnMgAlO/GaN and cubic MgO in the case of ZnMgO/GaN. It was proposed that the MgAl2O4 layer, with low lattice mismatch of ˜7% against the GaN substrate, acted as the buffer layer to correlate the film and the substrate, resulting in growth of the single crystalline thin films in the case of the ZnMgAlO/GaN system.

Reduction of Defects in AlGaN Grown on Nanoscale-Patterned Sapphire Substrates by Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy

PubMed Central

Tasi, Chi-Tsung; Wang, Wei-Kai; Tsai, Tsung-Yen; Huang, Shih-Yung; Horng, Ray-Hua; Wuu, Dong-Sing

2017-01-01

In this study, a 3-μm-thick AlGaN film with an Al mole fraction of 10% was grown on a nanoscale-patterned sapphire substrate (NPSS) using hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE). The growth mechanism, crystallization, and surface morphology of the epilayers were examined using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy at various times in the growth process. The screw threading dislocation (TD) density of AlGaN-on-NPSS can improve to 1–2 × 109 cm−2, which is significantly lower than that of the sample grown on a conventional planar sapphire substrate (7 × 109 cm−2). TEM analysis indicated that these TDs do not subsequently propagate to the surface of the overgrown AlGaN layer, but bend or change directions in the region above the voids within the side faces of the patterned substrates, possibly because of the internal stress-relaxed morphologies of the AlGaN film. Hence, the laterally overgrown AlGaN films were obtained by HVPE, which can serve as a template for the growth of ultraviolet III-nitride optoelectronic devices. PMID:28772961

Reduction of Defects in AlGaN Grown on Nanoscale-Patterned Sapphire Substrates by Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy.

PubMed

Tasi, Chi-Tsung; Wang, Wei-Kai; Tsai, Tsung-Yen; Huang, Shih-Yung; Horng, Ray-Hua; Wuu, Dong-Sing

2017-05-31

In this study, a 3-μm-thick AlGaN film with an Al mole fraction of 10% was grown on a nanoscale-patterned sapphire substrate (NPSS) using hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE). The growth mechanism, crystallization, and surface morphology of the epilayers were examined using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy at various times in the growth process. The screw threading dislocation (TD) density of AlGaN-on-NPSS can improve to 1-2 × 10⁸ cm -2 , which is significantly lower than that of the sample grown on a conventional planar sapphire substrate (7 × 10⁸ cm -2 ). TEM analysis indicated that these TDs do not subsequently propagate to the surface of the overgrown AlGaN layer, but bend or change directions in the region above the voids within the side faces of the patterned substrates, possibly because of the internal stress-relaxed morphologies of the AlGaN film. Hence, the laterally overgrown AlGaN films were obtained by HVPE, which can serve as a template for the growth of ultraviolet III-nitride optoelectronic devices.

Geologically Controlled Isotope-Time Patterns Reveal Early Differentiation and Crust Formation Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bennett, V. C.; Nutman, A. P.

2014-12-01

The mechanisms of continental crust production and evolution in the early Earth remain controversial, as are questions of the relative roles of early differentiation versus subsequent tectonic procssing in creating Earth's chemical signatures. Here we present geologic observations integrated with whole rock major, trace element and Sm-Nd isotopic signatures and combined with U-Pb and Lu-Hf isotopic compositions of zircon populations from the same rocks, from the most extensive early rock record comprising the 3.9 Ga to 3.6 Ga terranes of southwest Greenland. These data reveal repeated patterns of formation of juvenile TTG crust and associated mafic and ultramafic rocks in convergent margin settings followed by formation of more evolved granites [1]. Our new zircon Lu-Hf data from rare 3.6-3.7 Ga tonalites within the Itsaq Gneiss Complex, obtained from single component, non-migmatitic gneisses with simple zircon populations, limited within sample Hf isotopic variability and accurate U-Pb ages, now document extraction of juvenile tonalites from a near chondritic mantle source between 3.9 Ga and 3.6 Ga. The more evolved, granitic rocks in each area show slightly negative initial ɛHf in accord with crustal reworking of the older (3.8-3.9 Ga) gniesses. There is no evidence for Hadean material in the sources of the granitoids. The Hf isotope-time patterns are consistent with juvenile crust production from a mantle source that experienced only modest amounts of prior crustal extraction. They are distinct from those predicted by reprocessing of an enriched Hadean mafic crust, as has been proposed for this region [2] and for the source of the Hadean Jack Hills zircons [3]. The well-documented, time decreasing, positive 142Nd anomalies [e.g., 4] from these rocks are further evidence of crustal derivation from a convecting mantle source, rather than reworking of an enriched mafic lithosphere. The 143Nd isotopic -time patterns are more complex, reflecting the interplay between early Sm/Nd fractionation processes as required by the 142Nd data, juvenile crustal growth and in some cases geologic disturbance of the whole rock Sm-Nd system. [1] Nutman, et al, (2013) Amer. Jour. Sci. 313, 877-911. [2] Naeraa et al.. (2012) Nature 485, 627-631. [3] Kemp et al., (2010) EPSL 296, 45-56. [4] Bennett et al., (20070 Science 318, 1907.

Ternary AlGaN Alloys with High Al Content and Enhanced Compositional Homogeneity Grown by Plasma-Assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fellmann, Vincent; Jaffrennou, Périne; Sam-Giao, Diane; Gayral, Bruno; Lorenz, Katharina; Alves, Eduardo; Daudin, Bruno

2011-03-01

We have studied the influence of III/N flux ratio and growth temperature on structural and optical properties of high Al-content, around 50-60%, AlGaN alloy layers grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. In a first part, based on structural analysis by Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy, we establish that a III/N flux ratio slightly above 1 produces layers with low amount of structural defects. In a second part, we study the effect of growth temperature on structural and optical properties of layers grown with previously determined optimal III/N flux ratio. We find that optimal growth temperatures for Al0.50Ga0.50N layers with compositional homogeneity related with narrow UV photoluminescence properties are in the low temperature range for growing GaN layers, i.e., 650-680 °C. We propose that lowering Ga adatom diffusion on the surface favors random incorporation of both Ga and Al adatoms on wurtzite crystallographic sites leading to the formation of an homogeneous alloy.

