Nola Li

Growth of GaN on ZnO for Solid State Lighting Applications

In this work, ZnO has been investigated as a substrate technology for GaN-based devices due to its close lattice match, stacking order match, and similar thermal expansion coefficient. Since MOCVD is the dominant growth technology for GaN-based materials and devices, there is a need to more fully explore this technique for ZnO substrates. Our aim is to grow low defect density GaN for efficient phosphor free white emitters. However, there are a number of issues that need to be addressed for the MOCVD growth of GaN on ZnO. The thermal stability of the ZnO substrate, out-diffusion of Zn from the ZnO into the GaN, and H2 back etching into the substrate can cause growth of poor quality GaN. Cracks and pinholes were seen in the epilayers, leading to the epi-layer peeling off in some instances. These issues were addressed by the use of H2 free growth and multiple buffer layers to remove the cracking and reduce the pinholes allowing for a high quality GaN growth on ZnO substrate.

Metalorganic chemical vapor deposition of InGaN layers on ZnO substrates

InGaN layers have been grown on (0001) ZnO substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition utilizing a low temperature grown thin GaN buffer. Good quality InGaN films with a wide range of In composition were confirmed by high-resolution x-ray diffraction. Even at high indium concentrations no In droplets and phase separation appeared, possibly due to coherent growth of InGaN on ZnO. Photoluminescence showed broad InGaN-related emissions with peak energy lower than the calculated InGaN band gap, possibly due to Zn/O impurities diffused into InGaN from the ZnO substrate. An activation energy of 59 meV for the InGaN epilayer is determined.

Metal organic chemical vapor deposition of crack-free GaN-based light emitting diodes on Si (111) using a thin Al2O3 interlayer

Crack-free GaN light emitting diodes (LEDs) have been grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition on Si(111) substrates using an atomic layer deposition-grown Al2O3 interlayer. Devices on Si show a longer emission wavelength compared to those on sapphire. This is attributed to tensile strain in the layers on Si, which may increase indium incorporation. Internal quantum efficiency is similar on both substrates. Luminescence intensity versus current density measurements show higher efficiency for the LEDs on Si relative to sapphire at high drive currents. These results show comparable performance characteristics for GaN-based devices on Si and sapphire substrates.

ZnO semiconductors for lighting

Intentionally doped n-type bulk ZnO has been grown by patented melt technique at Cermet and was used as a substrate for homo-epitaxial growth of p-type ZnO films. The n-type ZnO has a carrier concentration on the order of 1018cm-3 with a mobility of 113cm2/Vs, which is good for optical devices. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) profile shows a very uniform distribution of n-type dopant in the ZnO. Excellent transmission from the sharp absorption edge through the visible portion of the spectrum indicates that as grown n-type ZnO is perfect for any optical device applications. P-type ZnO thin films were successfully grown by MOCVD technique on n-type ZnO substrate to form ZnO based p-n junction structure. Cadmium and magnesium doped ZnO films were also grown by MOCVD and resulted in tunable bad gap energy of ZnO based alloy. Ohmic contact layer on n-type ZnO was formed by using Ti/Au and on p-type ZnO was formed by using Ni/Au. The current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of the ZnO based p-n junction exhibited rectification when reverse biased with a breakdown voltage of 10 V and turn-on voltage of 3.3 V. Post anneal of p-type ZnO films showed big improvement on the I-V characteristics. Electroluminescence (EL) spectra obtained from devices driven to 40mA are dominated by a peak at 384nm.

High indium composition (≫20%) InGaN epi-layers on ZnO substrates for very high efficiency solar cells

In this report we present recent results for MOCVD growth of high indium content InGaN films on ZnO substrates. Growth was attempted on both bulk ZnO as well as ZnO epilayers grown on sapphire by MOCVD. ZnO is an attractive alternative substrate for III-Nitrides because of its superior lattice match: specifically ZnO is perfectly matched with In0.18Ga0.82N and low cost of substrates. Stable InGaN films with ≫18% indium were achieved on the bulk substrates and were characterized by HRXRD, PL, and optical transmission. Varying the growth parameters - primarily growth temperature and In/(In + Ga) flow ratio - was found to affect the optical and structural properties of the films. By growing on a better matched substrate the high indium composition InGaN epitaxial films experience less strain and can therefore be grown thicker without creating relaxation-induced extended crystal defects. This is important, as high indium content InGaN films cannot be grown on GaN thick enough for full above-bandgap absorption without introducing detrimental extended crystal defects. This limitation is thought to be a limiting factor in the achievable ISC in InGaN solar cells.

