Mark Brenner

Control and elimination of nucleation-related defects in GaP/Si(001) heteroepitaxy

GaP films were grown on offcut Si(001) substrates using migration enhanced epitaxy nucleation followed by molecular beam epitaxy, with the intent of controlling and eliminating the formation of heterovalent (III-V/IV) nucleation-related defects—antiphase domains, stacking faults, and microtwins. Analysis of these films via reflection high-energy electron diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and both cross-sectional and plan-view transmission electron microscopies indicate high-quality GaP layers on Si that portend a virtual GaP substrate technology, in which the aforementioned extended defects are simultaneously eliminated. The only prevalent remaining defects are the expected misfit dislocations due to the GaP–Si lattice mismatch.

Characterization of Metamorphic GaAsP/Si Materials and Devices for Photovoltaic Applications

GaAsyP1-y anion-sublattice compositionally graded buffers and device structures were grown directly on Si(100) substrates by way of a high-quality GaP integration layer, yielding GaAsP target layers having band gaps of photovoltaic interest (1.65-1.8 eV), free of antiphase domains/borders, stacking faults, and microtwins. GaAsyP1-y growths on both Si and GaP substrates were compared via high-resolution X-ray diffractometry of the metamorphic buffers and deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) of p+-n diodes that are lattice matched to the final buffer layer. Structural analysis indicates highly efficient epitaxial relaxation throughout the entire growth structure for both types of samples and suggests no significant difference in physical behavior between the two types of samples. DLTS measurements performed on GaAsP diodes fabricated on both Si and GaP substrates reveal the existence of identical sets of traps residing in the n-type GaAsP layers in both types of samples: a single majority carrier (electron) trap, which is located at EC - 0.18 eV, and a single minority carrier (hole) trap, which is located at EV + 0.71 eV. Prototype 1.75-eV GaAsP solar cell test devices grown on GaAsyP1-y/Si buffers show good preliminary performance characteristics and offer great promise for future high-efficiency III-V photovoltaics integrated with Si substrates and devices.

Modulation-doped β-(Al0.2Ga0.8)2O3/Ga2O3 field-effect transistor

Modulation-doped heterostructures are a key enabler for realizing high mobility and better scaling properties for high performance transistors. We report the realization of a modulation-doped two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at the β-(Al0.2Ga0.8)2O3/Ga2O3 heterojunction by silicon delta doping. The formation of a 2DEG was confirmed using capacitance voltage measurements. A modulation-doped 2DEG channel was used to realize a modulation-doped field-effect transistor. The demonstration of modulation doping in the β-(Al0.2Ga0.8)2O3/Ga2O3 material system could enable heterojunction devices for high performance electronics.

Delta-doped β-gallium oxide field-effect transistor

We report silicon delta doping in gallium oxide (β-Ga2O3) grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy using a shutter pulsing technique. We describe the growth procedures that can be used to realize high Si incorporation in an oxidizing oxygen plasma environment. Delta doping was adopted to realize thin (12 nm) low-resistance layers with a sheet resistance of 320 Ω/square (mobility of 83 cm2 V−1 s−1, integrated sheet charge of 2.4 × 1014 cm−2). A single delta-doped sheet of carriers was employed as a channel to realize a field-effect transistor with current I D,max = 236 mA/mm and transconductance g m = 26 mS/mm.

Molecular beam epitaxy of 2D-layered gallium selenide on GaN substrates

Large area epitaxy of two-dimensional (2D) layered materials with high material quality is a crucial step in realizing novel device applications based on 2D materials. In this work, we report high-quality, crystalline, large-area gallium selenide (GaSe) films grown on bulk substrates such as c-plane sapphire and gallium nitride (GaN) using a valved cracker source for Se. (002)-Oriented GaSe with random in-plane orientation of domains was grown on sapphire and GaN substrates at a substrate temperature of 350–450 °C with complete surface coverage. Higher growth temperature (575 °C) resulted in the formation of single-crystalline e-GaSe triangular domains with six-fold symmetry confirmed by in-situ reflection high electron energy diffraction and off-axis x-ray diffraction. A two-step growth method involving high temperature nucleation of single crystalline domains and low temperature growth to enhance coalescence was adopted to obtain continuous (002)-oriented GaSe with an epitaxial relationship with the sub...

Toward metamorphic multijunction GaAsP/Si photovoltaics grown on optimized GaP/Si virtual substrates using anion-graded GaAs y P 1-y buffers

Using migration enhanced epitaxy nucleation followed by molecular beam epitaxy bulk growth on pristine, intentionally offcut Si(001) substrates, we have produced high-quality GaP/Si virtual substrates, successfully demonstrating full control and elimination of heterovalent nucleation-related defects (antiphase domains, stacking faults, and microtwins). These virtual substrates provide a pathway to direct integration of III–V photovoltaic materials and devices on Si substrates. Prototype GaAsP solar cell test devices grown on anion-sublattice step-graded GaAsyP1-y buffers on early-stage GaP/Si substrates show good preliminary performance characteristics and offer great promise for future devices integrated with the newly-developed defect-free GaP/Si virtual substrates.

