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The recent progress in III-nitride tunnel junction (TJ) contacts for optoelectronic devices is summarized in this review paper. Due to the rapid developments of various III-nitride based optoelectronic devices for different emerging applications, TJs are of interest for these devices to achieve more efficient device performance. This review paper first briefly describes the working principles of TJs and the advantages of employing TJs in optoelectronic devices. The significant advancements in III-nitride TJs realized by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) are addressed, as well as their TJ device performances. Lastly, the critical challenges for employing III-nitride TJs in wide bandgap ultraviolet (UV) light emitters are discussed for future investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electron emission spectroscopy was performed on metalorganic chemical vapor deposition grown p-n−-n+ junctions with p-thicknesses ranging from 50 to 300 nm, doped with [Mg] = 3.5 × 1019 cm−3. By measuring the decreasing emitted electron intensity from a cesiated p-GaN surface with increasing p-thickness, we were able to extract the minority carrier diffusion length of electron in p-type GaN, Le = 26 ± 3 nm. The measured value is in good agreement with literature reported values. The extrapolated electron current at the n− region–p-GaN interface is in reasonable agreement with the simulated electron current at the interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrical performances of III-nitride blue micro-light-emitting diodes (µLEDs) with different tunnel junction (TJ) epitaxial architectures grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition are investigated. A new TJ structure that employs AlGaN is introduced. The current density–voltage characteristic is improved by incorporating AlGaN layer above the n-side of the TJ layer, and the effects of the AlGaN/GaN superlattices is examined. Based upon the data from band diagram simulation, net positive polarization charge is formed at the AlGaN/GaN interface, which results in a reduction in tunneling distance and increase in tunneling probability. Moreover, similar electrical improvement is observed in various device dimensions and is independent of operating current density, suggesting that AlGaN/GaN biaxial tensile strain or current spreading is not the main contribution for the improvement. Finally, the effects on the efficiency performances are determined. While the maximum external quantum efficiency of the TJ devices remains identical, the wall-plug efficiency of µLEDs is enhanced significantly by the proposed AlGaN-enhanced TJ design. This work reveals the possibility of energy efficient TJ contact with high transparency in the visible wavelength range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present efficient red InGaN 60 × 60 μm2 micro-light-emitting diodes (μLEDs) with an epitaxial tunnel junction (TJ) contact. The TJ was grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition using selective area growth. The red TJ μLEDs show a uniform electroluminescence. At a low current density of 1 A/cm2, the emission peak wavelength is 623 nm with a full-width half maximum of 47 nm. The peak external quantum efficiency (EQE) measured in an integrating sphere is as high as 4.5%. These results suggest a significant progress in exploring high efficiency InGaN red μLEDs using TJ technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optical and electrical characteristics of InGaN blue and green micro-light-emitting diodes (μLEDs) with GaN tunnel junction (TJ) contacts grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) were compared at different activation temperatures among three activation methods from the literature, namely, sidewall activation, selective area growth (SAG), and chemical treatment before sidewall activation. The devices with chemical treatment before activation resulted in uniform electroluminescence and higher light output power, compared to the devices with sidewall activation and SAG. Moreover, the green μLEDs showed greater optical degradation at elevated activation temperatures, whereas the blue μLEDs yielded trivial difference with activation temperatures from 670 to 790 °C. The 5 × 5 μm2 devices with chemical treatment before activation and SAG yielded almost identical voltage at 20 A/cm2, and the voltage penalty significantly decreased with activation temperature in the case of devices with sidewall activation. The devices with chemical treatment before activation resulted in higher external quantum efficiency (EQE) and wall-plug efficiency (WPE) in low current density range compared to the devices with SAG. The enhancements in EQE and WPE were observed in different μLED sizes, suggesting that chemical