S. Einfeldt

Advances in group III-nitride-based deep UV light-emitting diode technology

The field of AlGaInN ultraviolet UV light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is reviewed, with a summary of the state-of-the-art in device performance and enumeration of applications. Performance-limiting factors for high-efficiency UV LEDs are identified and recent advances in the development of deep UV emitters are presented.

X-ray diffraction analysis of the defect structure in epitaxial GaN

High-resolution x-ray diffraction has been used to analyze the type and density of threading dislocations in (001)-oriented GaN epitaxial layers. For this, (00l) and (hkl) Bragg reflections with h or k nonzero were studied, the latter one measured in skew symmetric diffraction geometry. The defect analysis was applied to a variety of GaN layers grown by molecular-beam epitaxy under very different conditions. The outcome is a fundamental correlation between the densities of edge- and screw-type dislocations.

Microstructure of heteroepitaxial GaN revealed by x-ray diffraction

The mosaicity of GaN layers grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy, on (0001) sapphire and exhibiting different grain diameters is studied using high-resolution x-ray diffraction. The coherence lengths, the tilt, and the twist of the mosaic structure are determined utilizing data taken in different x-ray scattering geometries. The results of different models, which were applied, are then compared and discussed. The dislocation densities, obtained from the x-ray data, are compared with the results of plan-view transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy.

The role of high-temperature island coalescence in the development of stresses in GaN films

The formation of dislocations and stress in GaN layers grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy on sapphire is investigated with regard to the average grain diameter. The grain diameter was determined by monitoring the high-temperature GaN island coalescence process during growth using reflectometry. It is found that the density of edge threading dislocations decreases and the compressive stress measured after cooling to room temperature increases when the coalescence thickness and the grain diameter increase. The data are consistent with models of development of tensile stress due to island coalescence during growth.

In situ and ex situ evaluation of the film coalescence for GaN growth on GaN nucleation layers

The microscopical evolution of GaN grown by metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy is investigated at all its stages, as nucleation layer growth, recrystallization, epitaxial overgrowth and coalescence, with the help of in situ normal incidence reflectance measurements. Sample morphology was ex situ characterized at each stage by atomic force microscopy. These investigations revealed that the nucleation layer structure, determined by the V/III precursor ratio and the reactor pressure, strongly influences the coalescence of the subsequent grown film. Particularly, in low-pressure growth additional control of the coalescence process can be gained by adjusting the initial V/III ratio of the high-temperature epilayer growth.

Electrical and chemical characterization of the Schottky barrier formed between clean n-GaN(0001) surfaces and Pt, Au, and Ag

Platinum, gold, and silver formed abrupt, unreacted, smooth, and epitaxial metal–semiconductor interfaces when deposited from the vapor onto clean, n-type GaN(0001) films. The Schottky barrier heights, determined from data acquired using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, capacitance–voltage, and current–voltage measurements agreed to within the experimental error for each contact metal and had the values of 1.2±0.1, 0.9±0.1, and 0.6±0.1 eV for Pt, Au, and Ag, respectively. The band bending and the electron affinity at the clean n-GaN surface were 0.3±0.1 and 3.1±0.1 eV, respectively. The barrier height is proportional to the metal work function, indicating that the Fermi level is not pinned at the GaN surface. However, discrepancies to the Schottky–Mott model were found as evidenced by a proportionality factor of 0.44 between the work function of the metal and the resulting Schottky barrier height. The sum of these discrepancies constitute the interface dipole contr...

Optical polarization characteristics of ultraviolet (In)(Al)GaN multiple quantum well light emitting diodes

The polarization of the in-plane electroluminescence of (0001) orientated (In)(Al)GaN multiple quantum well light emitting diodes in the ultraviolet-A and ultraviolet-B spectral range has been investigated. The intensity for transverse-electric polarized light relative to the transverse-magnetic polarized light decreases with decreasing emission wavelength. This effect is attributed to rearrangement of the valence bands at the Γ-point of the Brillouin zone with changing aluminum and indium mole fractions in the (In)(Al)GaN quantum wells. For shorter wavelength the crystal-field split-off hole band moves closer to the conduction band relative to the heavy and light hole bands and as a consequence the transverse-magnetic polarized emission becomes more dominant for deep ultraviolet light emitting diodes.

Strain relaxation in AlGaN under tensile plane stress

Relaxation of tensile strain in AlxGa1−xN layers of different compositions epitaxially grown on GaN/sapphire is investigated. Extended crack channels along 〈211¯0〉 directions are formed if the aluminum content exceeds a critical value, which decreases with increasing layer thickness. This process is found to limit the average strain energy density to a maximum value of 4 J/m2. By calculating the stress distribution between cracks and the strain energy release rate for crack propagation, the relaxed strain as measured by x-ray diffraction is correlated to the crack density, and the onsets of crack channeling and layer decohesion are fitted to a fracture toughness of 9 J/m2. Moreover, the crack opening at the surface is found to linearly increase with the stress. Annealing of samples above the growth temperature introduces additional tensile stress due to the mismatch in thermal expansion coefficients between the layer and substrate. This stress is shown to relieve not only by the formation of additional cr...

INCORPORATION OF INDIUM DURING MOLECULAR BEAM EPITAXY OF INGAN

We report on the incorporation of In during growth of InxGa1−xN by molecular beam epitaxy under varying In/Ga flux ratios and with different film thicknesses. The incorporation efficiency studied by energy dispersive x-ray microanalysis, high-resolution x-ray diffraction and photoluminescence spectroscopy is strongly affected by the chosen fluxes of Ga and N and is limited by the excess of nitrogen compared to gallium. Furthermore, thick films exhibit a decrease of the In content in growth direction. The behavior can be explained by considering the different stabilities of the two binary compounds InN and GaN.

Local vibrational modes in Mg-doped GaN grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Local vibrational modes in the region of the acoustic and optical phonons are reported for Mg-doped GaN grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The modes, studied by Raman spectroscopy, appear in addition to the known modes in the high-energy region around 2200 cm−1. We suggest disorder-activated scattering and scattering from Mg-related lattice vibrations to be the origin of the low-energy modes. Our assignment is supported by calculations based on a modified valence-force model of Kane. Temperature-dependent measurements between 4 and 300 K exclude an electronic Raman-scattering mechanism. We also report a new line at 2129 cm−1 and discuss the origin of all five observed high-energy modes.