The Influence of Geometrical Structure of AlInGaN Double Quantum Well (DQWs) UV Diode Laser on Its Performance and Operating Parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghazai, A. J.; Thahab, S. M.; Hassan, H. Abu; Hassan, Z.

2010-07-01

The development of efficient MQWs active regions of quaternary InAlGaN in the ultraviolet (UV) region is an engaging challenge by itself. Demonstrating lasers at such low wavelength will require resolving a number of materials, growth and device design issues. However, the quaternary AlInGaN represents a more versatile material since the bandgap and lattice constant can be independently varied. We report a quaternary AlInGaN double-quantum wells (DQWs) UV laser diode (LDs) study by using the simulation program of Integrated System Engineering-Technical Computer Aided Design (ISE TCAD). Advanced physical models of semiconductor properties were used. In this paper, the enhancement in the performance of AlInGaN laser diode can be achieved by optimizing the laser structure geometry design. The AlInGaN laser diodes operating parameters such as internal quantum efficiency ηi, internal loss αi and transparency threshold current density show effective improvements that contribute to a better performance.

Spinel, YbFe2O4, and Yb2Fe3O7 types of structure for compounds in the In2O3 and Sc2O3-A2O3-BO systems (A: Fe, Ga, or Al; B: Mg, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, or Zn) at temperatures over 1000C

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kimizuka, N.; Mohri, T.

In the Sc2O3-Ga2O3-CuO, Sc2O3-Ga2O3-ZnO, and Sc2O3-Al2O3-CuO systems, ScGaCuO4, ScGaZnO4, and ScAlCuO4 with the YbFe2O4-type structure and Sc2Ga2CuO7 with the Yb2Fe3O7-type structure were obtained. In the In2O3-A2O3-BO systems (A: Fe, Ga, or Al; B: Mg, Mn, Fe, Ni, or Zn), InGaFeO4, InGaNiO4, and InFeT MgO4 with the spinel structure, InGaZnO4, InGaMgO4, and InAl-CuO4 with the YbFe2O4-type structure, and In2Ga2MnO7 and In2Ga2ZnO7 with the Yb2Fe3O7-type structure were obtained. InGaMnO4 and InFe2O4 had both the YbFe2O4-type and spinel-type structures. The revised classification for the crystal structures of AB2O4 compounds is presented, based upon the coordination numbers of constituent A and B cations. 5more » references, 2 tables.« less

An X-ray absorption spectroscopic study of the metal site preference in Al1-xGaxFeO3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, James D. S.; Grosvenor, Andrew P.

2013-01-01

Magnetoelectric materials have potential for being introduced into next generation technologies, especially memory devices. The AFeO3 (Pna21; A=Al, Ga) system has received attention to better understand the origins of magnetoelectric coupling. The magnetoelectric properties this system exhibits depend on the amount of anti-site disorder present, which is affected by the composition and the method of synthesis. In this study, Al1-xGaxFeO3 was synthesized by the ceramic method and studied by X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Al L2,3-, Ga K-, and Fe K-edge spectra were collected to examine how the average metal coordination number changes with composition. Examination of XANES spectra from Al1-xGaxFeO3 indicate that with increasing Ga content, Al increasingly occupies octahedral sites while Ga displays a preference for occupying the tetrahedral site. The Fe K-edge spectra indicate that more Fe is present in the tetrahedral site in AlFeO3 than in GaFeO3, implying more anti-site disorder is present in AlFeO3.

Cation-Poor Complex Metallic Alloys in Ba(Eu)-Au-Al(Ga) Systems: Identifying the Keys that Control Structural Arrangements and Atom Distributions at the Atomic Level.

PubMed

Smetana, Volodymyr; Steinberg, Simon; Mudryk, Yaroslav; Pecharsky, Vitalij; Miller, Gordon J; Mudring, Anja-Verena

2015-11-02

Four complex intermetallic compounds BaAu(6±x)Ga(6±y) (x = 1, y = 0.9) (I), BaAu(6±x)Al(6±y) (x = 0.9, y = 0.6) (II), EuAu6.2Ga5.8 (III), and EuAu6.1Al5.9 (IV) have been synthesized, and their structures and homogeneity ranges have been determined by single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction. Whereas I and II originate from the NaZn13-type structure (cF104-112, Fm3̅c), III (tP52, P4/nbm) is derived from the tetragonal Ce2Ni17Si9-type, and IV (oP104, Pbcm) crystallizes in a new orthorhombic structure type. Both I and II feature formally anionic networks with completely mixed site occupation by Au and triel (Tr = Al, Ga) atoms, while a successive decrease of local symmetry from the parental structures of I and II to III and, ultimately, to IV correlates with increasing separation of Au and Tr on individual crystallographic sites. Density functional theory-based calculations were employed to determine the crystallographic site preferences of Au and the respective triel element to elucidate reasons for the atom distribution ("coloring scheme"). Chemical bonding analyses for two different "EuAu6Tr6" models reveal maximization of the number of heteroatomic Au-Tr bonds as the driving force for atom organization. The Fermi levels fall in broad pseudogaps for both models allowing some electronic flexibility. Spin-polarized band structure calculations on the "EuAu6Tr6" models hint to singlet ground states for europium and long-range magnetic coupling for both EuAu6.2Ga5.8 (III) and EuAu6.1Al5.9 (IV). This is substantiated by experimental evidence because both compounds show nearly identical magnetic behavior with ferromagnetic transitions at TC = 6 K and net magnetic moments of 7.35 μB/f.u. at 2 K. The effective moments of 8.3 μB/f.u., determined from Curie-Weiss fits, point to divalent oxidation states for europium in both III and IV.

