Fabian Schuster

p-GaN/n-ZnO Heterojunction Nanowires: Optoelectronic Properties and the Role of Interface Polarity

In this work, simulations of the electronic band structure of a p-GaN/n-ZnO heterointerface are presented. In contrast to homojunctions, an additional energy barrier due to the type-II band alignment hinders the flow of majority charge carriers in this heterojunction. Spontaneous polarization and piezoelectricity are shown to additionally affect the band structure and the location of the recombination region. Proposed as potential UV-LEDs and laser diodes, p-GaN/n-ZnO heterojunction nanowires were fabricated by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE). Atomic resolution annular bright field scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) studies reveal an abrupt and defect-free heterointerface with a polarity inversion from N-polar GaN to Zn-polar ZnO. Photoluminescence measurements show strong excitonic UV emission originating from the ZnO-side of the interface as well as stimulated emission in the case of optical pumping above a threshold of 55 kW/cm(2).

Self-Assembled GaN Nanowires on Diamond

We demonstrate the nucleation of self-assembled, epitaxial GaN nanowires (NWs) on (111) single-crystalline diamond without using a catalyst or buffer layer. The NWs show an excellent crystalline quality of the wurtzite crystal structure with m-plane faceting, a low defect density, and axial growth along the c-axis with N-face polarity, as shown by aberration corrected annular bright-field scanning transmission electron microscopy. X-ray diffraction confirms single domain growth with an in-plane epitaxial relationship of (10 ̅10)(GaN) [parallel] (01 ̅1)(Diamond) as well as some biaxial tensile strain induced by thermal expansion mismatch. In photoluminescence, a strong and sharp excitonic emission reveals excellent optical properties superior to state-of-the-art GaN NWs on silicon substrates. In combination with the high-quality diamond/NW interface, confirmed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy measurements, these results underline the potential of p-type diamond/n-type nitride heterojunctions for efficient UV optoelectronic devices.

Position-Controlled Growth of GaN Nanowires and Nanotubes on Diamond by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

In this work the position-controlled growth of GaN nanowires (NWs) on diamond by means of molecular beam epitaxy is investigated. In terms of growth, diamond can be seen as a model substrate, providing information of systematic relevance also for other substrates. Thin Ti masks are structured by electron beam lithography which allows the fabrication of perfectly homogeneous GaN NW arrays with different diameters and distances. While the wurtzite NWs are found to be Ga-polar, N-polar nucleation leads to the formation of tripod structures with a zinc-blende core which can be efficiently suppressed above a substrate temperature of 870 °C. A variation of the III/V flux ratio reveals that both axial and radial growth rates are N-limited despite the globally N-rich growth conditions, which is explained by the different diffusion behavior of Ga and N atoms. Furthermore, it is shown that the hole arrangement has no effect on the selectivity but can be used to force a transition from nanowire to nanotube growth by employing a highly competitive growth regime.

Accurate determination of optical bandgap and lattice parameters of Zn1–xMgxO epitaxial films (0≤x≤0.3) grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on a-plane sapphire

Zn1–xMgxO epitaxial films with Mg concentrations 0≤x≤0.3 were grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on a-plane sapphire substrates. Precise determination of the Mg concentration x was performed by elastic recoil detection analysis. The bandgap energy was extracted from absorption measurements with high accuracy taking electron-hole interaction and exciton-phonon complexes into account. From these results a linear relationship between bandgap energy and Mg concentration is established for x≤0.3. Due to alloy disorder, the increase of the photoluminescence emission energy with Mg concentration is less pronounced. An analysis of the lattice parameters reveals that the epitaxial films grow biaxially strained on a-plane sapphire.Zn1–xMgxO epitaxial films with Mg concentrations 0≤x≤0.3 were grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on a-plane sapphire substrates. Precise determination of the Mg concentration x was performed by elastic recoil detection analysis. The bandgap energy was extracted from absorption measurements with high accuracy taking electron-hole interaction and exciton-phonon complexes into account. From these results a linear relationship between bandgap energy and Mg concentration is established for x≤0.3. Due to alloy disorder, the increase of the photoluminescence emission energy with Mg concentration is less pronounced. An analysis of the lattice parameters reveals that the epitaxial films grow biaxially strained on a-plane sapphire.

Exciton confinement in homo- and heteroepitaxial ZnO/Zn1 − xMgxO quantum wells with x < 0.1

ZnO/Zn1 − xMgxO single quantum well (SQW) structures with well widths dW between 1.1 nm and 10.4 nm were grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy both heteroepitaxially on c-plane sapphire and homoepitaxially on (0001¯)-oriented bulk ZnO. A significantly reduced Mg incorporation in the top barrier related to the generation of stacking faults is observed for heteroepitaxial samples. Exciton localization is observed for both types of samples, while an enhancement of the exciton binding energy compared to bulk ZnO is only found for homoepitaxial SQWs for 2 nm ≤ dW ≤ 4 nm. Consistently, for homoepitaxial samples, the carrier dynamics are mainly governed by radiative recombination and carrier cooling processes at temperatures below 170 K, whereas thermally activated non-radiative recombination dominates in heteroepitaxial samples. The effects of polarization-induced electric fields are concealed for Mg concentrations x < 0.1 due to the reduction of the exciton binding energy, the screening by residual c...

