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We succeeded in preparing a 21-μm-thick GaN layer of high crystalline quality and with small in-plane stress on a 2′′ sapphire substrate by hydride-vapor phase-epitaxy (HVPE) in a vertical atmospheric-pressure reactor with a bottom-fed design. An ∼5-μm-thick GaN template layer grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) was employed. At 1090 °C, the HVPE growth rate was gradually increased by a step increase of the HCl gas flow rate, and was as high as 21 μm/h in average. Superior lateral homogeneity of the HVPE material over the entire 2′′ wafer with regard to the crystalline quality and residual stress is proven by photoluminescence mappings of the main donor-bound exciton properties. Both the average in-plane stress and the free-electron concentration are found to be considerably reduced in the HVPE-grown material compared to the MOCVD-grown template.

Application of picosecond four-wave mixing and photoluminescence techniques for investigation of carrier dynamics in bulk crystals and heterostructures of GaN

Effects of low energy electron irradiation (5-30 keV) on some of the optical properties of CdSe nanocrystals are examined. Degradation in luminescence intensities are measured and compared for inorganic nanocrystals coated in trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) and biologically compatible CdSe nanocrystals coated in mercaptoacetic acid (MAA), as well as CdSe-MAA nanocrystals conjugated with the protein Streptavidin. Electron beam effects are investigated using the technique of cathodoluminescence, which is seen to induce significant degradation in nanocrystal related fluorescence in all nanocrystals. Varying beam energy and sample temperatures showed faster degradation at cryogenic temperatures and a higher susceptibility to low beam energies in protein conjugated nanocrystals.

A comprehensive study of the morphological, optical and microstructural properties of mass-transport (MT) and conventionally grown GaN by hydride vapour-phase epitaxy is presented. Spatially resolv ...

We present a theoretical simulation of near-band-edge emission spectra of highly conducting n-InN assuming the model of 'free-to-bound' radiative recombination (FBRR) of degenerate electrons from the conduction band with nonequilibrium holes located in the valence band tails. We also study experimental photoluminescence (PL) spectra of highly conducting InN epitaxial layers grown by MBE and MOVPE with electron concentrations in the range (7.7 × 1017-6 × 1018) cm-3 and find that the energy positions and shape of the spectra depend on the impurity concentration. By modeling the experimental PL spectra of the InN layers we show that spectra can be nicely interpreted in the framework of the FBRR model with specific peculiarities for different doping levels. Analyzing simultaneously the shape and energy position of the InN emission spectra we determine the fundamental bandgap energy of InN to vary between Eg = 692 meV for effective mass mn0 = 0.042m0 and Eg =710 meV for mn0 = 0.1m0. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Free-standing GaN of -330 μm thickness with low defect density was prepared by hydride vapor-phase epitaxy (HVPE) on sapphire in a vertical atmospheric-pressure reactor and a subsequent laser-induced lift-off process. The structural and optical properties of the material were assessed by various characterization techniques, like X-ray diffraction, photo- and cathodoluminescence, spectroscopic ellipsometry, positron annihilation spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Here, we focus on p-Raman scattering profiling studies providing the vertical strain distribution and the evolution of the crystalline quality with increasing layer thickness. Profiles of the free-carrier concentration are obtained from monitoring the LO-phonon plasmon coupled mode. Comparative investigations are performed on the material before and after separation of the sapphire substrate. The GaN material presented here is well capable of serving as a substrate for further homoepitaxial strain-relaxed and crack-free growth needed for fabrication of high-quality III-nitride device heterostructures.

We report on hydride vapor phase epitaxial growth of thick nonpolar GaN films on r-plane sapphire in comparison with polar GaN films on c-plane sapphire substrates with AlN buffer layers, aiming at developing of their quasi-substrate application. Both the thick films and the buffers were identified to have single crystalline structures. The microstructure of the films was studied by transmission electron microscopy. High resolution X-ray diffraction mapping and photoluminescence measurements were employed to characterize the strain present in both polar and nonpolar GaN films. In contrast to c-plane GaN, which is always characterised by isotropic in-plane properties, the a-plane GaN shows a strong in-plane anisotropy of the growth rate, morphology and strain distribution. Different defect, impurity and free carrier concentrations were observed in the polar and nonpolar material.

