Search

We develop and discuss appropriate methods based on x-ray diffraction and generalized infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry to identify wurtizte and zinc-blende polymorphs, and quantify their volume fractions in mixed-phase epitaxial films taking InN as an example. The spectral signatures occurring in the azimuth polarization (Muller matrix) maps of mixed-phase epitaxial InN films are discussed and explained in view of polymorphism (zinc-blende versus wurtzite), volume fraction of different polymorphs and their crystallographic orientation, and azimuth angle. A comprehensive study of the structural, phonon and free electron properties of zinc-blende InN films containing inclusions of wurtzite InN is also presented. Thorough analysis on the formation of the zinc-blende and wurtzite phases is given and the structural evolution with film thickness is discussed in detail. The phonon properties of the two phases are determined and discussed together with the determination of the bulk free-charge carrier concentration, and electron accumulation at the mixed-phase InN film surfaces., Funding Agencies|Swedish Research Council (VR) [2013-5580]; Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems (VINNOVA) under the VINNMER international qualification program [2011-03486]; Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) [FFL12-0181]; Linkoping Linnaeus Initiative on Nanoscale Functional Materials (LiLiNFM) by VR; National Science Foundation [MRSEC DMR-0820521]; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; J. A. Woollam Co., Inc.; J. A. Woollam Foundation

Indium segregation in a narrow InGaN single quantum well creates quantum dot (QD) like exciton localization centers. Cross-section transmission electron microscopy reveals varying shapes and lateral sizes in the range ∼1–5 nm of the QD-like features, while scanning near field optical microscopy demonstrates a highly inhomogeneous spatial distribution of optically active individual localization centers. Microphotoluminescence spectroscopy confirms the spectrally inhomogeneous distribution of localization centers, in which the exciton and the biexciton related emissions from single centers of varying geometry could be identified by means of excitation power dependencies. Interestingly, the biexciton binding energy (Ebxx) was found to vary from center to center, between 3 to −22 meV, in correlation with the exciton emission energy. Negative binding energies are only justified by a three-dimensional quantum confinement, which confirms QD-like properties of the localization centers. The observed energy correlation is proposed to be understood as variations of the lateral extension of the confinement potential, which would yield smaller values of Ebxx for reduced lateral extension and higher exciton emission energy. The proposed relation between lateral extension and Ebxx is further supported by the exciton and the biexciton recombination lifetimes of a single QD, which suggest a lateral extension of merely ∼3 nm for a QD with strongly negative Ebxx = −15.5 meV.

The linear polarization of the excitonic emission from quantum dot-like potential minima formed in a thin InGaN layer is investigated. The recorded emission lines exhibit significant intensity linearly polarized along the wurtize c-axis. For many of the studied spectra, the excitonic fine-structures were resolved, revealing energy splittings in the order of ∼200 μeV.

The dynamics of the exciton and the biexciton related emission from a single InGaN quantum dot (QD) have been measured by time-resolved microphotoluminescence spectroscopy. An exciton-biexciton pair of the same QD was identified by the combination of power dependence and polarization-resolved spectroscopy. Moreover, the spectral temperature evolution was utilized in order to distinguish the biexciton from a trion. Both the exciton and the biexciton related emission reveal mono-exponential decays corresponding to time constants of similar to 900 and similar to 500 ps, respectively. The obtained lifetime ratio of similar to 1.8 indicates that the QD is small, with a size comparable to the exciton Bohr radius., Funding Agencies|Thaksin University in Thailand||Swedish Research Council (VR)||Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF)||Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation

We study the effect of high power pulses in reactive magnetron sputter epitaxy on the structural properties of GaN (0001) thin films grown directly on Al2O3 (0001) substrates. The epilayers are grown by sputtering from a liquid Ga target, using a high power impulse magnetron sputtering power supply in a mixed N2/Ar discharge. X-ray diffraction, micro-Raman, micro-photoluminescence, and transmission electron microscopy investigations show the formation of two distinct types of domains. One almost fully relaxed domain exhibits superior structural and optical properties as evidenced by rocking curves with a full width at half maximum of 885 arc sec and a low temperature band edge luminescence at 3.47 eV with the full width at half maximum of 10 meV. The other domain exhibits a 14 times higher isotropic strain component, which is due to the higher densities of the point and extended defects, resulting from the ion bombardment during growth. Voids form at the domain boundaries. Mechanisms for the formation of differently strained domains, along with voids during the epitaxial growth of GaN are discussed., funding agencies|Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research

