Jinsub Lee

Depth dependent carrier density profile by scanning capacitance microscopy

The depth dependent carrier density was measured on an arsenic implanted silicon sample using scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM). The capacitance versus voltage scan was performed by applying dc biases with a dither ac signal. A strong dc bias dependence was observed at the interface of an abrupt junction between n+ and p. The bias dependent SCM images show good agreement with quasi-three dimensional simulations, suggesting that they can be used to map a device structure.

An elegant route to overcome fundamentally-limited light extraction in AlGaN deep-ultraviolet light-emitting diodes: Preferential outcoupling of strong in-plane emission.

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.

Enhancement of titanium nitride barrier metal properties by nitrogen radical assisted metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

Using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition assisted by a nitrogen radical irradiation generated by rf plasma, we have enhanced the quality and the step coverage of titanium nitride barrier metals for the contact holes with a high aspect ratio and a submicron radius. Electrical resistivity measurements show that the film resistivity improves by a factor of five as the proper nitrogen irradiation has been applied. The step coverage in a contact hole with 0.4 μm diam and 3:1 aspect ratio has been improved from 50% to 80% by applying nitrogen plasma, clearly demonstrating the effectiveness of this technique in the conformal deposition of barrier metals for the ultra‐large scale integration. The incident nitrogen radical is believed to play several roles, such as the enhancement of surface migration rate of molecules and the reduction of the amount of hydrocarbon incorporating into the film during the deposition.

Improved performance of AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes with nano-patterned AlN/sapphire substrates

We demonstrated AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (DUV LEDs) with periodic air-voids-incorporated nanoscale patterns enabled by nanosphere lithography and epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELO) on a 4-in. sapphire substrate. The nanoscale ELO improved the crystal quality of overgrown epitaxial layers at a relatively low growth temperature of 1050 °C and at small coalescence thickness less than 2 μm. The light output power of the DUV LED was enhanced significantly by 67% at an injection current of 20 mA. We attribute such a remarkable enhancement to the formation of embedded periodic air voids which cause simultaneous improvements in the crystal quality of epitaxial layers by ELO and light extraction efficiency enabled by breaking the predominant in-plane guided propagation of DUV photons.

X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and cross‐sectional transmission electron microscopy studies of titanium nitride/titanium/silicon structures after thermal annealing

Oxygen diffusion/incorporation behaviors of TiN/Ti/Si structures after thermal annealing in nitrogen ambients have been studied by x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and cross‐sectional transmission electron microscopy measurements. At the interface between Ti and TiN, titanium dioxides, thermodynamically most stable, are formed as a consequence of grain boundary diffusion, while inside TiN layer the contents of TiO and Ti2O3 compounds increases as the annealing temperature increases. At the interface between Ti and Si, titanium silicide formation is observed in the samples annealed above 450 °C consuming a part of pure Ti layer. One thing to note is that a severe blistering is observed in a sample annealed at 600 °C, probably caused by the difference of thermal expansion coefficients between TiSi2 and TiO2.

Variation of the external quantum efficiency with temperature and current density in red, blue, and deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes

The temperature-dependent external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) were investigated for a 620 nm AlGaInP red light-emitting diodes (LEDs), a 450 nm GaInN blue LED, and a 285 nm AlGaN deep-ultraviolet (DUV) LED. We observed distinct differences in the variation of the EQE with temperature and current density for the three types of LEDs. Whereas the EQE of the AlGaInP red LED increases as temperature decreases below room temperature, the EQEs of GaInN blue and AlGaN DUV LEDs decrease for the same change in temperature in a low-current density regime. The free carrier concentration, as determined from the dopant ionization energy, shows a strong material-system-specific dependence, leading to different degrees of asymmetry in carrier concentration for the three types of LEDs. We attribute the EQE variation of the red, blue, and DUV LEDs to the different degrees of asymmetry in carrier concentration, which can be exacerbated at cryogenic temperatures. As for the EQE variation with temperature in a high-current d...

Distinct U-shape efficiency-versus-current curves in AlGaN-based deep-ultraviolet light- emitting diodes

The efficiency of an AlGaN deep-ultraviolet light-emitting diode with peak emission wavelength of 285 nm is investigated as a function of current over a wide range of temperatures (110 K to 300 K). We find that the efficiency-versus-current curve exhibits unique and distinct features over the entire temperature range including three points of inflection. At low temperatures, the change in slope in the efficiency-versus-current curve is particularly pronounced producing a minimum in the efficiency after which the efficiency rises again. Furthermore, at high current density, the low-temperature efficiency exceeds the room-temperature efficiency. The feature-rich efficiency-versus-current curve is consistent with an enhancement in p-type conductivity by field-ionization of acceptors that occurs in the high-injection regime and is particularly pronounced at low temperatures. Differential conductivity measurements show a marked rise in the high-injection regime that is well correlated to the minimum point in the efficiency-versus-current curve.