We report on a close correlation between the growth conditions of InN/Al2O3 (0 0 0 1) epilayers grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), their optical properties in the IR range, and the In clustering in the layers. High-spatial resolution techniques, namely micro-cathodoluminesesence, back-scattered electron imaging and energy dispersive X-ray analysis, were used to establish this correlation. The In-rich growth conditions, achieved by increasing either the growth temperature or the effective In/N flux ratio, causes the In clustering in InN, responsible in our samples for the 0.7-0.8 eV luminescence and IR optical absorption. Growth under In/N = 1: 1 conditions slightly shifted to the N-rich side generally produces InN layers without visible In clusters, having an optical absorption edge around 1.4 eV. A possible mechanism of In cluster formation is suggested on the basis of thermodynamic considerations for InN MBE growth. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

We report a detailed optical study of several sets of multiple quantum wells (MQWs) in the AlGaN/GaN system, as well as AlN/GaN superlattice (SL) structures. In this study all materials were grown by MOCVD, as opposed to most previous studies where MBE was employed. In undoped MQWs discrete photoluminescence (PL) peaks related to discrete well width fluctuations by one full c lattice parameter are clearly observed. In doped samples this effect appears to be screened. While the recombination process in undoped samples is excitonic, in MQWs doped with Si above about 5 × 10 18 cm -3 free electrons (a 2DEG) are dominant, and the PL process is a free electrons-localized hole transition at low temperatures. The hole localization prevails up to very high n-doping, as was previously observed in bulk GaN. The hole localization is demonstrated via several experiments, including results on PL transient decay times and LO phonon coupling. Near surface band bending, due mainly to dopant depletion in doped structures or interaction with surface states in case of higher Al content in barriers, influences the distribution of electron filling among the QWs, making a detailed modeling of the spectral shape somewhat ambiguous. It is found that AlN barriers promote a strong room temperature PL signal from the QWs, as opposed to the case with AlGaN barriers.

The strain distribution in thick hydride vapor-phase epitaxial (HVPE)-GaN layers grown on metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxial GaN templates was studied by means of photoluminescence, x-ray mapping, and lattice parameter analysis. A variable temperature x-ray study of the film curvature was used for verification of the strain type. The relation between the strain inhomogeneity and the wafer bending in films residing on sapphire and freestanding on the thickness of the layer and the substrate is analyzed. Possibilities to improve the uniformity of the film characteristics and to reduce the bending of the HVPE-GaN films are discussed.

The effects of the Si doping level on the recombination dynamics and carrier (exciton) localization in modulation doped GaN/Al0.07Ga 0.93N multiple-quantum-well (MQW) structures were studied by mea ...

We report on a comparative study of defect and emission distributions in thick hydride vapor phase epitaxial (HVPE) GaN films grown on two different patterned template structures separately produced by multi-step procedures using metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE). The observed differences in the microstructures and emission distributions at the early stages of the growth in both cases were related to the change of the dominating growth mode sequence and point defects incorporation. Both template structures were found to favor formation of voids in the coalescence regions, which leads to a partial strain relaxation and allows overgrowth of thicker films without cracks.

We present a time-resolved experimental study of excitonic magnetic polaron (EMP) dynamics in type II quantum wells ZnMnSe/ZnSSe. Two photoluminescence peaks were observed, which reflects coexistence of localized excitons and EMPs in the same sample. This was possible due to the competition of two localization mechanisms - magnetic localization of heavy holes in the ZnMnSe layers and non-magnetic localization of electrons in the ZnSSe layers.