Cation-poor complex metallic alloys in Ba(Eu)–Au–Al(Ga) systems: Identifying the keys that control structural arrangements and atom distributions at the atomic level

DOE PAGES

Smetana, Volodymyr; Steinberg, Simon; Mudryk, Yaroslav; ...

2015-10-19

Four complex intermetallic compounds BaAu 6±xGa 6±y (x = 1, y = 0.9) (I), BaAu 6±xAl 6±y (x = 0.9, y = 0.6) (II), EuAu 6.2Ga 5.8 (III), and EuAu 6.1Al 5.9 (IV) have been synthesized, and their structures and homogeneity ranges have been determined by single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction. Whereas I and II originate from the NaZn 13-type structure (cF104–112, Fm3C), III (tP52, P4/nbm) is derived from the tetragonal Ce 2Ni 17Si 9-type, and IV (oP104, Pbcm) crystallizes in a new orthorhombic structure type. Both I and II feature formally anionic networks with completely mixed site occupationmore » by Au and triel (Tr = Al, Ga) atoms, while a successive decrease of local symmetry from the parental structures of I and II to III and, ultimately, to IV correlates with increasing separation of Au and Tr on individual crystallographic sites. Density functional theory-based calculations were employed to determine the crystallographic site preferences of Au and the respective triel element to elucidate reasons for the atom distribution (“coloring scheme”). Chemical bonding analyses for two different “EuAu 6Tr 6” models reveal maximization of the number of heteroatomic Au–Tr bonds as the driving force for atom organization. The Fermi levels fall in broad pseudogaps for both models allowing some electronic flexibility. Spin-polarized band structure calculations on the “EuAu 6Tr 6” models hint to singlet ground states for europium and long-range magnetic coupling for both EuAu 6.2Ga 5.8 (III) and EuAu 6.1Al 5.9 (IV). This is substantiated by experimental evidence because both compounds show nearly identical magnetic behavior with ferromagnetic transitions at T C = 6 K and net magnetic moments of 7.35 μB/f.u. at 2 K. As a result, the effective moments of 8.3 μB/f.u., determined from Curie–Weiss fits, point to divalent oxidation states for europium in both III and IV.« less

Comparative study of textured and epitaxial ZnO films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryu, Y. R.; Zhu, S.; Wrobel, J. M.; Jeong, H. M.; Miceli, P. F.; White, H. W.

2000-06-01

ZnO films were synthesized by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on GaAs and α-Al 2O 3 substrates. The properties of ZnO films on GaAs and α-Al 2O 3 have been investigated to determine the differences between epitaxial and textured ZnO films. ZnO films on GaAs show very strong emission features associated with exciton transitions as do ZnO films on α-Al 2O 3, while the crystalline structural qualities for ZnO films on α-Al 2O 3 are much better than those for ZnO films on GaAs. The properties of ZnO films are studied by comparing highly oriented, textured ZnO films on GaAs with epitaxial ZnO films on α-Al 2O 3 synthesized along the c-axis.

Open-Gated pH Sensor Fabricated on an Undoped-AlGaN/GaN HEMT Structure

PubMed Central

Abidin, Mastura Shafinaz Zainal; Hashim, Abdul Manaf; Sharifabad, Maneea Eizadi; Rahman, Shaharin Fadzli Abd; Sadoh, Taizoh

2011-01-01

The sensing responses in aqueous solution of an open-gated pH sensor fabricated on an AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility-transistor (HEMT) structure are investigated. Under air-exposed ambient conditions, the open-gated undoped AlGaN/GaN HEMT only shows the presence of a linear current region. This seems to show that very low Fermi level pinning by surface states exists in the undoped AlGaN/GaN sample. In aqueous solution, typical current-voltage (I-V) characteristics with reasonably good gate controllability are observed, showing that the potential of the AlGaN surface at the open-gated area is effectively controlled via aqueous solution by the Ag/AgCl gate electrode. The open-gated undoped AlGaN/GaN HEMT structure is capable of distinguishing pH level in aqueous electrolytes and exhibits linear sensitivity, where high sensitivity of 1.9 mA/pH or 3.88 mA/mm/pH at drain-source voltage, VDS = 5 V is obtained. Due to the large leakage current where it increases with the negative gate voltage, Nernstian like sensitivity cannot be determined as commonly reported in the literature. This large leakage current may be caused by the technical factors rather than any characteristics of the devices. Surprisingly, although there are some imperfections in the device preparation and measurement, the fabricated devices work very well in distinguishing the pH levels. Suppression of current leakage by improving the device preparation is likely needed to improve the device performance. The fabricated device is expected to be suitable for pH sensing applications. PMID:22163786

Atomic layer deposition TiO 2-Al 2O 3 stack: An improved gate dielectric on Ga-polar GaN metal oxide semiconductor capacitors

DOE PAGES

Wei, Daming; Edgar, James H.; Briggs, Dayrl P.; ...

2014-10-15

This research focuses on the benefits and properties of TiO 2-Al 2O 3 nano-stack thin films deposited on Ga 2O 3/GaN by plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition (PA-ALD) for gate dielectric development. This combination of materials achieved a high dielectric constant, a low leakage current, and a low interface trap density. Correlations were sought between the films’ structure, composition, and electrical properties. The gate dielectrics were approximately 15 nm thick and contained 5.1 nm TiO 2, 7.1 nm Al 2O 3 and 2 nm Ga 2O 3 as determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry. The interface carbon concentration, as measured by x-ray photoelectronmore » spectroscopy (XPS) depth profile, was negligible for GaN pretreated by thermal oxidation in O 2 for 30 minutes at 850°C. The RMS roughness slightly increased after thermal oxidation and remained the same after ALD of the nano-stack, as determined by atomic force microscopy. The dielectric constant of TiO 2-Al 2O 3 on Ga2O3/GaN was increased to 12.5 compared to that of pure Al 2O 3 (8~9) on GaN. In addition, the nano-stack's capacitance-voltage (C-V) hysteresis was small, with a total trap density of 8.74 × 10 11 cm -2. The gate leakage current density (J=2.81× 10 -8 A/cm 2) was low at +1 V gate bias. These results demonstrate the promising potential of plasma ALD deposited TiO 2/Al 2O 3 for serving as the gate oxide on Ga 2O 3/GaN based MOS devices.« less

Atomic layer deposition TiO 2-Al 2O 3 stack: An improved gate dielectric on Ga-polar GaN metal oxide semiconductor capacitors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wei, Daming; Edgar, James H.; Briggs, Dayrl P.