treatment before sidewall activation enables the use of TJ contacts grown by MOCVD and is advantageous for applications that require high brightness and efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time-resolved and quasi-cw photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy was applied to measure the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of c-plane InGaN single quantum wells (QWs) grown on sapphire substrates using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. The identical temperature dependence of the PL decay times and radiative recombination times at low temperatures confirmed that the low temperature IQE is 100%, which allowed evaluation of the absolute IQE at elevated temperatures. At 300 K, the IQE for QWs emitting in green and green–yellow spectral regions was more than 60%. The weak nonradiative recombination in QWs with a substantial concentration of threading dislocations and V-defects (∼2 × 108 cm−2) shows that these extended defects do not notably affect the carrier recombination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of AlGaN growth conditions on AlGaN:Si resistivity and surface morphology has been investigated using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. Growth parameters including growth temperature, growth rate, and trimethylindium (TMI) flow have been systematically studied to minimize the resistivity of AlGaN:Si. We observed a strong anticorrelation between AlGaN:Si conductivity and growth temperature, suggesting increased silicon donor compensation at elevated temperatures. Secondary ion mass spectrometry and positron annihilation spectroscopy ruled out compensation by common impurities or group-III monovacancies as a reason for the observed phenomenon, in contrast to theoretical predictions. The underlying reason for AlGaN:Si resistivity dependence on growth temperature is discussed based on the possibility of silicon acting as a DX center in Al0.65Ga0.35N at high growth temperatures. We also show remarkable enhancement of AlGaN:Si conductivity by introducing TMI flow during growth. A minimum resistivity of 7.5 mΩ cm was obtained for n-type Al0.65Ga0.35N, which is among the lowest reported resistivity for this composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate efficient cascaded blue/green micro-size light-emitting diodes (μLEDs) with independent junction control. The cascaded μLEDs, consisted of blue μLEDs, a tunnel junction, and green μLEDs, were fully grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. Blue, green, and blue/green emissions can be independently controlled in the same device. The blue μLEDs (60 × 60 μm2) and green μLEDs (40 × 40 μm2) exhibit a forward voltage of 4.1 and 3.1 V at 20 A/cm2 and a high peak external quantum efficiency of 42% and 14%, respectively. This demonstration paves the way for monolithic integration of full color cascaded μLEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vertical β-Ga2O3 Schottky diodes from metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD)-grown epitaxial films are reported in this paper for high-power application devices. The Schottky diode, fabricated with a field termination structure, showed a low differential specific on-resistance of 0.67 mΩ cm2. Furthermore, the MOCVD-grown β-Ga2O3 vertical Schottky diodes exhibited a punch-through breakdown and a higher Baliga's figure-of-merit compared to those from other epitaxial growth methods of similar drift layer thickness. This suggests that the MOCVD growth, supporting high-quality epitaxy, can be promising for high-performance β-Ga2O3-based high-power devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we demonstrate the detailed optimization of metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD)-grown tunnel junctions (TJs) utilizing selective area growth (SAG) for regular size (0.1 mm2) and micro-size InGaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs and µLEDs). Finite-difference time-domain simulations show that the SAG apertures result in a more directional light emission of far-field radiation pattern for the SAG TJ LEDs grown on patterned sapphire substrate. Moreover, it is noted that the n-InGaN insertion layer and Si-doped concentration in the n+GaN TJs layer is essential to realize a low forward voltage (Vf) in TJs LEDs. For both 0.1 mm2 LEDs and µLEDs, the Vf is independent on the SAG aperture space varied from 3 to 8 µm when the Si-doping level in the n+GaN layer is as high as 1.7 × 1020 cm−3. The optimized TJ LEDs exhibit a comparable differential resistance of 1.0 × 10−2 Ω cm2 at 100 A cm−2 and a very small voltage penalty of 0.2–0.3 V compared to the conventional indium tin oxide contact LEDs. The low Vf penalty is caused by a higher turn on voltage, which is the smallest one among the MOCVD-grown TJs LEDs and