We report on the polarization properties of the exciton-polariton modes in GaN. The dispersion curves and the expected emission lineshape of polaritons for all polarization configurations are calculated taking into account the spatial dispersion and the simultaneous exciton-photon coupling of all optically active states. An experimental study of the exciton-polariton luminescence in a free-standing GaN layer is also performed. The spectra reveal a clear difference between the emissions polarized perpendicular and parallel to the c-axis of the crystal. The experimental results are discussed in terms of optical selection rules and population of the polariton states.

Single-crystalline 330µm thick GaN has been grown on 2'' Al2O3 (0 0 0 1) by hydride vapour phase epitaxy (HVPE). Upon laser-induced lift-off the GaN was delaminated from the sapphire substrate, and bulk-like free-standing GaN was achieved. Various characterization methods were utilized to assess the structural and optical quality of the freestanding material. The X-ray rocking curves of the (1 0–1 4) and (0 0 0 2) diffraction peaks revealed full width at half maximum (FWHM) values of 96 and 129arcsec, respectively. These data compare well with the smallest corresponding values published so far for bulk-like HVPE-GaN. The dislocation density determined by plan-view transmission electron microscopy studies is 1–2 × 107cm–2. The low-temperature near-band-gap photoluminescence spectrum shows the main donor bound exciton (DBE) peak at 3.4718eV with a FWHM of 1.4meV, verifying the high crystalline quality of the bulk-like GaN. The DBE peak position suggests complete stress relief. The phonon spectra measured by infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry confirm as well, that the free-standing material is of high crystalline quality and virtually stress-free.

Compensation processes in magnesium doped GaN epilayers and bulk samples are studied. We demonstrate enhancement of potential fluctuations in Mg doped samples, from Kelvin probe atomic force microscopy measurements. Large- and small-scale light emission fluctuations are also demonstrated. Micro-photoluminescence (PL) study indicates an unusual anti-correlation between the intensities of excitonic and defect-related emission processes in p-type doped structures and also the presence of the so-called hot-PL. Hot-PL observed in compensated p-type samples, we relate to the presence of strong potential fluctuations. (C) 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The effect of film thickness on the strain and structural properties of thin epitaxial AlN films has been investigated, and a sub-layer model of the degree of strain and related defects for all films is suggested. The vibrational properties of the films have been studied by generalized infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry. The proposed sub-layer model has been successfully applied to the analysis of the ellipsometry data trough model calculations of the infrared dielectric function.

MOCVD-grown AlN/GaN superlattices (SL) with different thickness of the well and barrier are investigated by transmission electron microscopy in low-magnification and high-resolution modes. Growth-i ...

Presented at: 5th International Conference on Nitride Semiconductors (ICNS-5), Nara, Japan, 25-30 May, 2003

In this work we report a study on thick HVPE-GaN layers grown on templates performed by mask-free selective lateral epitaxial growth by PENDEO-epitaxy. The defect distribution relative to the different growth modes is investigated. The emission spatial profile at different wavelengths is examined and correlated to the different character of the growth, the defect distribution and impurity incorporation. (© 2003 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

We have grown GaN layers with a thickness up to 340 μm in an rf-heated vertical HVPE reactor with a bottom-fed design. The GaN layers were separated from the sapphire substrate by a LLO process. Th ...

We study longitudinal electron transport in InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well (MQW) structures at moderate magnetic field. A step-wise behaviour in magnetic field dependences of both the Hall coefficient and the magnetoresistivity is explained by a magnetic induced localization of electrons in a two-dimensional (2D) potential relief due to the composition fluctuations in the wells. To describe the results we extend the model for a magnetic localization of electrons by treating every quantum well like a quasi-2D system with a cylindrical potential relief. (© 2003 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

InN films have been grown by plasma-assisted MBE on Al2O3(0001) substrates using different buffer fabrication techniques: thermo-activated In diffusion into nitridated sapphire during InN buffer annealing and deposition of 20 nm AlxIn1−xN buffer layers with x = 0.1–0.5. Different In/N flux ratio conditions are employed. The InN epilayers demonstrate IR photoluminescence in the 0.6–1.0 μm range, with an ambiguous dependence of the PL intensity on structural quality of the films. The highest quality 0.5 μm thick InN layer having (0002) XRD Θ-rocking curve width below 400 arcsec and smooth continuous interface with the substrate does not show any PL. (© 2003 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

