Rahul Kumar

High-resolution X-ray diffraction analysis of AlxGa1−xN/InxGa1−xN/GaN on sapphire multilayer structures: Theoretical, simulations, and experimental observations

The work presents a comparative study on the effects of In incorporation in the channel layer of AlGaN/GaN type-II heterostructures grown on c-plane sapphire by Plasma Assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxy. The structural characterizations of these samples were performed by High-Resolution X-Ray Diffraction (HRXRD), X-ray Reflectivity (XRR), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, and High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy. The two-dimensional electron gas in the AlGaN/GaN and AlGaN/InGaN interface was analyzed by electrochemical capacitance voltage and compared with theoretical results based on self-consistent solution of Schordinger–Poisson equations. The carrier profile shows enhanced confinement in InGaN channel (1.4393 × 1013 cm−2 compared to 1.096 × 1013 cm−2 in GaN). On the basis of HRXRD measurements, the stress-strain of the layers was examined. The c- and a-lattice parameters of the epilayers as well as in-plane and out-of plane strains were determined from the ω-2θ for symmetric scan a...

Comprehensive strain and band gap analysis of PA-MBE grown AlGaN/GaN heterostructures on sapphire with ultra thin buffer

In this work, cluster tool (CT) Plasma Assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxy (PA-MBE) grown AlGaN/GaN heterostructure on c-plane (0 0 0 1) sapphire (Al2O3) were investigated by High Resolution X-ray Diffraction (HRXRD), Room Temperature Raman Spectroscopy (RTRS), and Room Temperature Photoluminescence (RTPL). The effects of strain and doping on GaN and AlGaN layers were investigated thoroughly. The out-of-plane (‘c’) and in-plane (‘a’) lattice parameters were measured from RTRS analysis and as well as reciprocal space mapping (RSM) from HRXRD scan of (002) and (105) plane. The in-plane (out-of plane) strain of the samples were found to be −2.5 × 10−3(1 × 10−3), and −1.7 × 10−3(2 × 10−3) in GaN layer and 5.1 × 10−3 (−3.3 × 10−3), and 8.8 × 10−3(−1.3 × 10−3) in AlGaN layer, respectively. In addition, the band structures of AlGaN/GaN interface were estimated by both theoretical (based on elastic theory) and experimental observations of the RTPL spectrum.

Enhancement of two dimensional electron gas concentrations due to Si3N4 passivation on Al0.3Ga0.7N/GaN heterostructure: strain and interface capacitance analysis

Enhancement of two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) concentrations at Al0.3Ga0.7N/GaN hetero interface after a-Si3N4 (SiN) passivation has been investigated from non-destructive High Resolution X-ray Diffraction (HRXRD) analysis, depletion depth and capacitance-voltage (C-V) profile measurement. The crystalline quality and strained in-plane lattice parameters of Al0.3Ga0.7N and GaN were evaluated from double axis (002) symmetric (ω-2θ) diffraction scan and double axis (105) asymmetric reciprocal space mapping (DA RSM) which revealed that the tensile strain of the Al0.3Ga0.7N layer increased by 15.6% after SiN passivation. In accordance with the predictions from theoretical solution of Schrodinger-Poisson’s equations, both electrochemical capacitance voltage (ECV) depletion depth profile and C-V characteristics analyses were performed which implied effective 9.5% increase in 2DEG carrier density after passivation. The enhancement of polarization charges results from increased tensile strain in the Al0.3Ga0.7N layer and also due to the decreased surface states at the interface of SiN/Al0.3Ga0.7N layer, effectively improving the carrier confinement at the interface.

Evolution and analysis of nitride surface and interfaces by statistical techniques: A correlation with RHEED through kinetic roughening

AbstractIn-situ RHEED and ex-situ AFM characterizations have been employed to investigate transformations of surface topography with the thickness of PAMBE grown AlGaN and InGaN on GaN. The ternary alloys have been grown with identical growth-front roughness as confirmed by XRR and RHEED observations. The spottier RHEED has been observed with increased thickness of the InGaN as opposed to streakier behavior of AlGaN. We have noticed incremental nature of RMS roughness, skewness and kurtosis of InGaN surface compared to GaN or AlGaN from AFM as evident by final spotty RHEED for InGaN. However, the analyzed fractal dimension is lower for InGaN as opposed to AlGaN (DfAlGaN>DfGaN>DfInGaN). From the kinetic roughening perspective of adatoms, the experimental evidences lead to the high correlation between binding energy of the cluster atoms (EbAlN>EbGaN>EbInN) and the modified DDA growth model with dissociation and evaporation to confirm the efficacy of the study. The initial streaky and spotty RHEED of InGaN and AlGaN, respectively, can be attributed to their Eb that causes smoothing and roughening of the GaN surface due to adatoms surface mobility behavior. Therefore, the fractal description reveals the fact during formation of nitride hetero-interface while other AFM results describe the top surface.

Graded barrier AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructure for improved 2-dimensional electron gas carrier concentration and mobility

AbstractThis paper presents an approach of compositional grading of the barrier in AlGaN/GaN quantum well heterostructure to achieve high two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) carrier concentration and mobility for RF power amplifier applications. Plasma assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxy (PAMBE) has been used to grow compositionally graded AlGaN/GaN and AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructures. In-situ cathodoluminescence (CL) and ex-situ high resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD) along with high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) techniques were used to study the compositions and thicknesses of grown heterostructures. Ohmic contact formation for all the samples were found to be challenging due to unusual surface behavior and thus addressed with three different metallization schemes. The graded AlGaN/GaN and AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructures show 2DEG carrier concentrations of 2.0 × 1013 cm−2 and 2.3 × 1013 cm−2 with carrier mobility of 764 cm2v−1s−1 and 960 cm2v−1s−1, respectively at room temperature. A performance index has been proposed to correlate the obtained results with its suitability for particular RF applications.

