Sunnie H.N. Lim

Microstructural evidence on electrical properties of Ta/Ti/Al and Ti/Ta/Al ohmic contacts to n-AlGaN/GaN

Electrical properties and microstructures of Ta/Ti/Al and Ti/Ta/Al contacts to n-AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistor structures were investigated using the transmission line method and transmission electron microscopy. The specific resistivity (5.3×10−7 Ω cm2) of Ta/Ti/Al contacts is much lower than that (5.1×10−4 Ω cm2) of Ti/Ta/Al contacts, for the same heterostructure and similar metallization. The contact resistivity was found to depend on the thickness of the AlGaN layer, interfacial phase, and interface roughness. The formation of interfacial phases by solid-state reactions with the metal layer during annealing appears to be essential for ohmic behavior on n-III-nitrides suggesting a tunneling contact mechanism.

Ta-based interface ohmic contacts to AlGaN/GaN heterostructures

Al/Ti based metallization is commonly used for ohmic contacts to n-GaN and related compounds. We have previously reported an ohmic contact scheme specially designed for AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors (HFETs) [D. Qiao et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 74, 2652 (1999)]. This scheme, referred to as the “advancing interface” contact, takes advantage of the interfacial reactions between the metal layers and the AlGaN barrier layer in the HFET structure. These reactions consume a portion of the barrier, thus facilitating carrier tunneling from the source/drain regions to the channel region. The advancing interface approach has led to consistently low contact resistance on Al0.25Ga0.75N/GaN HFETs. There are two drawbacks of the Al/Ti based advancing interface scheme, (i) it requires a capping layer for the ohmic formation annealing since Ti is too reactive and is easily oxidized when annealing is performed in pure N2 or even in forming gas, and (ii) the atomic number of Al and that of Ti are too low ...

Fermi level stabilization and band edge energies in CdxZn1−xO alloys

We have measured the band edge energies of CdxZn1−xO thin films as a function of composition by three independent techniques: we determine the Fermi level stabilization energy by pinning the Fermi level with ion irradiation, measure the binding energy of valence band states and core levels by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and probe shifts in the conduction band and valence band density of states using soft X-ray absorption and emission spectroscopy, respectively. The three techniques find consensus in explaining the origin of compositional trends in the optical-bandgap narrowing upon Cd incorporation in wurtzite ZnO and widening upon Zn incorporation in rocksalt CdO. The conduction band minimum is found to be stationary for both wurtzite and rocksalt alloys, and a significant upward rise of the valence band maximum accounts for the majority of these observed bandgap changes. Given these band alignments, alloy disorder scattering is found to play a negligible role in decreasing the electron mobility fo...

Structural analysis of interfacial layers in Ti/Ta/Al ohmic contacts to n-AlGaN

Detailed structure of the interfacial layers of Ti/Ta/Al ohmic contacts to n-type AlGaN/GaN/sapphire are investigated by means of transmission electron microscopy. High-resolution electron microscopy (HREM), optical diffractograms, and computer simulations confirmed that TiN (∼10.0 nm) and Ti3AlN (∼1.4 nm) interfacial layers form at the interface between the Ti layer and the Al0.35Ga0.65N substrate by a solid state reaction during annealing for 3 min in N2 at 950 °C. The orientation relationship between Ti3AlN and Al0.35Ga0.65N was found to be: [011]Ti3AlN∥[2110]Al0.35Ga0.65N and (111)Ti3AlN∥(0001)Al0.35Ga0.65N. The cubic Ti3AlN interfacial layer has a lattice parameter of 0.411±0.003 nm with the space group Pm3m matching that of Al0.35Ga0.65N. A model of the atomic configurations of the Ti3AlN/Al0.35Ga0.65N interface is proposed. This model is supported by a good match between the simulated and the experimental HREM image of the Ti3AlN/Al0.35Ga0.65N interface. The formation of TiN and Ti3AlN interfaci...

van der Pauw method for measuring resistivity of a plane sample with distant boundaries

In the paper, we derive an algorithm which follows from the original van der Pauws technique for measuring resistivity with the added advantage of allowing contacts to be positioned a distance away from the boundary. For a large sample area, we show that the resistivity calculated by our algorithm is equivalent to the resistivity calculated by the original van der Pauws method. In practice, this configuration is easier to achieve and can eliminate errors associated with contacts that are not placed exactly at the edge.

Helical-type surface defects in InGaN thin films epitaxially grown on GaN templates at reduced temperatures

Abstract The surface morphologies of InGaN films grown at 780 °C by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy were determined using atomic force microscopy. A qualitative model was developed to explain the observed instabilities in the step morphology of these films, namely, the formation of hillocks and v-defects that give rise to surface roughening. V-defects, observed at a surface density greater than 2×10 8 /cm 2 , are a result of interactions between moving surface steps, cores of screw-type dislocations, and two-dimensional islands of atoms that form on the terraces during growth at high surface undercooling. A delay in the formation of v-defects in InGaN to a nominal thickness of 10 nm was observed and associated with the ammonia partial pressure and the interactions between steps associated with hillock islands and cores of screw-type dislocations. Hillock formation was attributed to a transition in the thermodynamic mode of film growth, as three-dimensional islands nucleated on the cores of screw-type dislocations at a density of 2×10 8 /cm 2 . Explanations for the foregoing observations are based on growth model theory previously developed by Burton, Cabrera and Frank and on changes in the surface kinetics with temperature, In composition, and gas phase composition.

High Rate Deposition of High Quality ZnO:Al by Filtered Cathodic Arc

High quality ZnO:Al (AZO) thin films were prepared on glass substrates by direct current filtered cathodic arc deposition. Substrate temperature was varied from room temperature to 425oC, and samples were grown with and without the assistance of low power oxygen plasma (75W). For each growth condition, at least 3 samples were grown to give a statistical look at the effect of the growth environment on the film properties and to explore the reproducibility of the technique. Growth rate was in the 100-400 nm/min range but was apparently random and could not be easily traced to the growth conditions explored. For optimized growth conditions, 300-600 nm AZO films had resistivities of 3-6 x 10-4 ?Omega cm, carrier concentrations in the range of 2-4 x 1020 cm3, Hall mobility as high as 55 cm2/Vs, and optical transmittance greater than 90percent. These films are also highly oriented with the c-axis perpendicular to the substrate and a surface roughness of 2-4 nm.