We have studied GaN films grown on a-plane sapphire substrates by both hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) and metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE). The in-plane orientation relationships between the epitaxial films and the substrate are determined to be [11-20]GaN ? [0001] sapphire and [1-100]GaN ? [1-100]sapphire in the HVPE growth, while [1-100]GaN ? [0001]sapphire and [11-20]GaN ? [1-100]sapphire are found in the MOVPE growth. The different orientation preferences are attributed to the atom termination of the sapphire surface determined by the substrate treatment used in the different growth methods. The effect of the lattice matches on the in-plane lattice parameters and strain anisotropy in the two cases is studied. © 2003 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Gallium nitride (GaN) is a wide bandgap material that is already extensively used in industrial production of optoelectronic devices (light emitters) that operate in the blue and ultraviolet wavelength range. GaN is interesting not only because it has a wide bandgap (3.5 eV), it is also chemically and physically inert and is environmental friendly for device production, as opposed to the lower bandgap III-V materials based on GaAs or InP.Despite recent efforts there is still no bulk GaN substrates with sufficient crystal quality and size and sufficiently low price that they can be used commercially in devices. The problem in growing GaN is that because there are no native substrates the growth is done on foreign substrates (heteroepitaxy). When GaN is grown heteroepitaxially there will be a built in strain in the material because of the lattice mismatch and thermal expansion difference between the materials. This produces a number of different defects that degrades the crystal quality. Native GaN substrates are therefore strongly in demand, and many growth techniques are presently pursued worldwide to develop such substrates.Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy (HVPE) is the growth technique most commonly used for growing bulk GaN material. Certainly it is the most developed method, and it can produce a high growth rate(> 100 μ/hr). HVPE has comparatively simple growth chemistry and is relatively economic compared to other growth techniques.In the work involved in this PhD thesis the focus has been to optimize the growth of thick 2" diameter GaN layers on sapphire with a vertical HVPE system.Paper I deal with how to grow thick GaN layers(> 300 μm) on sapphire, and reviews some of the problems that are involved in the growth process. The emphasis is on the growth related defects in such thick GaN layers.In Paper II we have shown that it is possible to grow GaN with a very high growth rate and with good crystal quality.Paper III shows that it is possible to produce a free-standing GaN layer that is strain free. This is done by separating the GaN layer from the sapphire substrate using a laser lift-off (LLO) process.In paper IV the optical and structural properties of thick freestanding GaN layers are reported.In paper V we have shown that it is possible to grow a GaN layer on sapphire over a 2" area that is virtually strain free over most part of the grown area. This is due to induced cracking in the starting sapphire substrate during the cool down phase.In paper VI we have grown the GaN material on a starting template consisting of a two-step epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELO) GaN layer grown by MOVPE on a sapphire substrate. The self separated GaN layer was then evaluated and the result showed a virtually strain free material.In paper VII positron annihilation studies of a thick GaN layer is performed. The studies were done to identify native point defects (Ga vacancies) in the as-grown non-intentionally doped n-type GaN.Paper VIII deals with μ-Raman scattering profiling studies on a thick free-standing GaN layer. The studies provided the vertical strain distribution and the evolution of the crystalline quality with increasing layer thickness.

We have studied GaN films grown on a -plane sapphire substrate by both hydride vapour phase epitaxy (HVPE) and metalorganic vapour phase epitaxy (MOVPE) using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The in-plane orientation relationships between the epitaxial films and the substrate are determined to be [1 1 2 0] GaN ||[0 0 0 1] sapphire and [1 1 0 0] GaN ||[1 1 0 0] sapphire in the HVPE growth, while [1 1 0 0] GaN ||[0 0 0 1] sapphire and [1 1 2 0] GaN ||[1 1 0 0] sapphire are found in the MOVPE growth. In a few films of both types a simultaneous presence of two domains, representing the two in-plane relationships, is observed although the preferable one in each type of films is strongly dominating. We propose that the two in-plane orientations of GaN are generally possible on the a -sapphire substrate and are related to the atom termination of the sapphire surface determined by the substrate pre-treatment used in the different growth methods.

