| 1. |
- Bi, Zhaoxia, et al.
(författare)
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InGaN Platelets : Synthesis and Applications toward Green and Red Light-Emitting Diodes
- 2019
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Ingår i: Nano Letters. - : American Chemical Society. - 1530-6984 .- 1530-6992. ; 19:5, s. 2832-2839
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this work, we present a method to synthesize arrays of hexagonal InGaN submicrometer platelets with a top c-plane area having an extension of a few hundred nanometers by selective area metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy. The InGaN platelets were made by in situ annealing of InGaN pyramids, whereby InGaN from the pyramid apex was thermally etched away, leaving a c-plane surface, while the inclined {101Ì1} planes of the pyramids were intact. The as-formed c-planes, which are rough with islands of a few tens of nanometers, can be flattened with InGaN regrowth, showing single bilayer steps and high-quality optical properties (full width at half-maximum of photoluminescence at room temperature: 107 meV for In 0.09 Ga 0.91 N and 151 meV for In 0.18 Ga 0.82 N). Such platelets offer surfaces having relaxed lattice constants, thus enabling shifting the quantum well emission from blue (as when grown on GaN) to green and red. For single InGaN quantum wells grown on the c-plane of such InGaN platelets, a sharp interface between the quantum well and the barriers was observed. The emission energy from the quantum well, grown under the same conditions, was shifted from 2.17 eV on In 0.09 Ga 0.91 N platelets to 1.95 eV on In 0.18 Ga 0.82 N platelets as a result of a thicker quantum well and a reduced indium pulling effect on In 0.18 Ga 0.82 N platelets. On the basis of this method, prototype light-emitting diodes were demonstrated with green emission on In 0.09 Ga 0.91 N platelets and red emission on In 0.18 Ga 0.82 N platelets.
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| 2. |
- Bi, Zhaoxia, et al.
(författare)
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Realization of Ultrahigh Quality InGaN Platelets to be Used as Relaxed Templates for Red Micro-LEDs
- 2020
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Ingår i: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. - : NLM (Medline). - 1944-8244 .- 1944-8252. ; 12:15, s. 17845-17851
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this work, arrays of predominantly relaxed InGaN platelets with indium contents of up to 18%, free from dislocations and offering a smooth top c-plane, are presented. The InGaN platelets are grown by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy on a dome-like InGaN surface formed by chemical mechanical polishing of InGaN pyramids defined by 6 equivalent {101̅1} planes. The dome-like surface is flattened during growth, through the formation of bunched steps, which are terminated when reaching the inclined {101̅1} planes. The continued growth takes place on the flattened top c-plane with single bilayer surface steps initiated at the six corners between the c-plane and the inclined {101̅1} planes, leading to the formation of high-quality InGaN layers. The top c-plane of the as-formed InGaN platelets can be used as a high-quality template for red micro light-emitting diodes.
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| 3. |
- Bi, Zhaoxia, et al.
(författare)
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Self-assembled InN quantum dots on side facets of GaN nanowires
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Applied Physics. - : AIP Publishing. - 0021-8979 .- 1089-7550. ; 123:16
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Self-assembled, atomic diffusion controlled growth of InN quantum dots was realized on the side facets of dislocation-free and c-oriented GaN nanowires having a hexagonal cross-section. The nanowires were synthesized by selective area metal organic vapor phase epitaxy. A 3 Å thick InN wetting layer was observed after growth, on top of which the InN quantum dots formed, indicating self-assembly in the Stranski-Krastanow growth mode. We found that the InN quantum dots can be tuned to nucleate either preferentially at the edges between GaN nanowire side facets, or directly on the side facets by tuning the adatom migration by controlling the precursor supersaturation and growth temperature. Structural characterization by transmission electron microscopy and reciprocal space mapping show that the InN quantum dots are close to be fully relaxed (residual strain below 1%) and that the c-planes of the InN quantum dots are tilted with respect to the GaN core. The strain relaxes mainly by the formation of misfit dislocations, observed with a periodicity of 3.2 nm at the InN and GaN hetero-interface. The misfit dislocations introduce I1 type stacking faults (...ABABCBC...) in the InN quantum dots. Photoluminescence investigations of the InN quantum dots show that the emissions shift to higher energy with reduced quantum dot size, which we attribute to increased quantum confinement.
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| 4. |
- Colvin, Jovana, et al.