Flow past bluff bodies: effect of blockage

The effect of blockage on the flow past a bluff body is investigated. Two flow problems are considered. The first is the onset of wake instability in the flow past a stationary cylinder. We attempt to estimate the value of critical Reynolds number (Re c ), via a linear stability analysis (LSA) of the governing equations for incompressible flows. A stabilized finite element formulation is utilized. While the vortex shedding frequency is found to be quite sensitive to blockage, a non-monotonic variation of Re c with blockage is observed. These results are used to suggest a possible explanation of the scatter in the data from various researchers in the past. The next flow problem is the vortex induced vibrations of a circular cylinder at low Re. It is found that for high blockage (5%) a hysteretic behavior close to the lower limit of synchronization/lock-in can occur depending on whether one is on the “increasing Re” branch or the “decreasing Re” branch. The amplitude of cylinder oscillations is higher for the decreasing Re case. The two solutions are associated with different arrangement of vortices in the wake. With the low blockage computation (1%), the hysteretic behavior is completely eliminated. The solutions for the decreasing as well as increasing Re branch appear very similar and are associated with intermittent switching between vortex shedding at structural frequency and shedding frequency for stationary cylinder.

Effect of surface roughness and deformation on Rayleigh step bearing under thin film lubrication

Purpose The aim of this paper is to study the effect of deterministic roughness and small elastic deformation of surface on flow rates, load capacity and coefficient of friction in Rayleigh step bearing under thin film lubrication. Design/methodology/approach Reynolds equation, pressure-density relationship, pressure-viscosity relationship and film thickness equation are discretized using finite difference method. Progressive mesh densification (PMD) method is applied to solve the related equations iteratively. Findings The nature and shape of roughness play a significant role in pressure generation. It has been observed that square roughness dominates the pressure generation for all values of minimum film thickness. Deformation more than 100 nm in bounding surfaces influences the film formation and pressure distribution greatly. Divergent shapes of film thickness in step zone causes a delay of pressure growth and reduces the load capacity with decreasing film thickness. The optimum value of film thickness ratio and step ratios have been found out for the maximum load capacity and minimum coefficient of friction, which are notably influenced by elastic deformation of the surface. Practical implications It is expected that these findings will help in analysing the performance parameters of a Rayleigh step bearing under thin film lubrication more accurately. It will also help the designers, researchers and manufacturers of bearings. Originality/value Most of the previous studies have been limited to sinusoidal roughness and thick film lubrication in Rayleigh step bearing. Effect of small surface deformation due to generated pressure in thin film lubrication is significant, as it influences the performance parameters of the bearing. Different wave forms such as triangular, sawtooth, sinusoidal and square formed during finishing operations behaves differently in pressure generation. The analysis of combined effect of roughness and small surface deformation has been performed under thin film lubrication for Rayleigh step bearing using PMD as improved methods for direct iterative approach.

Investigation of cross-hatch surface and study of anisotropic relaxation and dislocation on InGaAs on GaAs (001)

There exist discrepancies between reports on cross-hatch (CH) behaviour and its interaction with interfacial misfit dislocations in the literature. In this work, a thorough CH analysis has been presented by use of conventional and statistical analysis of AFM data. It has been shown that correlation between cross-hatch and misfit dislocation depends on the growth conditions and residual strain. Anisotropic relaxation and dislocations, composition and epitaxial tilt have been studied by HRXRD analysis. To illustrate these findings, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) grown metamorphic InGaAs on GaAs (001) samples have been used. Reciprocal space mapping has been used to characterize the composition and relaxation while epilayer tilt and dislocation have been investigated by HRXRD rocking curve. A better understanding of CH pattern can enable us to minimize the surface roughness for metamorphic electronic devices and to fully utilize the quasi-periodic undulation in cross-hatch in applications, like ordered quantum dot growth.

Reverse bias leakage current mechanism of AlGaN/InGaN/GaN heterostructure

The reverse bias leakage current mechanism of AlGaN/InGaN/GaN heterostructure is investigated by current-voltage measurement in temperature range from 298 K to 423 K. The Higher electric field across the AlGaN barrier layer of AlGaN/InGaN/GaN double heterostructure due to higher polarization charge is found to be responsible for strong Fowler-Nordheim (FN) tunnelling in the electric field higher than 3.66 MV/cm. For electric field less than 3.56 MV/cm, the reverse bias leakage current is also found to follow the trap assisted Frenkel-Poole (FP) emission in low negative bias region. Analysis of reverse FP emission yielded the barrier height of trap energy level of 0.34 eV with respect to Fermi level.

Simplified gas sensor model based on AlGaN/GaN heterostructure Schottky diode

Physics based modeling of AlGaN/GaN heterostructure Schottky diode gas sensor has been investigated for high sensitivity and linearity of the device. Here the surface and heterointerface properties are greatly exploited. The dependence of two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) upon the surface charges is mainly utilized. The simulation of Schottky diode has been done in Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) tool and I-V curves are generated, from the I-V curves 76% response has been recorded in presence of 500 ppm gas at a biasing voltage of 0.95 Volt.