This work reviews recent ellipsometric investigations of the infrared dielectric functions of binary, ternary, and quaternary group-III nitride films. Spectroscopic Ellipsometry in the mid-infrared range is employed for the first time to determine phonon and free-carrier properties of individual group-III nitride heterostructure components, including layers of some ten nanometer thickness. Assuming the effective carrier mass, the free-carrier concentration and mobility parameters can be quantified upon model analysis of the infrared dielectric function. In combination with Hall-effect measurements, the effective carrier masses for wurtzite n- and p-type GaN and n-type InN are obtained. The mode behavior of both the E1(TO) and A1(LO) phonons are determined for ternary compounds. For strain-sensitive phonon modes, the composition and strain dependences of the phonon frequencies are differentiated and quantified. Information on the crystal quality and compositional homogeneity of the films can be extracted from the phonon mode broadening parameters. A comprehensive IR dielectric function database of group-III nitride materials has been established and can be used for the analysis of complex thin-film heterostructures designed for optoelectronic device applications. Information on concentration and mobility of free carriers, thickness, alloy composition, average strain state, and crystal quality of individual sample constituents can be derived. © 2003 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

In this work, we illustrate and analyse long propagating nanopipes in thick HVPE-GaN layers studied by means of transmission electron microscopy. The nanopipes appear to have the characteristics and behaviour of screw-dislocations. They propagate with a constant diameter along tens of micrometers and a pit of a shape of inverted pyramid forms when the top surface of the layer is reached. The generation of the nanopipes is discussed in terms of their relation to the growth mechanism of HVPE-GaN material and the kinetics of screw dislocations in the early stages of growth of highly strained material. The nanopipes appear to promote the crystal growth when the substrate surface does not provide a sufficient nucleation base for subsequent HVPE growth. In this case they mediate the surface morphology terminating surface steps by hexagonal pits and act as centres of growth spirals. When the substrate surface provides a sufficient amount of nucleation sites the step flow mechanism is prevailing and no growth spirals associated with nanopipes are observed.

Optical properties of GaN layers grown by the molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) and chloride-hydride vapor-phase epitaxy (CHVPE) have been studied, and the quality of two types of samples has been compared. The photoluminescence spectra have an excitonic nature for both types of layers. To determine precisely the nature of exciton transitions, the reflectance spectra were studied. A key point was the investigation of phonon-assisted exciton luminescence, which provides information on the density distribution of the exciton states. Temperature dependences of the exciton transition energy and the ratio of intensities of one- and two-phpnon replicas were studied. The high quality of both types of layers has been confirmed, though the concentration of acceptors in MBE-grown samples is higher than in CHVPE samples. © 2003 MAIK "Nauka/Interperiodica".

We report on a detailed study of low temperature photoluminescence (PL) in Al0.07Ga0.93N/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs). The structures were grown on sapphire with the conventional low temperature AlN nucleation layer and thick GaN buffer layer. Several sets of 5 QW MQW samples were studied, one set with Si doping in the barriers up to or above the metallic limit. Nominally undoped MQW samples were also studied. The spectral behaviour of the doped samples was strongly affected by the near surface depletion field, causing overlap of different spectra from non-equivalent QWs. The QWs closest to the surface are presumably inactive in some samples, due to a very high depletion field. For the case of undoped samples, on the other hand, the near surface QWs are active and most prominent in the PL spectra. The structure from discrete well width variations is here resolved in the PL spectra. The results demonstrate that for structures with no additional capping layer both the depletion field and the polarisation fields need to be considered in the interpretation of experimental data. The theoretically estimated fields in this work are consistent with the experimental spectra. The presence of localisation even in the case of metallic samples, as observed by a constant PL decay time independent of doping, is discussed in terms of penetration of the hole wave functions into the AlGaN barriers. This localisation is also manifested in a sizeable LO phonon coupling strength in all samples studied.