(författare)
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Local defect-enhanced anodic oxidation of reformed GaN nanowires
- 2020
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Ingår i: Physical Review Materials. - 2475-9953. ; 4:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Understanding formation and distribution of defects in GaN substrates and device layers is needed to improve device performance in rf and power electronics. Here we utilize conductive atomic force microscopy (c-AFM) for studying defect-related leakage paths in an unintentionally doped GaN film formed by nanowire reformation. A nanoscopic Schottky contact is formed between the c-AFM probe and the GaN surface, which, under reverse-bias conditions, reveals local leakage currents at the positions of the nanowires. Cathodoluminescence shows these areas to be dominated by yellow-band luminescence, in contrast to the surrounding GaN matrix, which mainly shows near-band-gap luminescence. These results are attributed to a high density of native and residual defects, confined to the nanowires. In addition, we use anodic oxidation to map defect-related conductive paths through locally induced growth of gallium oxide. The oxide yield, which is known to depend on the local electric field strength between the AFM tip and the sample, correlates well with the level of reverse-bias leakage current. Local irregularities in oxide height reveal extended oxidation attributed to defect-related deep-level states. Thisis confirmed by controlled dissolution of the oxide in NaOH, showing that a deeper oxide film is grown over areas where defect-related conductive paths are formed. Finally, we demonstrate how this approach can be used as a quick and easy diagnostic tool for evaluating the influence of specific growth conditions and process steps on defect-induced leakage current levels and defect distribution in GaN structures, demonstrating its potential for accelerated test of leakage degradation at critical positions in GaN-based devices.
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| 5. |
- Colvin, Jovana
(författare)
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Scanning probe techniques as an investigation tool for semiconductor nanostructures and devices
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Semiconductor nanostructure based devices provide new opportunities for contributing to a sustainable energy usage. This includes harvesting of energy (solar cells) and saving of energy, e.g. in lighting (light-emitting diodes, LEDs) and transfer of energy (power devices). However, development and improvement of nanostructure devices requires thorough characterization and understanding on a single nanostructure level. At nanometer dimensions, surface effects start dominating device performance. Therefore, macroscopic bulk characterization techniques are insufficient, and surface-sensitive tools are needed. Here, I used various types of scanning probe microscopy to investigate and manipulate surface and material properties of nanostructure devices that are relevant for energy saving and harvesting.In(Ga)P nanowire diodes are promising candidates for photovoltaic applications. Kelvin probe microscopy (KPM) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) were used to investigate surface band alignment of a nanowire p-n junction. In addition, a novel method for optoelectronic characterization of individual nanowires without any processing steps is demonstrated. STM was utilized to both image and contact individual upright standing InGaP nanowires, obtaining current-voltage characteristics and solar cell figures of merits in dark and under illumination, for as-grown nanowires and after in-situ surface modification.InGaN nanostructures are attractive for LEDs, because the luminescence of InGaN alloys could potentially cover the entire visible range by tuning the In content. The nanowire geometry allows combination of lattice mismatched materials. Nanowire-based InGaN platelet LEDs with varying In content as well as In quantum dots were studied by atomic force microscope (AFM), correlating surface corrugation with optical properties and investigating nucleation of surface facets.GaN offers principally superior material properties for power electronic devices compared to the currently used Si and SiC, but a reduction of the defect density is required. We investigated low-defect GaN planar layers formed by reformation of GaN nanowire arrays. AFM, conductive-AFM, KPM, and scanning capacitance microscopy were utilized to investigate formation and distribution of different types of defects and their influence on GaN electrical properties. Furthermore, the revelation of defect-related conductive paths through AFM-induced anodic oxidation was explored.
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| 6. |
- Colvin, Jovana, et al.
(författare)
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Surface and dislocation investigation of planar GaN formed by crystal reformation of nanowire arrays
- 2019
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Ingår i: Physical Review Materials. - : American Physical Society. - 2475-9953. ; 3:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this paper we present a process of forming monolithic GaN surface from an ordered nanowire array by means of material redistribution. This process, referred to as reformation, is performed in a conventional MOVPE crystal growth system with the gallium supply turned off and allows a crystal nanostructure to change shape according to differences in surface energies between its facets. Using reformation, coalescence may proceed closer to thermodynamic equilibrium, which is required for fabrication of high-quality substrate material. Scanning probe techniques are utilized, complemented by cathodoluminescence and electron microscopy, to investigate structural and electrical properties of the surface after reformation, as well as to assess densities, location, and formation of different types of defects in the GaN film. Spatial variations in material properties such as intrinsic majority-carrier types can be attributed to the radical changes in growth conditions required for sequential transition between nanowire growth, selective shell growth, and reformation. These properties enable us to assess the impact of the process on densities, locations, and formation of different types of dislocations in the GaN film. We find a fraction of the nanowires to comprise of a single electrically neutral edge dislocation, propagating from the GaN buffer, while electrically active dislocations are found at coalesced interfaces between nanowires. By decreasing the mask aperture size and changing the nucleation conditions the prevalence of nanowires comprising edge dislocation was significantly reduced from 6% to 3%, while the density of interface dislocations was reduced from 6×108 to 4×107cm-2. Using a sequential reformation process was found to create inversion domains with low surface potential N-polar regions in an otherwise Ga-polar GaN film. The inversion domains were associated with pinned dislocation pairs, and were further confirmed by selective wet etching in NaOH. This lateral polarity inversion was thoroughly eliminated in samples formed by a continuous reformation process. These results reveal a path and challenges for growing GaN substrates of superior crystal quality through nanowire reformation.
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| 7. |
- Khalilian, Maryam, et al.