This research focuses on the benefits and properties of TiO 2-Al 2O 3 nano-stack thin films deposited on Ga 2O 3/GaN by plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition (PA-ALD) for gate dielectric development. This combination of materials achieved a high dielectric constant, a low leakage current, and a low interface trap density. Correlations were sought between the films’ structure, composition, and electrical properties. The gate dielectrics were approximately 15 nm thick and contained 5.1 nm TiO 2, 7.1 nm Al 2O 3 and 2 nm Ga 2O 3 as determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry. The interface carbon concentration, as measured by x-ray photoelectronmore » spectroscopy (XPS) depth profile, was negligible for GaN pretreated by thermal oxidation in O 2 for 30 minutes at 850°C. The RMS roughness slightly increased after thermal oxidation and remained the same after ALD of the nano-stack, as determined by atomic force microscopy. The dielectric constant of TiO 2-Al 2O 3 on Ga2O3/GaN was increased to 12.5 compared to that of pure Al 2O 3 (8~9) on GaN. In addition, the nano-stack's capacitance-voltage (C-V) hysteresis was small, with a total trap density of 8.74 × 10 11 cm -2. The gate leakage current density (J=2.81× 10 -8 A/cm 2) was low at +1 V gate bias. These results demonstrate the promising potential of plasma ALD deposited TiO 2/Al 2O 3 for serving as the gate oxide on Ga 2O 3/GaN based MOS devices.« less

Mechanism of leakage of ion-implantation isolated AlGaN/GaN MIS-high electron mobility transistors on Si substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhili; Song, Liang; Li, Weiyi; Fu, Kai; Yu, Guohao; Zhang, Xiaodong; Fan, Yaming; Deng, Xuguang; Li, Shuiming; Sun, Shichuang; Li, Xiajun; Yuan, Jie; Sun, Qian; Dong, Zhihua; Cai, Yong; Zhang, Baoshun

2017-08-01

In this paper, we systematically investigated the leakage mechanism of the ion-implantation isolated AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor high electron mobility transistors (MIS-HEMTs) on Si substrate. By means of combined DC tests at different temperatures and electric field dependence, we demonstrated the following original results: (1) It is proved that gate leakage is the main contribution to OFF-state leakage of ion-implantation isolated AlGaN/GaN MIS-HEMTs, and the gate leakage path is a series connection of the gate dielectric Si3N4 and Si3N4-GaN interface. (2) The dominant mechanisms of the leakage current through LPCVD-Si3N4 gate dielectric and Si3N4-GaN interface are identified to be Frenkel-Poole emission and two-dimensional variable range hopping (2D-VRH), respectively. (3) A certain temperature annealing could reduce the density of the interface state that produced by ion implantation, and consequently suppress the interface leakage transport, which results in a decrease in OFF-state leakage current of ion-implantation isolated AlGaN/GaN MIS-HEMTs.

Development of GaAs/Si and GaAs/Si monolithic structures for future space solar cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spitzer, M. B.; Vernon, S. M.; Wolfson, R. G.; Tobin, S. P.

1984-01-01

The results of heteroepitaxial growth of GaAs and GaAlAs directly on Si are presented, and applications to new cell structures are suggested. The novel feature is the elimination of a Ge lattice transition region. This feature not only reduces the cost of substrate preparation, but also makes possible the fabrication of high efficiency monolithic cascade structures. All films to be discussed were grown by organometallic chemical vapor deposition at atmospheric pressure. This process yielded reproducible, large-area films of GaAs, grown directly on Si, that are tightly adherent and smooth, and are characterized by a defect density of 5 x 10(6) power/sq cm. Preliminary studies indicate that GaAlAs can also be grown in this way. A number of promising applications are suggested. Certainly these substrates are ideal for low-weight GaAs space solar ells. For very high efficiency, the absence of Ge makes the technology attractive for GaAlAs/Si monolithic cascades, in which the Si substrates would first be provided with a suitable p/n junction. An evaluation of a three bandgap cascade consisting of appropriately designed GaAlAs/GaAs/Si layers is also presented.

Landau levels and shallow donor states in GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum wells at megagauss magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zybert, M.; Marchewka, M.; Sheregii, E. M.; Rickel, D. G.; Betts, J. B.; Balakirev, F. F.; Gordon, M.; Stier, A. V.; Mielke, C. H.; Pfeffer, P.; Zawadzki, W.

2017-03-01

Landau levels and shallow donor states in multiple GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells (MQWs) are investigated by means of the cyclotron resonance at megagauss magnetic fields. Measurements of magneto-optical transitions were performed in pulsed fields up to 140 T and temperatures from 6-300 K. The 14 ×14 P.p band model for GaAs is used to interpret free-electron transitions in a magnetic field. Temperature behavior of the observed resonant structure indicates, in addition to the free-electron Landau states, contributions of magnetodonor states in the GaAs wells and possibly in the AlGaAs barriers. The magnetodonor energies are calculated using a variational procedure suitable for high magnetic fields and accounting for conduction band nonparabolicity in GaAs. It is shown that the above states, including their spin splitting, allow one to interpret the observed magneto-optical transitions in MQWs in the middle infrared region. Our experimental and theoretical results at very high magnetic fields are consistent with the picture used previously for GaAs/AlGaAs MQWs at lower magnetic fields.