This issue's Editor's Choice [1] reports on low temperature photoluminescence (PL) investigations in InGaN multiple quantum well (MQW) structures. The figure selected for the journal cover shows PL and electroluminescence spectra of an In0.1Ga0.9N MQW sample at 2K for different applied biases. These spectra exhibit two peaks originating from various QWs located within the depletion region close to the pn-junction of the structure. The evolution of the spectra with bias illustrates the strong influence of the depletion field on the radiative recombination properties which are relevant for LED devices. This paper is a presentation from the Second International Conference on Physics of Light–Matter Coupling in Nitrides (PLMCN2), held in Rithymnon (Crete) from 25–30 May 2002. The first author, Bo Monemar, is Professor and Head of the Materials Science Division at Linkoping University, working on optical and defect properties of semiconductors (more recently GaN), and is author or coauthor of about 450 scientific papers published in international journals or conference proceedings.

Two-band photoluminescence (PL) and respective absorption and reflection features are observed in GaN/AlGaN MBE-grown quantum well (QW) structures of dominant N polarity with inversion domains (IDs). The PL bands are related to transitions in the regions of different polarity, characterized by different strain and electric fields. A micro-PL study reveals sharp and narrow (1.5-2.5 meV) PL lines placed between the bands, which are tentatively attributed to recombination at localization sites associated with intersections of the QWs with the domains. Additionally, we demonstrate that the ID formation decreases the overall strength of the intrinsic electric fields in the QW structures.

The lattice parameters of as-grown hydride vapor phase epitaxy GaN layers on sapphire, free-standing layers after the substrate lift-off, and homoepitaxial layers grown on the free-standing layers are measured. The in-plane and out-of-plane strains are calculated. It is found that the substrate removal leads to strain relaxation in the crack-free GaN free-standing layers to a certain extent. A small increase of the strain in the GaN homoepitaxial layers compared to the free-standing layers is observed. Cathodoluminescence (CL) spectroscopy and imaging, photoluminescence (PL) and Raman measurements are used as complementary tools in the residual strain analysis.

Infrared dielectric function spectra and phonon modes of high-quality, single crystalline, and highly resistive wurtzite ZnO films were obtained from infrared (300–1200 cm−1) spectroscopic ellipsometry and Raman scattering studies. The ZnO films were deposited by pulsed-laser deposition on c-plane sapphire substrates and investigated by high-resolution x-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and Rutherford backscattering experiments. The crystal structure, phonon modes, and dielectric functions are compared to those obtained from a single-crystal ZnO bulk sample. The film ZnO phonon mode frequencies are highly consistent with those of the bulk material. A small redshift of the longitudinal optical phonon mode frequencies of the ZnO films with respect to the bulk material is observed. This is tentatively assigned to the existence of vacancy point defects within the films. Accurate long-wavelength dielectric constant limits of ZnO are obtained from the infrared ellipsometry anal...

(a) Linko¨ping University, 581 83 Linko¨ping, Sweden(b) Macquarie University, Sydney 2109 NSW, Australia(c) Chalmers University of Technology, 412 96 Go¨teborg, Sweden(d) Faculty of Physics, Sofia University, Sofia, Bulgaria(Submitted July 22, 2002; accepted October 1, 2002)PACS: 61.10.Eq; 68.55.Jk; 78.55.Cr; 78.60.HkWe report a study of the physical properties of free-standing HVPE-GaN quasi-substrates. A vari-ety of characterization techniques was employed in order to characterise in a comparative way thetwo sides of the films. The as-grown Ga-face was found to have lower density of both, structuraland impurity defects. This leads to a lower concentration of free carriers and residual strain in theGa-face compared to that in the N-face. The optical properties were found to be strongly influ-enced by the specific defect structure in both faces.

We develop a model for analysis of Hall effect data of GaN structures composed of sublayers with different thicknesses and contacts placed on the top surface, We analysed the contributions of the c ...