comparable to the best molecular beam epitaxy-grown TJs LEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tunnel junctions (TJs) offer alternative designs and promise in some cases improved performances for nitride-based light-emitting diode (LEDs) and laser diodes (LDs) and are widely used in academic studies. However, the voltage penalty of the LEDs and LDs, in comparison with standard contact technologies, has been a major concern especially for commercial applications. In this study, we investigated methods to achieve low excess voltage. Using ammonia molecular beam epitaxy (NH3 MBE), GaN TJs were grown on commercial metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) grown blue LED wafers. Atom probe tomography (APT) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) indicate 1 min buffered HF (BHF) clean of the regrowth interface reduced Mg and impurity incorporation into the n++ regrown TJ layers. The wafers were processed and measured in parallel to reference wafers using both university processes and industry processes. At 20 A cm−2, TJ LEDs grown with Si δ-doping at the junction interface processed in the university cleanroom had a forward voltage of 3.17 V in comparison to 2.86 V for LEDs processed with a standard indium tin oxide (ITO) contact. Unencapsulated TJ LEDs processed by industrial process without ITO or current blocking layer had about 0.3 V excess voltage compared to reference LEDs. The TJ LEDs also had more uniform light emission profile. The low excess voltage and consistent results acquired in both settings suggest that TJ can be scaled for industrial processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High performance GaN-based micro-light-emitting diodes (µLEDs) with epitaxial n-InGaN/n-GaN tunnel junctions (InGaN TJs) were grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The InGaN TJs µLEDs show a significant reduction of forward voltage (Vf) by ∼0.6 V compared to the common TJs µLEDs. The Vf at 20 A cm−2 is very low varied from 3.15 V to 3.19 V in small InGaN TJ µLEDs with a size less than 40 × 40 µm2, and then significantly increases in large LEDs. Selective area growth (SAG) of TJs can overcome such size limitation by vertical out diffusion of hydrogen through the apertures on top of p-GaN. The InGaN TJ µLEDs overgrown by SAG show a size-independent low Vf ranged from 3.08 V to 3.25 V. The external quantum efficiency (EQE) of the packaged TJ µLEDs was improved by 6% compared to the common µLEDs with indium tin oxide (ITO) contact. This work solves the key challenges of MOCVD-grown TJs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of water (H2O) vapor in reducing background impurity concentration in epitaxial Ga2O3 thin films grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) was studied. Adding H2O vapor to oxygen was found to increase the surface roughness and decrease the carrier concentration but have no effect on the structural quality and RT electron mobility of both the UID and doped films. The H2O vapor promotes the growth of the stable (110) and 1 ¯ 10 facets elongated along the [001] direction. Using [H2O] of 250 ppm, the β-Ga2O3 films showed a RMS roughness of >13 nm, which is much higher than that measured for similar films grown without H2O (RMS = 0.8 nm). The electron mobility of the UID Ga2O3 layers grown with and without water vapor was ∼150 cm2/V s, while the carrier concentration dropped by ∼2.5× after increasing the [H2O] to 6000 ppm. Similarly, for the lightly Si doped films, the RT carrier concentration dropped from 5.4 × 1015 cm−3 ([H2O] = 0 ppm) to 3.4 × 1015 cm−3 ([H2O] = 250 ppm), leaving the mobility unaffected. The results offer a new method of using water vapor assisted growth of Ga2O3 films with low RT carrier concentration that are required for the realization of high-performance electronic power devices with high breakdown voltages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crack-free AlN films with threading dislocation density (TDD) below 109 cm−2 are needed for deep-UV optoelectronics. This is typically achieved using pulsed lateral overgrowth or very thick buffer layers (>10 μm), a costly and time-consuming approach. A method for conventional metalorganic chemical vapor deposition growth of AlN/SiC films below 3 μm with greatly improved quality is presented. Focusing on substrate pretreatment before growth, we reduce average film stress from 0.9 GPa (tension) to −1.1 GPa (compression) and eliminate cracking. Next, with optimized growth conditions during initial deposition, AlN films with x-ray rocking curve widths of 123 arc-sec (0002) and 304 arc-sec (20 2 ¯ 1) are developed, and TDD is confirmed via plan view transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to be 2 × 108 cm−2. Film stress measurements including x-ray 2θ-ω, reciprocal space mapping, and