Dopant-Free GaN/AlN/AlGaN Radial Nanowire Heterostructures as High Electron Mobility Transistors

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-06-10

grown at 775 °C and sequentially deposited with AlN and AlGaN shells in hydrogen at 1040 °C. (21) Manfra, M. J.; Pfriffer, L. N.; West, K. W.; Stormer ...Lett. 2005, 86, 102106. (30) Henriksen, E. A.; Syed, S.; Ahmadian, Y.; Manfra, M. J.; Baldwin, K. W.; Sergent, A. M.; Molnar, R. J.; Stormer , H. L

Influence of high Mg doping on the microstructural and opto-electrical properties of AlGaN alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Qingjun; Zhang, Shiying; Liu, Bin; Tao, Tao; Xie, Zili; Xiu, Xiangqian; Chen, Dunjun; Chen, Peng; Han, Ping; Zheng, Youdou; Zhang, Rong

2018-07-01

Mg-doped AlxGa1-xN (x = 0.23 and 0.35) alloys have been grown on GaN templates with high temperature AlN (HT-AlN) interlayer by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). A combination of secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicates the formation of more inversion domains in the high Al mole fraction Mg-doped AlGaN alloys at Mg concentration ∼1020 cm-3. For Mg-doped Al0.23Ga0.77N epilayer, the analysis of cathodoluminescence (CL) spectra supports the existence of self-compensation effects due to the presence of intrinsic defects and Mg-related centers. The energy level of Mg is estimated to be around 193 meV from the temperature dependence of the resistivity measured by Hall effect experiments. And hole concentration and mobility are measured to be 1.2 × 1018 cm-3 and 0.56 cm2/V at room temperature, respectively. The reduction of acceptor activation energy and low hole mobility are attributed to inversion domains and self-compensation. Moreover, impurity band conduction is dominant in carrier transport up to a relatively higher temperature in high Al content Mg-doped AlGaN alloys.

Energy-band alignment of (HfO2)x(Al2O3)1-x gate dielectrics deposited by atomic layer deposition on β-Ga2O3 (-201)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Lei; Zhang, Hongpeng; Jia, Renxu; Guo, Lixin; Zhang, Yimen; Zhang, Yuming

2018-03-01

Energy band alignments between series band of Al-rich high-k materials (HfO2)x(Al2O3)1-x and β-Ga2O3 are investigated using X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). The results exhibit sufficient conduction band offsets (1.42-1.53 eV) in (HfO2)x(Al2O3)1-x/β-Ga2O3. In addition, it is also obtained that the value of Eg, △Ec, and △Ev for (HfO2)x(Al2O3)1-x/β-Ga2O3 change linearly with x, which can be expressed by 6.98-1.27x, 1.65-0.56x, and 0.48-0.70x, respectively. The higher dielectric constant and higher effective breakdown electric field of (HfO2)x(Al2O3)1-x compared with Al2O3, coupled with sufficient barrier height and lower gate leakage makes it a potential dielectric for high voltage β-Ga2O3 power MOSFET, and also provokes interest in further investigation of HfAlO/β-Ga2O3 interface properties.

Electron mobility in modulation-doped heterostructures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walukiewicz, W.; Ruda, H. E.; Lagowski, J.; Gatos, H. C.

1984-01-01

A model for electron mobility in a two-dimensional electron gas confined in a triangular well was developed. All major scattering processes (deformation potential and piezoelectric acoustic, polar optical, ionized impurity, and alloy disorder) were included, as well as intrasubband and intersubband scattering. The model is applied to two types of modulation-doped heterostructures, namely GaAs-GaAlAs and In(0.53)Ga(0.47)As-Al(0.52)In(0.48)As. In the former case, phonons and remote ionized impurities ultimately limit the mobility, whereas in the latter, alloy disorder is a predominant scattering process at low temperatures. The calculated mobilities are in very good agreement with recently reported experimental characteristics for both GaAs-Ga(1-x)Al(x)As and In(0.53)Ga(0.47)As-Al(0.52)In(0.48)As modulation-doped heterostructures.

Growth of GaN nanostructures with polar and semipolar orientations for the fabrication of UV LEDs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brault, Julien; Damilano, Benjamin; Courville, Aimeric; Leroux, Mathieu; Kahouli, Abdelkarim; Korytov, Maxim; Vennéguès, Philippe; Randazzo, Gaetano; Chenot, Sébastien; Vinter, Borge; De Mierry, Philippe; Massies, Jean; Rosales, Daniel; Bretagnon, Thierry; Gil, Bernard

2014-03-01

(Al,Ga)N light emitting diodes (LEDs), emitting over a large spectral range from 360 nm (GaN) down to 210 nm (AlN), have been successfully fabricated over the last decade. Clear advantages compared to the traditional mercury lamp technology (e.g. compactness, low-power operation, lifetime) have been demonstrated. However, LED efficiencies still need to be improved. The main problems are related to the structural quality and the p-type doping efficiency of (Al,Ga)N. Among the current approaches, GaN nanostructures, which confine carriers along both the growth direction and the growth plane, are seen as a solution for improving the radiative recombination efficiency by strongly reducing the impact of surrounding defects. Our approach, based on a 2D - 3D growth mode transition in molecular beam epitaxy, can lead to the spontaneous formation of GaN nanostructures on (Al,Ga)N over a broad range of Al compositions. Furthermore, the versatility of the process makes it possible to fabricate nanostructures on both (0001) oriented "polar" and (11 2 2) oriented "semipolar" materials. We show that the change in the crystal orientation has a strong impact on the morphological and optical properties of the nanostructures. The influence of growth conditions are also investigated by combining microscopy (SEM, TEM) and photoluminescence techniques. Finally, their potential as UV emitters will be discussed and the performances of GaN / (Al,Ga)N nanostructure-based LED demonstrators are presented.