The LO-phonon sidebands of the photoluminescence in InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells has been investigated in the temperature range from 20 to 300 K. Analysing the intensity distribution among the ...

Hydride vapour phase epitaxial GaN layers with thicknesses in the range 10–150 μm grown directly on sapphire or using metalorganic vapour phase deposited GaN templates have been separated by laser-induced lift-off technique. Both faces of the free-standing films have been studied by photoluminescence and high-resolution X-ray measurements and stress analysis has been performed. A comparison with as-grown films reveals the changes in the properties of the material after the separation process. The separation conditions are found to be responsible for the bowing in the free-standing GaN films while the type and intensity of emission bands, as well as defect and impurity distributions are related only to the growth conditions. The residual strain in the free-standing layers is attributed to both non-optimized separation conditions and non-uniform defect density in the films.

Strain and electric field fluctuations in regions of different polarities in GaN/AlGaN quantum well (QW) structures of dominant N-polarity with inversion domains (IDs) split the photoluminescence (PL) emission into two bands. Micro-PL and time-resolved PL studies reveal strong inhomogeneity of the array of the IDs, where essential parameters, such as strain, electric fields, and sizes are fluctuating quantities. We demonstrate also that the ID formation decreases the intrinsic electric field magnitudes.

A comparative study of GaN layer grown by hydride vapour phase epitaxy on A-plane sapphire before and after removal of the substrate is presented. A large anisotropy of the in-plane strain in the as-grown sample is revealed by X-ray diffraction measurements and polarized photoluminescence. The strain anisotropy is found to modify the selection rules for the transitions leading to a splitting of the optically active states of the A and B excitons. Almost complete strain relaxation and recovery of the optical isotropy in the (0001) plane is observed in the free-standing layer.

In this work we illustrate and describe long propagating nanopipes in thick HVPE-GaN layers analysed by means of transmission electron microscopy. They are observed to behave like screw component threading dislocations, terminating surface steps by hexagonal pits, and thus leading to the possibility of spiral growth. The formation of a nanopipe is observed by trapping of a screw dislocation at a pinhole that opens in an empty core. The mechanism of formation of nanopipes is likely to be connected to the growth kinetics of screw dislocations in the early stages of growth of highly strained material.

A description of the present knowledge of the layer microstructure typical for thick GaN films grown at high growth rates is presented. The GaN layers are grown by hydride vapour phase epitaxy on sapphire and different buffers are used. The variety of extended defects present in such highly mismatched system are summarized, with the emphasis on their impact on the crystal quality. The defects are reviewed in two main categories according to the microstructural development during growth: large-scale nonuniformities and microstructural crystallographic defects. The first category comprises three-dimensional structural features developed mainly in the interface region, while the second are typical extended defects, i.e., dislocations with different Burgers vectors, nanopipes, inversion domain boundaries and stacking faults. The quality of the layers was improved vastly as a consequence of our understanding of the correlation of growth parameters and microstructure.

A ZnSSe/ZnMnSe type-II semimagnetic superlattice was pseudomorphically grown via molecular beam epitaxy on a GaAs substrate. The superlattice-layer thicknesses and compositions were chosen so that compressive strains in the ZnMnSe layer compensated tensile strains in the ZnSSe layer. The photoluminescence spectra in an external magnetic field demonstrate the effect of “giant Zeeman splitting of an exciton”. Simulation of the luminescence-line shift in a magnetic field allowed us to determine more accurately the band offsets at the ZnSSe/ZnMnSe interface.

We report on a detailed study of low temperature photoluminescence (PL) in In x Ga 1-x N multiple quantum wells (MQWs) with x in the range 0.1 and highly Si-doped barriers of In 0.01 Ga 0.99 N. The entire MQW structure was grown at 800 °C. One sample with 3 QWs of width 3.5 nm and barriers of width 10.5 nm had the MQW in the depletion region of the outer surface. Two PL peaks were observed, one QW exciton from the QW closest to the GaN buffer, one lower energy peak related to a 2DEG at the interface to the GaN buffer layer. In a second similar sample, 5 QWs of width 3 nm and with 6 nm highly Si-doped In 0.01 Ga 0.99 N barriers the MQW was placed in the n-side depletion region of a pn-junction, i.e. a complete LED structure with semitransparent top metallisation. Two PL peaks are observed also in this case, of similar origin as described above. With forward bias, this structure shows lower-energy PL emission, indicating the gradual activation of the other QWs closer to the pn-junction. At high forward bias the low-energy part of the PL spectrum becomes similar to the electroluminescence (EL) spectrum.