curvature depict compressively stressed growth of AlN on 4H-SiC due to lattice mismatch. The thermal expansion coefficient mismatch between AlN and SiC is measured to be Δ α = α AlN − α SiC = 1.13 × 10 − 6 ° C − 1 and is found to be constant between room temperature and 1400 °C. TEM confirms the existence of dense misfit dislocation (MD) networks consistent with MD formation near SiC step edges and low MD density regions attributed to nearly coherent AlN growth on SiC terraces. These low-TDD, crack-free AlN/SiC buffers provide a platform for deep-UV optoelectronics and ultrawide bandgap electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SiNx/GaN interface barrier height for N-polar GaN based metal-insulator-semiconductor high electron mobility transistors (MISHEMTs) was investigated. N-polar SiNx/GaN/AlGaN/GaN MISHEMT structures with different GaN cap thicknesses were grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. The properties of the SiNx/GaN interface are of critical importance to device operation and modeling in these devices. An analytical expression for the pinch-off voltage of the HEMT was obtained, and capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements with different Schottky metals were used to extract the barrier height. The Fermi level at the interface was found to be pinned at approximately 1 eV with respect to GaN conduction band edge, irrespective of the work function of the gate metal. Hall measurements of the two-dimensional electron gas density were found to corroborate the predicted interface barrier height. An approximate value for interface charge causing this pinning was calculated to be 4.5×1012 cm-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the electrical and structural characterization of Mg-doped Al-rich p-type Al0.69Ga0.31N alloys on SiC substrate grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition. The impact of growth conditions and dopant activation annealing conditions on the electrical conductivity was investigated. The most efficient activation was achieved by annealing in N2 gas at 1000 °C for 3 min in the presence of a SiO2 cap. The impact of p-GaN contact layer thickness was also studied. Higher growth temperature resulted in lower Mg incorporation, and for constant Mg concentration the resistivity increased with the increase in the growth temperature. Mg incorporation increased linearly with Mg effective flow. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the generation of vertical spike-like defects with increasing Mg doping. The resistivity also increased with the increase in Mg doping. A minimum resistivity of 10 Ω cm was achieved at 670 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving nitride-based device structures unaffected by polarization-induced electric fields can be realized with nonpolar GaN, although polarity plays a key role in the growth. (112&sline;0) a-plane GaN films were grown on (11&sline;02) r-plane sapphire substrates and subsequently laterally overgrown using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. Convergent beam electron diffraction analysis was used to determine the a-GaN polarity to explicitly define the film/substrate relationship, and subsequently to identify various growth features and surfaces observed throughout our studies of a-plane GaN. In particular, the effects of polarity on (1) lateral overgrowth from mask stripe openings aligned along [1&sline;100][SUBGaN] and (2) pit formation in heteroepitaxial films grown under nonoptimized conditions were investigated. The fundamental differences between the polar surfaces are clearly observed; analysis of the lateral epitaxial overgrowth stripes revealed that (0001) surfaces grew faster than (0001&sline;) surfaces by approximately an order of magnitude, and these stable, slow-growing (0001&sline;) surfaces are a likely cause of pitting in a-GaN films. The growth features under investigation were imaged using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have studied the properties of Si, Ge shallow donors and Fe, Mg deep acceptors in β-Ga2O3 through temperature dependent van der Pauw and Hall effect measurements of samples grown by a variety of methods, including edge-defined film-fed, Czochralski, molecular beam epitaxy, and low pressure chemical vapor deposition. Through simultaneous, self-consistent fitting of the temperature dependent carrier density and mobility, we are able to accurately estimate the donor energy of Si and Ge to be 30 meV in β-Ga2O3. Additionally, we show that our measured Hall effect data are consistent with Si and Ge acting as typical shallow donors, rather than shallow DX centers. The high temperature Hall effect measurement of Fe doped β-Ga2O3 indicates that the material remains weakly n-type even with the Fe doping, with an acceptor energy of 860 meV