Doped GaN nanowires on diamond: Structural properties and charge carrier distribution

In this work, we present a detailed study on GaN nanowire doping, which is vital for device fabrication. The nanowires (NWs) are grown by means of molecular beam epitaxy on diamond (111) substrates. Dopant atoms are found to facilitate nucleation, thus an increasing NW density is observed for increasing dopant fluxes. While maintaining nanowire morphology, we demonstrate the incorporation of Si and Mg up to concentrations of 9× 1020cm−3 and 1 × 1020cm−3, respectively. The dopant concentration in the nanowire cores is determined by the thermodynamic solubility limit, whereas excess dopants are found to segregate to the nanowire surface. The strain state of the NWs is investigated by X-ray diffraction, which confirms a negligible strain compared to planar thin films. Doping-related emissions are identified in low-temperature photoluminescence spectroscopy and the temperature quenching yields ionization energies of Si donors and Mg acceptors of 17 meV and 167 meV, respectively. At room temperature, luminesce...

Influence of substrate material, orientation, and surface termination on GaN nanowire growth

In this work, we investigate the fundamental role of the substrate material, surface orientation, and termination on GaN nanowire (NW) nucleation and growth. First of all, the use of a patterned a-Si/diamond substrate confirms that NW shape and dimension are mainly determined by the applied growth conditions instead of the nature of the substrate. More important is the surface orientation as it defines growth direction and epitaxial relationship towards the GaN NWs, where both (111) and (100) surfaces yield NW growth for equivalent growth conditions. (110) substrates are found to be not suited for NW growth. Finally, the surface termination of diamond is demonstrated to survive the employed growth conditions and, therefore, to affect the nucleation of nanowires and the electronic properties of the heterointerface by its surface dipoles. This difference in nucleation is exploited as an alternative approach for selective area growth without deposition of a foreign mask material, which might also be transferable to other substrates.

Reduced threading dislocation densities in high-T/N-rich grown InN films by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy

We explore the effect of growth kinetics on the structural properties of In-polar InN films on GaN templates grown near the thermal dissociation limit by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Unlike the common growth temperature limit (T ≈ 500 °C) for In-polar InN grown under In-rich conditions, slightly N-rich conditions are demonstrated to shift the available growth temperature window to much higher temperatures (by >50 °C). InN films grown in this high-T/N-rich regime show significantly reduced off-axis X-ray diffraction rocking curve peak widths and record low threading dislocation densities (TDD ∼ 4 × 109 cm−2) even for film thicknesses <1 μm, as compared to state of the art In-rich growth. The reduction of TDD is attributed to more effective TD inclination and annihilation under N-rich growth, delineating prospective routes for improved InN-based materials.

Optoelectronic properties of p-diamond/n-GaN nanowire heterojunctions

In this work, nanodiodes comprised of n-GaN nanowires on p-diamond substrates are investigated. The electric transport properties are discussed on the basis of simulations and determined experimentally for individual p-diamond/n-GaN nanodiodes by applying conductive atomic force microscopy. For low doping concentrations, a high rectification ratio is observed. The fabrication of a prototype nanoLED device on the basis of ensemble nanowire contacts is presented, showing simultaneous electroluminescence in the UV and the green spectral range which can be ascribed to hole injection into the n-GaN nanowires and electron injection into the p-diamond, respectively. In addition, the operation and heat distribution of the nanoLED device are visualized by active thermographic imaging.

Trade-off between morphology, extended defects, and compositional fluctuation induced carrier localization in high In-content InGaN films

We elucidate the role of growth parameters (III/N flux ratio, temperature TG) on the morphological and structural properties, as well as compositional homogeneity and carrier localization effects of high In-content (x(In) > 0.75) In–polar InGaN films grown by plasma–assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE). Variations in III/N flux ratio evidence that higher excess of In yields higher threading dislocation densities as well as larger compositional inhomogeneity as measured by x-ray diffraction. Most interestingly, by variation of growth temperature TG we find a significant trade-off between improved morphological quality and compositional homogeneity at low–TG (∼450–550 °C) versus improved threading dislocation densities at high–TG (∼600–630 °C), as exemplified for InGaN films with x(In) = 0.9. The enhanced compositional homogeneity mediated by low–TG growth is confirmed by systematic temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy data, such as lower PL peakwidths, >5× higher PL efficiency (less...