We have studied hydrogen impurities and related structural properties in state-of-the-art wurtzite InN films with polar, nonpolar, and semipolar surface orientations. The effects of thermal annealing and chemical treatment on the incorporation and stability of H are also discussed. The near-surface and bulk hydrogen concentrations in the as-grown films increase when changing the surface orientation from (0001) to (000 (1) over bar) to (1 (1) over bar 01) and to (11 (2) over bar0), which may be associated with a decrease in the grain size and change of the growth mode from 2D to 3D. Thermal annealing at 350 degrees C in N(2) leads to a reduction of H concentrations and the intrinsic levels of bulk H are found to correlate with the structural quality and defects in the annealed films., Funding Agencies|FCT Portugal|PTDC/FIS/100448/2008|Swedish Research Council (VR)|2010-3848

We study the unintentional H impurities in relation to the free electron properties of state-of-the-art InN films grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Enhanced concentrations of H are revealed in the near surface regions of the films, indicating postgrowth surface contamination by H. The near surface hydrogen could not be removed upon thermal annealing and may have significant implications for the surface and bulk free electron properties of InN. The bulk free electron concentrations were found to scale with the bulk H concentrations while no distinct correlation with dislocation density could be inferred, indicating a major role of hydrogen for the unintentional conductivity in MBE InN., Original Publication: Vanya Darakchieva, K Lorenz, N P Barradas, E Alves, Bo Monemar, M Schubert, N Franco, C L Hsiao, L C Chen, W J Schaff, L W Tu, T Yamaguchi and Y Nanishi, Hydrogen in InN: A ubiquitous phenomenon in molecular beam epitaxy grown material, 2010, APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS, (96), 8, 081907. http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3327333 Copyright: American Institute of Physics http://www.aip.org

We present a detailed study of the structural characteristics of molecular beam epitaxy grown nonpolar InN films with a- and m-plane surface orientations on r-plane sapphire and (100) gamma-LiAlO2, respectively, and semipolar (10 (1) over bar1) InN grown on r-plane sapphire. The on-axis rocking curve (RC) widths were found to exhibit anisotropic dependence on the azimuth angle with minima at InN [0001] for the a-plane films, and maxima at InN [0001] for the m-plane and semipolar films. The different contributions to the RC broadening are analyzed and discussed. The finite size of the crystallites and extended defects are suggested to be the dominant factors determining the RC anisotropy in a-plane InN, while surface roughness and curvature could not play a major role. Furthermore, strategy to reduce the anisotropy and magnitude of the tilt and minimize defect densities in a-plane InN films is suggested. In contrast to the nonpolar films, the semipolar InN was found to contain two domains nucleating on zinc-blende InN(111) A and InN(111) B faces. These two wurtzite domains develop with different growth rates, which was suggested to be a consequence of their different polarity. Both, a- and m-plane InN films have basal stacking fault densities similar or even lower compared to nonpolar InN grown on free-standing GaN substrates, indicating good prospects of heteroepitaxy on foreign substrates for the growth of InN-based devices., Original Publication: Vanya Darakchieva, Mengyao Xie, N Franco, F Giuliani, B Nunes, E Alves, C L Hsiao, L C Chen, T Yamaguchi, Y Takagi, K Kawashima and Y Nanishi, Structural anisotropy of nonpolar and semipolar InN epitaxial layers, 2010, JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS, (108), 7, . http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3487923 Copyright: American Institute of Physics http://www.aip.org

Precise measurement of the optical Hall effect in InN using magneto-optical generalized ellipsometry at IR and THz wavelengths, allows us to decouple the surface accumulation and bulk electron densities in InN films by non-contact optical means and further to precisely measure the effective mass and mobilities for polarizations parallel and perpendicular to the optical axis. Studies of InN films with different thicknesses, free electron densities and surface orientations enable an intricate picture of InN free electron properties to emerge. Striking findings on the scaling factors of the bulk electron densities with film thickness further supported by transmission electron microscopy point to an additional thickness dependent doping mechanism unrelated to dislocations. Surface electron accumulation is observed to occur not only at polar but also at non-polar and semi-polar wurtzite InN, and zinc blende InN surfaces. The persistent surface electron density shows a complex behavior with bulk density and surface orientation. This behavior might be exploited for tuning the surface charge in InN.