relative to the conduction band for the Fe deep acceptor. Van der Pauw measurements of Mg doped Ga2O3 indicate an activation energy of 1.1 eV, as determined from the temperature dependent conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report direct growth of 1550-nm InGaAsP multi-quantum-well (MQW) structures in densely packed, smooth, highly crystalline, and millimeter-long InP nanoridges grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates. Aspect-ratio-trapping and selective area growth techniques were combined with a two-step growth process to obtain good material quality as revealed by photoluminescence, scanning electronic microscopy, and high-resolution X-ray diffraction characterization. Transmission electron microscopy images revealed sharp MQW/ InP interfaces as well as thickness variation of the MQW layer. This was confirmed by atom probe tomography analysis, which also suggests homogenous incorporation of the various III-V elements of the MQW structure. This approach is suitable for the integration of InP-based nanoridges in the SOI platform for new classes of ultra-compact, low-power, nano-electronic, and photonic devices for future tele- and data-communications applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This correction is consistent with the rest of the data presented in the published article, as well as the seventh paragraph that discusses the efficiency performance of the devices. The conclusions of the paper are not impacted by the erratum. Erratum: "Effects of activation method and temperature to III-nitride micro-light-emitting diodes with tunnel junction contacts grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition" [Appl. Phys. [Extracted from the article]

Atom probe tomography was used to characterize AlN interlayers in AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructures grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE), NH3-based molecular beam epitaxy (NH3-MBE), and metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The PAMBE-grown AlN interlayer had the highest purity, with nearly 100% of group-III sites occupied by Al. The group-III site concentrations of Al for interlayers grown by NH3-MBE and MOCVD were ∼85% and ∼47%, respectively. Hall measurements were performed to determine the two-dimensional electron gas mobility and sheet concentration. Sheet concentrations were ∼25%-45% higher with molecular beam epitaxy than with MOCVD, and these results matched well with atom probe data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Characterized green III-nitride LEDs with engineered V-defects grown by MOCVD. • Increased GaN on sapphire threading dislocation density by increasing V/III ratio. • Correlated threading dislocation to V-defect density. • Reduced LED V F by increasing V-defect density from 2 × 108 to 5 × 108 cm−2. • Achieved green LEDs with V F of 2.94 V at 20 A cm−2. In this study, we experimentally investigated the role of V-defect density on the performance of green III-nitride LEDs grown on sapphire substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. We systematically varied the threading dislocation (TD) density from 4 × 108 to 1 × 109 cm−2 by changing the V/III ratio during initial high temperature GaN growth. A 30-period InGaN/GaN superlattice promoted V-defect formation and growth at TDs, where the density of V-defects was correlated to the TD density. By interrupting the LED growth and examining the surface of the active region, we quantified the average size and density of V-defects. In a series of LEDs, we measured a systematic decrease in forward voltage (V F) with V-defect density. At a V-defect density of 5.0 × 108 cm−2 and TD density of 1 × 109 cm−2, green LED devices were demonstrated with λ = 523 nm and V F = 2.94 V at 20 A cm−2. These results highlight the potential of using V-defect engineering to achieve low V F long wavelength LEDs on sapphire substrates, where opening of remaining threading dislocations into V-defects presents an opportunity for further V F reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GaN crystals grown by the basic ammonothermal method were investigated for their use as substrates for device regrowth. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that the substrates contained multiple grains while secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) revealed a high concentration of hydrogen, oxygen, and sodium. Despite these drawbacks, the emission from the light emitting diode structures grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition on both the c-plane and m-plane epitaxial wafers was demonstrated. The SIMS depth profiles showed that the diffusion of the alkali metal from the substrate into the epitaxial film was small, especially in the m-direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]