Ab initio calculations on the initial stages of GaN and ZnO growth on lattice-matched ScAlMgO4 (0001) substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Yao; Wang, Yanfei; Li, Chengbo; Li, Xianchang; Niu, Yongsheng; Hou, Shaogang

2016-12-01

The initial stages of GaN and ZnO epitaxial growth on lattice-matched ScAlMgO4 substrates have been investigated by ab initio calculation. The geometrical parameters and electronic structure of ScAlMgO4 bulk and (0001) surface have been investigated by density-functional first-principles study. The effects of different surface terminations have been examined through surface energy and relaxation calculations. The O-Mg-O termination is more favorable than other terminations by comparing the calculated surface energies. It should be accepted as the appropriate surface structure in subsequent calculation. The initial stages of GaN and ZnO epitaxial growths are discussed based on the adsorption and diffusion of the adatoms on reconstructed ScAlMgO4 (0001) surface. According to theoretical characterizations, N adatom on the surface is more stable than Ga. O adatom is more favorable than Zn. These observations lead to the formation of GaN and ZnO epilayer and explain experimentally-confirmed in-plane alignment mechanisms of GaN and ZnO on ScAlMgO4 substrates. Furthermore, the polarity of GaN and ZnO surfaces on ScAlMgO4 (0001) at the initial growth stage have been explored by ab initio calculation. Theoretical studies indicate that the predominant growths of Ga-polar GaN and Zn-polar ZnO are determined by the initial growth stage.

Effects of HfO2/Al2O3 gate stacks on electrical performance of planar In x Ga1- x As tunneling field-effect transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahn, Dae-Hwan; Yoon, Sang-Hee; Takenaka, Mitsuru; Takagi, Shinichi

2017-08-01

We study the impact of gate stacks on the electrical characteristics of Zn-diffused source In x Ga1- x As tunneling field-effect transistors (TFETs) with Al2O3 or HfO2/Al2O3 gate insulators. Ta and W gate electrodes are compared in terms of the interface trap density (D it) of InGaAs MOS interfaces. It is found that D it is lower at the W/HfO2/Al2O3 InGaAs MOS interface than at the Ta/HfO2/Al2O3 interface. The In0.53Ga0.47As TFET with a W/HfO2 (2.7 nm)/Al2O3 (0.3 nm) gate stack of 1.4-nm-thick capacitance equivalent thickness (CET) has a steep minimum subthreshold swing (SS) of 57 mV/dec, which is attributed to the thin CET and low D it. Also, the In0.53Ga0.47As (2.6 nm)/In0.67Ga0.33As (3.2 nm)/In0.53Ga0.47As (96.5 nm) quantum-well (QW) TFET supplemented with this 1.4-nm-thick CET gate stack exhibits a steeper minimum SS of 54 mV/dec and a higher on-current (I on) than those of the In0.53Ga0.47As TFET.

AlGaInN laser diode technology and systems for defence and security applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Najda, Stephen P.; Perlin, Piotr; Suski, Tadek; Marona, Lujca; Boćkowski, Mike; Leszczyński, Mike; Wisniewski, Przemek; Czernecki, Robert; Kucharski, Robert; Targowski, Grzegorz; Watson, Scott; Kelly, Antony E.

2015-10-01

AlGaInN laser diodes is an emerging technology for defence and security applications such as underwater communications and sensing, atomic clocks and quantum information. The AlGaInN material system allows for laser diodes to be fabricated over a very wide range of wavelengths from u.v., ~380nm, to the visible ~530nm, by tuning the indium content of the laser GaInN quantum well. Thus AlGaInN laser diode technology is a key enabler for the development of new disruptive system level applications in displays, telecom, defence and other industries. Ridge waveguide laser diodes are fabricated to achieve single mode operation with optical powers up to 100mW with the 400-440nm wavelength range with high reliability. Visible free-space and underwater communication at frequencies up to 2.5GHz is reported using a directly modulated 422nm GaN laser diode. Low defectivity and highly uniform GaN substrates allow arrays and bars to be fabricated. High power operation operation of AlGaInN laser bars with up to 20 emitters have been demonstrated at optical powers up to 4W in a CS package with common contact configuration. An alternative package configuration for AlGaInN laser arrays allows for each individual laser to be individually addressable allowing complex free-space or optical fibre system integration with a very small form-factor.

Enhancement of two dimensional electron gas concentrations due to Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} passivation on Al{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}N/GaN heterostructure: strain and interface capacitance analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dinara, Syed Mukulika, E-mail: smdinara.iit@gmail.com; Jana, Sanjay Kr.; Ghosh, Saptarsi

2015-04-15

Enhancement of two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) concentrations at Al{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}N/GaN hetero interface after a-Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} (SiN) passivation has been investigated from non-destructive High Resolution X-ray Diffraction (HRXRD) analysis, depletion depth and capacitance-voltage (C-V) profile measurement. The crystalline quality and strained in-plane lattice parameters of Al{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}N and GaN were evaluated from double axis (002) symmetric (ω-2θ) diffraction scan and double axis (105) asymmetric reciprocal space mapping (DA RSM) which revealed that the tensile strain of the Al{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}N layer increased by 15.6% after SiN passivation. In accordance with the predictions from theoretical solution of Schrödinger-Poisson’smore » equations, both electrochemical capacitance voltage (ECV) depletion depth profile and C-V characteristics analyses were performed which implied effective 9.5% increase in 2DEG carrier density after passivation. The enhancement of polarization charges results from increased tensile strain in the Al{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}N layer and also due to the decreased surface states at the interface of SiN/Al{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}N layer, effectively improving the carrier confinement at the interface.« less

Life on Earth before 3.83 Ga? Carbonaceous Inclusions from Akilia (West Greenland)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mojzsis, S. J.; Papineau, D.; Adam, J. D.; Harrison, T. M.