(författare)
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Coherently strained and dislocation-free architectured AlGaN/GaN submicron-sized structures
- 2021
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Ingår i: Nano Select. - : Wiley. - 2688-4011. ; n/a:n/a, s. 1-14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To improve the performance and efficiency of Al containing III-Nitride-based devices, a number of issues must be addressed, especially the presence and generation of dislocations and other structural defects. The main sources of the dislocations are growth on non-native substrates and heteroepitaxial growth of lattice-mismatched layers. We demonstrate the ability to completely avoid structural defects including dislocations in AlxGa1-xN layers with x up to 0.90 and thicknesses over 100 nm, grown directly on submicron-sized, flat-topped GaN platelets. These structures have an excellent homogeneity over an entire array. The GaN platelets were produced by epitaxial growth and reformation of GaN nanowires, effectively blocking the propagation of threading dislocations (TDs) from the underlying substrate. The platelets have a sufficiently small volume to elastically accommodate the strain built up in the architectured AlGaN/GaN heterostructures. Effectively, we have designed a sacrificial nano-scaled GaN seed, with the ability to be strained by the AlGaN layer grown on top of it. The conditions for the growth of the AlGaN are chosen to avoid the creation of misfit dislocations and other structural defects. These thick and structural defect-free, submicron-sized AlGaN/GaN structures may open up a new path for highly efficient electronic and optoelectronic devices. These structures can be used as substrates for light-emitting diodes and transistors, either as individual devices or arrays in parallel, depending on the need for light output or transistor current.
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| 8. |
- Khalilian, Maryam, et al.
(författare)
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Dislocation-Free and Atomically Flat GaN Hexagonal Microprisms for Device Applications
- 2020
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Ingår i: Small. - : Wiley-VCH Verlag. - 1613-6810 .- 1613-6829. ; 16:30
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- III-nitrides are considered the material of choice for light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and lasers in the visible to ultraviolet spectral range. The development is hampered by lattice and thermal mismatch between the nitride layers and the growth substrate leading to high dislocation densities. In order to overcome the issue, efforts have gone into selected area growth of nanowires (NWs), using their small footprint in the substrate to grow virtually dislocation-free material. Their geometry is defined by six tall side-facets and a pointed tip which limits the design of optoelectronic devices. Growth of dislocation-free and atomically smooth 3D hexagonal GaN micro-prisms with a flat, micrometer-sized top-surface is presented. These self-forming structures are suitable for optical devices such as low-loss optical cavities for high-efficiency LEDs. The structures are made by annealing GaN NWs with a thick radial shell, reforming them into hexagonal flat-top prisms with six equivalents either m- or s-facets depending on the initial heights of the top pyramid and m-facets of the NWs. This shape is kinetically controlled and the reformation can be explained with a phenomenological model based on Wulff construction that have been developed. It is expected that the results will inspire further research into micron-sized III-nitride-based devices. © 2020 The Authors.
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| 9. |
- McKibbin, Sarah R., et al.
(författare)
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Operando Surface Characterization of InP Nanowire p-n Junctions
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nano Letters. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1530-6984 .- 1530-6992. ; 20:2, s. 887-895
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present an in-depth analysis of the surface band alignment and local potential distribution of InP nanowires containing a p-n junction using scanning probe and photoelectron microscopy techniques. The depletion region is localized to a 15 nm thin surface region by scanning tunneling spectroscopy and an electronic shift of up to 0.5 eV between the n- A nd p-doped nanowire segments was observed and confirmed by Kelvin probe force microscopy. Scanning photoelectron microscopy then allowed us to measure the intrinsic chemical shift of the In 3d, In 4d, and P 2p core level spectra along the nanowire and the effect of operating the nanowire diode in forward and reverse bias on these shifts. Thanks to the high-resolution techniques utilized, we observe fluctuations in the potential and chemical energy of the surface along the nanowire in great detail, exposing the sensitive nature of nanodevices to small scale structural variations.
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| 10. |
- Wu, Jun, et al.
(författare)
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Low Trap Density in InAs/High-k Nanowire Gate Stacks with Optimized Growth and Doping Conditions
- 2016
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Ingår i: Nano Letters. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1530-6984 .- 1530-6992. ; 16:4, s. 2418-2425
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this paper, we correlate the growth of InAs nanowires with the detailed interface trap density (Dit) profile of the vertical wrap-gated InAs/high-k nanowire semiconductor-dielectric gate stack. We also perform the first detailed characterization and optimization of the influence of the in situ doping supplied during the nanowire epitaxial growth on the sequential transistor gate stack quality. Results show that the intrinsic nanowire channels have a significant reduction in Dit as compared to planar references. It is also found that introducing tetraethyltin (TESn) doping during nanowire growth severely degrades the Dit profile. By adopting a high temperature, low V/III ratio tailored growth scheme, the influence of doping is minimized. Finally, characterization using a unique frequency behavior of the nanowire capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics reveals a change of the dopant incorporation mechanism as the growth condition is changed.
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