Brent S. Krusor

PHASE SEPARATION IN InGaN/GaN MULTIPLE QUANTUM WELLS

Evidence is presented for phase separation in In0.27Ga0.73N/GaN multiple quantum wells. After annealing for 40 h at a temperature of 950 °C, the absorption threshold at 2.95 eV is replaced by a broad peak at 2.65 eV. This peak is attributed to the formation of In-rich InGaN phases in the active region. X-ray diffraction measurements show a shift in the diffraction peaks toward GaN, consistent with the formation of an In-poor phase. A diffraction peak corresponding to an In-rich phase is also present in the annealed material. Nanoscale In-rich InGaN precipitates are observed by transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray chemical analysis.

Strained Ga/sub x/In/sub 1-x/P/(AlGa)/sub 0.5/In/sub 0.5/P heterostructures and quantum-well laser diodes

The properties of (AlGa)/sub 0.5/In/sub 0.5/P, strained Ga/sub x/In/sub 1-x/P/(AlGa)/sub 0.5/In/sub 0.5/P heterostructures, and single quantum well (QW) laser diodes with Al/sub 0.5/In/sub 0.5/P cladding layers, prepared by low pressure organometallic vapor phase epitaxy, are described. The influence of biaxial strain upon the relative positions of the valence band edges are examined by analyzing the polarized spontaneous emission. Laser diodes with wavelength 620 >

Scalable printed electronics: an organic decoder addressing ferroelectric non-volatile memory

Scalable circuits of organic logic and memory are realized using all-additive printing processes. A 3-bit organic complementary decoder is fabricated and used to read and write non-volatile, rewritable ferroelectric memory. The decoder-memory array is patterned by inkjet and gravure printing on flexible plastics. Simulation models for the organic transistors are developed, enabling circuit designs tolerant of the variations in printed devices. We explain the key design rules in fabrication of complex printed circuits and elucidate the performance requirements of materials and devices for reliable organic digital logic.

Structure of GaN films grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy

The structure of GaN films grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy on sapphire substrates has been studied by x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and atomic force microscopy. Films, 15–80 μm thick, were grown on c-plane sapphire that were either pretreated with GaCl or contained a ZnO sputter deposited layer. The defect density, for both types of films, was found by plan view TEM to range between mid-107 to mid-108 dislocations/cm2 despite very different structural defects at the film/substrate interface. Nanovoids were found; however, no cracks were observed in the films that were investigated by TEM.

Characterization of AlGaInN diode lasers with mirrors from chemically assisted ion beam etching

Current-injection InGaAlN heterostructure laser diodes grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on sapphire substrates are demonstrated with mirrors fabricated by chemically assisted ion beam etching. Due to the independent control of physical and chemical etching, smooth vertical sidewalls with a root-mean-squared roughness of 4–6 nm have been achieved. The diodes lased under pulsed current-injection conditions at wavelengths in the range from 419 to 423 nm. The lowest threshold current density was 25 kA/cm2. Lasing was observed in both gain-guided and ridge-waveguide test diodes, with cavity lengths from 300 to 1000 μm; and output powers of 10–20 mW were achieved. Laser performance is illustrated with light output-current and current–voltage characteristics and with a high-resolution optical spectrum.

Electronic and structural properties of GaN grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy

The electronic and structural properties of GaN were investigated for heteroepitaxial layers grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy. Uniform film nucleation on the sapphire substrates was facilitated by a GaCl pretreatment. The films were all unintentionally doped n type. Variable temperature Hall effect measurements reveal electron concentrations as low as 2×1017 cm−3 and electron mobilities as high as 460 cm2/V s at 300 K. The films exhibit bound exciton photoluminescence lines with a full width at half‐maximum (FWHM) of 2.42 meV at 2 K. Transmission electron microscopy studies of the GaN/sapphire interface reveal a ∼200 nm thick, highly defective GaN layer consisting predominantly of stacking faults. The excellent quality of these GaN films is attributed to this ‘‘auto‐buffer’’ layer which enables growth of GaN cells with a dislocation density of ∼3×108 cm−2 after ∼12 μm of film growth.

INTERDIFFUSION OF IN AND GA IN INGAN QUANTUM WELLS

Interdiffusion of In and Ga is observed in InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells for annealing temperatures of 1300–1400 °C. Hydrostatic pressures of up to 15 kbar were applied to prevent surface decomposition. In as-grown material, x-ray diffraction spectra show InGaN diffraction peaks up to the fourth order. After annealing at 1400 °C for 15 min, only the zero-order peak is observed, as a result of compositional disordering of the quantum well superlattice. Transmission electron microscopy confirms that the superlattice is completely disordered after annealing at 1400 °C for 15 min.

Printing Methods and Materials for Large-Area Electronic Devices

Two digital printing methods for the fabrication of active matrix thin-film transistor (AM-TFT) backplanes for displays are described. A process using printed resists layers, referred to as digital lithography, was used to fabricate arrays of hydrogenated amorphous silicon TFTs. TFTs were also fabricated using a combination of digital lithography to pattern metals and inkjet printing to pattern and deposit a polymeric semiconducting layer. The relative performance of amorphous silicon and polymer TFTs were evaluated. The utility of digital lithographic processing was demonstrated by the fabrication of prototype reflective displays using electrophoretic media.

Structural and optical properties of pseudomorphic InxGa1−xN alloys

Thick (225 nm) InxGa1−xN layers, grown on 5 μm thick GaN, were found by x-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements to be pseudomorphic up to x=0.114. Transmission electron microscopy showed that no misfit or additional threading dislocations were created at the InxGa1−xN/GaN interface. Composition of the overlayers was determined by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and correlated to both the a and c lattice constants from XRD. It was found that Vegard’s law is applicable at these compositions, if the biaxial strain is included. Biaxial strain must also be considered to accurately determine the bowing parameter as shown by optical transmission measurements.

Polycrystalline nitride semiconductor light-emitting diodes fabricated on quartz substrates

We demonstrate the feasibility of polycrystalline nitride semiconductor light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Here, polycrystalline LEDs were deposited on quartz substrates, incorporating a layer structure identical to that used for epitaxially grown LEDs. The deposition exhibits a tendency to produce c-oriented crystallites. Violet-blue (430 nm) operation of a polycrystalline LED is demonstrated, with spectral width of 38 nm, and emission efficiency approximately two orders of magnitude lower than for single-crystal LEDs. These LEDs could potentially be incorporated in large-area displays, since the deposition of polycrystalline materials avoids single-crystal substrates required for conventional nitride semiconductor light emitters.