Nanoscale InGaN/GaN on ZnO substrate for LED applications

The challenge of growing GaN and its alloys, In1-xGaxN and Al1-xGaxN, is still formidable because of the lack of close lattice match, stacking order match, and similar thermal expansion coefficient substrates, the same as GaN-based optoelectronic materials. ZnO is the most promising optoelectronic materials in the next generation, with wide band gap of 3.3eV and exciton binding energy of 60meV. In addition, ZnO also has been considered as a substrate for epitaxial growth of III-Nitrides due to its close lattice and stacking order match. Our works cover the growth of n-type InGaN and GaN epitaxial layers on lattice-matched ZnO substrates by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Since MOCVD is the dominant growth technology for GaN-based materials and devices, there is a need to more fully explore this technique for ZnO substrates. However, the thermal stability of the ZnO substrate, out-diffusion of Zn from the ZnO into the GaN, and H2 back etching into the substrate can cause growth of poor quality GaN. We use a GaN buffer layer of about 40nm to avoid Zn/O diffusion. We can investigate the Zn/O diffusion in the InGaN epilayers by means of second ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) depth profiles, and analyze the surface bonding of different elements by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and investigate optical and structural characterization of InGaN epilayers on ZnO substrates by various angles spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE). Finally, from the Raman scattering, Photoluminescence (PL) and Photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectra, we can determine the qualities easily and prove that we have grown the InGaN on ZnO with a GaN buffer layer successfully.

Development of new substrate technologies for GaN LEDs: atomic layer deposition transition layers on silicon and ZnO

Al2O3 layers have been deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on both silicon and zinc oxide (ZnO) substrates as a transition layer for MOCVD growth of GaN. These Al2O3 layers have been shown to reduce tensile strain and cracking in GaN thin films on Si, and they have also been shown to help suppress impurity diffusion from the ZnO substrate into the GaN layers. Surface morphology of the ALD-grown layers was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and structural properties were studied using high resolution x-ray diffraction (HR-XRD). GaN thin films were then grown on these layers to determine the effects of the Al2O3 layer on subsequent GaN quality. The optical and structural properties of these films were studied, as well as surface morphology. GaN layers grown using the Al2O3 layers on Si in particular exhibit structural and optical properties approaching those of typical GaN thin films on sapphire, which shows significant promise for high performance GaN-based devices on Si substrates.

Metalorganic chemical vapour deposition of GaN layers on ZnO substrates using α-Al2O3 as a transition layer

This work addresses the instability of a ZnO substrate during metalorganic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) growth of GaN by using Al2O3 films deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) as a stabilizing transition layer on the Zn face of ZnO (0 0 0 1) substrates. A systematic study of Al2O3 films of different thicknesses (2–90 nm) under different ALDs and post-annealing conditions was carried out. However, this paper focuses on as-deposited 20 and 50 nm Al2O3 films that were transformed to polycrystalline α-Al2O3 phases after optimal annealing at 1100 °C for 10 min and 20 min, respectively. GaN layers were grown on ZnO substrates with these α-Al2O3 transition layers by MOCVD using NH3 as a nitrogen source. Wurtzite GaN was observed by high resolution x-ray diffraction only on 20 nm Al2O3/ZnO substrates. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy showed a mirror-like surface, no etch pits and no film peeling in these samples. Room temperature photoluminescence showed a red-shift in the near band-edge emission of GaN, which may be related to oxygen incorporation forming a shallow donor-related level in GaN. Raman scattering also indicated the presence of a well-crystallized GaN layer on the 20 nm Al2O3/ZnO substrate.

Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition of GaN and InGaN on ZnO Substrate using Al 2 O 3 as a Transition Layer

Al2O3 films were deposited on the Zn face of ZnO (0001) substrates as a transition layer by atomic layer deposition (ALD). The as-deposited 20 and 50nm Al2O3 films were transformed to polycrystalline α-Al2O3 phase after optimal annealing at 1100°C after 10 and 20 minutes, respectively, as identified by high resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD). Furthermore, GaN and InGaN layers were grown on annealed 20 and 50nm Al2O3 deposited ZnO substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) using NH3 as a nitrogen source at high growth temperature. Wurtzite GaN was only seen on the 20nm Al2O3/ZnO substrates. Room temperature photoluminescence (RT-PL) shows the near band-edge emission of GaN red-shifted, which might be from oxygen incorporation forming a shallow donor-related level in GaN. Raman scattering also indicated the presence of a wellcrystallized GaN layer on the 20nm Al2O3/ZnO substrate. InGaN was grown on bare ZnO as well as Al2O3 deposited ZnO substrates. HRXRD measurements revealed that the thin Al2O3 layer after annealing was an effective transition layer for the InGaN films grown epitaxially on ZnO substrates. Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) atomic depth profile shows a decrease in Zn in the InGaN layer. Moreover, (0002) InGaN layers were successfully grown on 20nm Al2O3/ZnO substrates after 10min annealing in a high temperature furnace.

Growth of InGaN with high indium content on ZnO based sacrificial substrates

ZnO has been considered as a substrate for epitaxial growth of III-Nitrides due to its close lattice and stacking order match. This paper will cover growth of InxGa1-xN epitaxial layer on lattice-matched ZnO substrates by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). InGaN of various indium compositions from different growth temperatures were well controlled in the InGaN films on ZnO substrates. High-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) confirmed the epitaxial growth of InGaN film on ZnO. The optical and structural characterization of InGaN epilayer on ZnO substrates was measured by room temperature photoluminescence, temperature-dependent photoluminescence, and field-emission secondary electron microscope. In addition, a transition layer of Al2O3 on ZnO substrates have been employed for InGaN growth to help prevent Zn and O diffusion into the epilayers as well as assist nitride epilayer growth. HRXRD results show a single crystal InGaN film has been successfully grown on annealed Al2O3 coated ZnO substrates.