Origin of a fast component of the photoluminescence (PL) decay of Mn 2+ intra-shell 4T1 ? 6A 1 transition in bulk and quantum dot structures is discussed based on the results of PL, PL kinetics and ...

The design of the vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) needs proper tuning of many different optical parameters of those structures. So, the optimisation of the VCSELs requires deep understanding of optical processes occurring in the active regions of such lasers. In a series of MBE processes, active regions of VCSELs as well as the whole VCSELs were grown. The active regions of the VCSEL structures were designed for λ=1000 nm and 980 nm emission. They consisted of a pair of distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) composed of AlAs and GaAs quarter wavelength layers and a cavity made of GaAs. The cavities contained one or several quantum wells (QWs) made of In 0.2 Ga 0.8 As. To optimise the optical characteristics of the active regions, several experimental methods have been applied. The Bragg reflectors and the whole microcavities were investigated by optical reflectivity. For selective excitation of a QW in a cavity active layer, a Ti–sapphire tuneable laser has been used. The fine tuning between the QW emission and the cavity Fabry–Perot resonance has been investigated by photoluminescence at varying temperatures of the sample. For monitoring the temporal evolution of the luminescence from the active region of the laser, time-resolved spectroscopy has been employed. The combination of many methods of optical investigations enabled a comprehensive characterisation and as a result an optimisation of the whole laser structure.

Recent developments in material properties of GaN and related heterostructure combinations are reviewed, with emphasis on optical data. We discuss recent polarized photoluminescence (PL) data on the free excitons in GaN, obtained from thick HVPE grown layers. The exchange splitting constant is found to be about 0.6 meV, a more accurate value than previous suggestions. The PL signatures of shallow donors and acceptors, i.e. the bound excitons, are discussed and tentatively identified. Intrinsic point defects are discussed in terms of stability and experimental signatures. Quantum well structures in the InGaN/GaN and GaN/AlGaN systems are briefly discussed, with emphasis on localization of carriers and excitons.

We report on a study of radiative recombination in In0.11Ga0.89N/In.0.01Ga0.99N multiple quantum wells (MQWs). The QWs were nominally undoped, while the InGaN barriers were Si doped. The MQW part is situated in the depletion field of a pn-junction structure with electrical contacts, so that both photoluminescence (PL) and electroluminescence (EL) can be studied as a function of bias. The PL and EL spectra are distinctly different, in particular at low temperatures. The spectral properties and related differences in PL decay times reflect different recombination conditions in the MQW region for the individual QWs.

We report on optical studies of Al 0.1 Ga 0.9 N/GaN structures with five 30 A thick GaN quantum wells (QWs) grown by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy using the lateral overgrowth technique. Overgrown regions demonstrate better structural and optical properties. The low temperature photoluminescence (PL) is dominated by the multiple quantum well (MQW) emission at 3.53 eV with the linewidth of ∼50 meV. The PL decay time for this line was measured to be ∼600 ps. Comparison with an AlGaN/GaN MQW light-emitting diode (LED) structure is done. The LED structure was grown with a p-type doped AlGaN top layer and a p-GaN contact layer. The PL spectrum of the LED structure shows besides the donor-acceptor pair recombination from the top layer an additional 60 meV wide line at 3.64 eV. The presence of two MQW peaks may be related to the potential gradient present across the MQW structure.

High temperature AlN buffer layers are deposited on a-plane sapphire by reactive magnetron sputtering. The effect of the buffer thickness on the AlN structural properties and surface morphology are ...