Room Temperature Intrinsic Ferromagnetism in Epitaxial Manganese Selenide Films in the Monolayer Limit

Monolayer van der Waals (vdW) magnets provide an exciting opportunity for exploring two-dimensional (2D) magnetism for scientific and technological advances, but the intrinsic ferromagnetism has only been observed at low temperatures. Here, we report the observation of room temperature ferromagnetism in manganese selenide (MnSe x) films grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Magnetic and structural characterization provides strong evidence that, in the monolayer limit, the ferromagnetism originates from a vdW manganese diselenide (MnSe2) monolayer, while for thicker films it could originate from a combination of vdW MnSe2 and/or interfacial magnetism of α-MnSe(111). Magnetization measurements of monolayer MnSe x films on GaSe and SnSe2 epilayers show ferromagnetic ordering with a large saturation magnetization of ∼4 Bohr magnetons per Mn, which is consistent with the density functional theory calculations predicting ferromagnetism in monolayer 1T-MnSe2. Growing MnSe x films on GaSe up to a high thickness (∼40 nm) produces α-MnSe(111) and an enhanced magnetic moment (∼2×) compared to the monolayer MnSe x samples. Detailed structural characterization by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) reveals an abrupt and clean interface between GaSe(0001) and α-MnSe(111). In particular, the structure measured by STEM is consistent with the presence of a MnSe2 monolayer at the interface. These results hold promise for potential applications in energy efficient information storage and processing.

Demonstration of high mobility and quantum transport in modulation-doped β-(AlxGa1-x)2O3/Ga2O3 heterostructures

In this work, we demonstrate a high mobility two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) formed at the β-(AlxGa1-x)2O3/Ga2O3 interface through modulation doping. Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillations were observed in the modulation-doped β-(AlxGa1-x)2O3/Ga2O3 structure, indicating a high-quality electron channel formed at the heterojunction interface. The formation of the 2DEG channel was further confirmed by the weak temperature dependence of the carrier density, and the peak low temperature mobility was found to be 2790 cm2/Vs, which is significantly higher than that achieved in bulk-doped Beta-phase Gallium Oxide (β-Ga2O3). The observed SdH oscillations allowed for the extraction of the electron effective mass in the (010) plane to be 0.313 ± 0.015 m0 and the quantum scattering time to be 0.33 ps at 3.5 K. The demonstrated modulation-doped β-(AlxGa1-x)2O3/Ga2O3 structure lays the foundation for future exploration of quantum physical phenomena and semiconductor device technologies based on the β-Ga2O3 material s...

Traps in AlGaInP materials and devices lattice matched to GaAs for multi-junction solar cells

Deep levels in solid-source MBE-grown n- and p-type (Al0.09Ga0.91)0.51In0.49P are investigated using deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS). These results are correlated with background oxygen impurities measured by secondary ion mass spectroscopy and electrical properties using Hall effect. Oxygen impurity concentration is found to depend weakly on substrate offcut conditions in MBE-grown AlGaInP films. This is used to investigate the role of oxygen on deep levels in the n- and p-type samples using (100) GaAs substrates with three different substrate offcut conditions (A, B, and C). The DLTS of n-type AlGaInP reveals deep levels at EC-0.22, EC-0.31, EC-0.69 eV and EC-1.0 eV. The EC-0.69 eV concentration tracked oxygen incorporation while the other levels decreased while the oxygen incorporation increased indicating possible secondary offcut effects. In general, we find a direct correlation between reduced carrier compensation, increased carrier mobility, lower trap concentration and lower oxygen content as a function of systematic changes in substrate offcut conditions.

Demonstration of β-(AlxGa1-x)2O3/Ga2O3 double heterostructure field effect transistors

In this work, we demonstrate modulation-doped β-(AlxGa1-x)2O3/Ga2O3 double heterostructure field effect transistors. The maximum sheet carrier density for a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in a β-(AlxGa1-x)2O3/Ga2O3 heterostructure is limited by the conduction band offset and parasitic channel formation in the barrier layer. We demonstrate a double heterostructure to realize a β-(AlxGa1-x)2O3/Ga2O3/(AlxGa1-x)2O3 quantum well, where electrons can be transferred from below and above the β-Ga2O3 quantum well. The confined 2DEG charge density of 3.85 × 1012 cm−2 was estimated from the low-temperature Hall measurement, which is higher than that achievable in a single heterostructure. Hall mobilities of 1775 cm2/V·s at 40 K and 123 cm2/V·s at room temperature were measured. Modulation-doped double heterostructure field effect transistors showed a maximum drain current of IDS = 257 mA/mm, a peak transconductance (gm) of 39 mS/mm, and a pinch-off voltage of −7.0 V at room temperature. The three-terminal off-s...