2005-12-01

The earliest records of life on Earth have been obscured by the intense metamorphism experienced by all known terranes older than ca. 3600 Ma; fragile microfossil shapes become obliterated, and chemical/isotopic biosignatures are potentially blurred, overprinted, mimicked or erased. Prior studies sought to overcome this dilemma utilizing chemofossils ~ biosignatures resistant to physical and chemical change since formation ~ in the search for possible traces of a biosphere in pre-3.8 Ga rocks. Interpreting the geology, age and origin of the oldest rocks is fraught with difficulty, yet new field- and laboratory-based techniques permit direct assessment of proposed evidence for early life in the >3.83 Ga paragneisses of the Akilia association in southern West Greenland. A comprehensive program of sampling guided by 1:100 scale mapping of these highly deformed units coupled with structural, geochemical and geochronological analyses, provides a basis for understanding of the petrogenesis of the Akilia rocks (Manning et al., in press). The new studies resolve existing controversies over this complex terrane and (i) corroborate a sedimentary rather than metasomatic origin for Fe-rich quartz pyroxene ( Aqp) units as supported by separate trace element, REE, δ18O, δ33S/δ34S and δ56Fe isotope studies; (ii) validate a >3.83 Ga age for Aqp units on Akilia and related units in southern West Greenland as among the oldest known rocks of sedimentary origin; and (iii) verify the presence of apatite-hosted graphite in Aqp units (cf. Lepland et al., 2005; Moorbath, 2005). This growing list of results lend support to our original interpretation (Mojzsis et al., 1996) that the simplest explanation for depleted 13C in carbonaceous inclusions in apatite from Akilia is that life had emerged on Earth prior to 3.83 Ga. Manning, C.E., Mojzsis, S.J. and Harrison, T.M. (2005) Geology, age and origin of supracrustal rocks, Akilia, Greenland (Amer. J. Sci. in press).

Ideal Channel Field Effect Transistors

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-01

well as on /?-GaAs/w-GaAs homojunctions grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The diode I-Vs at reverse bias are plotted below. The measured breakdown...transistors and composite channel InAlAs/InGaAs/lnP/InAlAs high electron mobility transistors ( HEMTs ), which have taken the full advantage of the matched...result in a large number of dislocations in GaAs films epitaxially grown on wurtzite GaN. In this work, we have successfully integrated GaAs with GaN

Defects and annealing studies in 1-Me electron irradiated (AlGa)As-GaAs solar cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Li, S. S.; Wang, W. L.; Loo, R. Y.; Rahilly, W. P.

1982-01-01

The deep-level defects and recombination mechanisms in the one-MeV electron irradiated (AlGa)As-GaAs solar cells under various irradiation and annealing conditions are discussed. Deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) and capacitance-voltage (CV) techniques were used to determine the defect and recombination parameters such as energy levels and defect density, carrier capture cross sections and lifetimes for both electron and hole traps as well as hole diffusion lengths in these electron irradiated GaAs solar cells. GaAs solar cells used in this study were prepared by the infinite solution melt liquid phase epitaxial (LPE) technique at Hughes Research Lab., with (Al0.9Ga0.1)-As window layer, Be-diffused p-GaAs layer on Sn-doped n-GaAs or undoped n-GaAs active layer grown on n(+)-GaAs substrate. Mesa structure with area of 5.86x1000 sq cm was fabricated. Three different irradiation and annealing experiments were performed on these solar cells.

Rapid thermal anneal in InP, GaAs and GaAs/GaAlAs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Descouts, B.; Duhamel, N.; Godefroy, S.; Krauz, P.

Ion implantation in semiconductors provides a doping technique with several advantages over more conventional doping methods and is now extensively used for device applications, e.g. field effect transistors (MESFET GaAs, MIS (InP), GaAs/GaAlAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBT). Because of the lattice disorder produced by the implantation, the dopant must be made electrically active by a postimplant anneal. As the device performances are very dependent on its electrical characteristics, the anneal is a very important stage of the process. Rapid anneal is known to provide less exodiffusion and less induffusion of impurities compared to conventional furnace anneal, so this technique has been used in this work to activate an n-type dopant (Si) in InP and a p-type dopant (Mg) in GaAs and GaAs/GaAIAs. These two ions have been chosen to realize implanted MIS InP and the base contacts for GaAs/GaAlAs HBTs. The experimental conditions to obtain the maximum electrical activity in these two cases will be detailed. For example, although we have not been able to obtain a flat profile in Mg + implanted GaAs/GaAlAs heterostructure by conventional thermal anneal, rapid thermal anneal gives a flat hole profile over a depth of 0.5 μm with a concentration of 1 x 10 19 cm -3.

Additional compound semiconductor nanowires for photonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishikawa, F.

2016-02-01

GaAs related compound semiconductor heterostructures are one of the most developed materials for photonics. Those have realized various photonic devices with high efficiency, e. g., lasers, electro-optical modulators, and solar cells. To extend the functions of the materials system, diluted nitride and bismide has been paid attention over the past decade. They can largely decrease the band gap of the alloys, providing the greater tunability of band gap and strain status, eventually suppressing the non-radiative Auger recombinations. On the other hand, selective oxidation for AlGaAs is a vital technique for vertical surface emitting lasers. That enables precisely controlled oxides in the system, enabling the optical and electrical confinement, heat transfer, and mechanical robustness. We introduce the above functions into GaAs nanowires. GaAs/GaAsN core-shell nanowires showed clear redshift of the emitting wavelength toward infrared regime. Further, the introduction of N elongated the carrier lifetime at room temperature indicating the passivation of non-radiative surface recombinations. GaAs/GaAsBi nanowire shows the redshift with metamorphic surface morphology. Selective and whole oxidations of GaAs/AlGaAs core-shell nanowires produce semiconductor/oxide composite GaAs/AlGaOx and oxide GaOx/AlGaOx core-shell nanowires, respectively. Possibly sourced from nano-particle species, the oxide shell shows white luminescence. Those property should extend the functions of the nanowires for their application to photonics.

Investigation of GaAs/Al(x)Ga(1-x)As and In(y)Ga(1-y)As/GaAs superlattices on Si substrates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reddy, U. K.; Ji, G.; Huang, D.; Munns, G.; Morkoc, H.

1987-01-01

The optical properties of lattice-matched GaAs/Al(x)Ga(1-x)As and In(y)Ga(1-y)As/GaAs strained-layer superlattices grown on Si substrates have been studied using the photoreflectance technique. These preliminary results show that good quality III-IV epilayers can be grown on Si. The experimental data were compared with calculations based on the envelope-function approximation and fitted to the third-derivative functional form of reflectance modulation theory.

Provenance and paleoweathering reconstruction of the Mesoproterozoic Hongshuizhuang Formation (1.4 Ga), northern North China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Qingyong; Zhong, Ningning; Wang, Yannian; Ma, Ling; Li, Min

2015-10-01

This is the first study presenting major and trace elemental data from the Mesoproterozoic Hongshuizhuang Formation shales in Yanshan basin, North China, in order to reconstruct its provenance and chemical weathering history. The shales are strongly depleted in Na2O and Sr and enriched in Y and transition metal elements relative to upper continental crust. Low Zr concentrations and various discriminant plots (e.g., Th/Sc-Zr/Sc and Al2O3-TiO2-Zr) indicate insignificant mineral sorting or recycling of these shales. The rocks show light rare earth element (REE) enrichment (La/YbCN = 3.99-6.92), flat heavy REE, and significantly negative Eu anomalies (Euan = 0.57-0.68) in chondrite-normalized REE patterns, similar to post-Archean Australian average shales. The fairly uniform REE patterns and trace element ratios indicate that the Hongshuizhuang Formation shales were derived from a felsic source area with granodiorite as the dominant contributor. Mixing calculations suggest a mixture of 30 % granite porphyry, 5 % basalt, and 65 % granodiorite as the possible source of the shales, also supporting that granodiorite was the predominant source. Intense chemical weathering of the source terrain is indicated by high values of the premetasomatized chemical index of alteration, plagioclase index of alteration, Rb/Sr, a strong positive correlation between TiO2 and Al2O3, depletion of CaO, Na2O, and Sr, and mineral compositions. Such strong chemical weathering suggests a warm and wet paleoclimate, perhaps due to high atmospheric CO2 and CH4 concentrations, and a near-equatorial location of the North China Craton in the Columbia supercontinent at 1.4 Ga.

Comparative analysis of the effects of tantalum doping and annealing on atomic layer deposited (Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5}){sub x}(Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}){sub 1−x} as potential gate dielectrics for GaN/Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}N/GaN high electron mobility transistors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Partida-Manzanera, T., E-mail: sgtparti@liv.ac.uk; Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR; Roberts, J. W.

2016-01-14

This paper describes a method to optimally combine wide band gap Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} with high dielectric constant (high-κ) Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5} for gate dielectric applications. (Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5}){sub x}(Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}){sub 1−x} thin films deposited by thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) on GaN-capped Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}N/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) structures have been studied as a function of the Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5} molar fraction. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows that the bandgap of the oxide films linearly decreases from 6.5 eV for pure Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} to 4.6 eV for pure Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5}. The dielectric constant calculated from capacitance-voltage measurementsmore » also increases linearly from 7.8 for Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} up to 25.6 for Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5}. The effect of post-deposition annealing in N{sub 2} at 600 °C on the interfacial properties of undoped Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Ta-doped (Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5}){sub 0.12}(Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}){sub 0.88} films grown on GaN-HEMTs has been investigated. These conditions are analogous to the conditions used for source/drain contact formation in gate-first HEMT technology. A reduction of the Ga-O to Ga-N bond ratios at the oxide/HEMT interfaces is observed after annealing, which is attributed to a reduction of interstitial oxygen-related defects. As a result, the conduction band offsets (CBOs) of the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/GaN-HEMT and (Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5}){sub 0.16}(Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}){sub 0.84}/GaN-HEMT samples increased by ∼1.1 eV to 2.8 eV and 2.6 eV, respectively, which is advantageous for n-type HEMTs. The results demonstrate that ALD of Ta-doped Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} can be used to control the properties of the gate dielectric, allowing the κ-value to be increased, while still maintaining a sufficient CBO to the GaN-HEMT structure for low leakage currents.« less

Photocurrent Cancellation Due to Barrier Asymmetry in GaAs/AlGaAs Heterostructure Infrared Detectors

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-05-01

with previous work published on QWIP current mechanisms. The Barrier Workfunction and Collection Efficiency give the relevant values obtained by using...infrared photodetectors ( QWIPs ,) multiple quantum well (MQW,) and superlattice structures. 15 2.5.1 Heterojunction Interfacial Workfunction Internal...for aluminum fractions of x = 0.28, 0.37, and 0.57, respectively. Similar results were found previously14 by Tsai et. al. in GaAs/AlGaAs QWIPs

Limitations of threshold voltage engineering of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures by dielectric interface charge density and manipulation by oxygen plasma surface treatments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lükens, G.; Yacoub, H.; Kalisch, H.; Vescan, A.

2016-05-01

The interface charge density between the gate dielectric and an AlGaN/GaN heterostructure has a significant impact on the absolute value and stability of the threshold voltage Vth of metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) heterostructure field effect transistor. It is shown that a dry-etching step (as typically necessary for normally off devices engineered by gate-recessing) before the Al2O3 gate dielectric deposition introduces a high positive interface charge density. Its origin is most likely donor-type trap states shifting Vth to large negative values, which is detrimental for normally off devices. We investigate the influence of oxygen plasma annealing techniques of the dry-etched AlGaN/GaN surface by capacitance-voltage measurements and demonstrate that the positive interface charge density can be effectively compensated. Furthermore, only a low Vth hysteresis is observable making this approach suitable for threshold voltage engineering. Analysis of the electrostatics in the investigated MIS structures reveals that the maximum Vth shift to positive voltages achievable is fundamentally limited by the onset of accumulation of holes at the dielectric/barrier interface. In the case of the Al2O3/Al0.26Ga0.74N/GaN material system, this maximum threshold voltage shift is limited to 2.3 V.