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Contemporary models that are used to search for solid-state point defects for quantum-information applications tend to focus on the defect's intrinsic properties rather than the range of conditions in which they will form. In this work, a first-principles based multi-scale device model is used to explore how the conditions (i.e., growth temperature, doping concentration, unintentional impurity concentration) influence the formation of a neutral aluminum vacancy complexed with an oxygen impurity at a neighboring nitrogen site v Al -1O N in an Si/Mg:AlN homojunction. Varying the donor (Si) concentration is predicted to lead to the greatest change in both the maximum height and shape of the (v Al -1O N ) 0 profile. The shape is found to depend on the acceptor (Mg) concentration as well, and a critical ratio between the acceptor and unintentional impurities below which the (v Al -1O N ) 0 center would not form was identified. A detailed analysis of the electrostatic potential, electric field, and defect chemistry obtained with the model was used to reveal the underlying causes of these changes. These results show the potential of varying processing parameters to manipulate the local electronic structure as a means to control the properties of point defects for quantum-information applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Properties of AlN/GaN surfaces are important for realizing the tunability of devices, as the presence of surface states contributes to Fermi level pinning. This pinning can influence the performance of high electron mobility transistors and is also important for passivation of the surface when developing high-power electronic devices. It is widely understood that both AlN and GaN surfaces oxidize. Since there are many possible reconstructions for each surface, it is a challenge to identify the relevant surface reconstructions in advance of a detailed simulation. Because of this, different approaches are often employed to down select initial structures to reduce the computational load. These approaches usually rely on either electron counting rules or oxide stoichiometry, as both of these models tend to lead to structures that are energetically favorable. Here we explore models from these approaches but also explore a reconstruction of the (0001) surface directly observed using scanning transmission electron microscopy with predictive density functional theory simulations. Two compositions of the observed surface reconstruction—one which obeys oxide stoichiometry and one which is cation deficient and obeys electron counting—are compared to reconstructions from the previous work. Furthermore, surface states are directly calculated using hybrid exchange-correlation functionals that correct for the underestimation of the bandgaps in AlN and GaN and improve the predicted positions of surface states within the gap. It is found that cation deficiency in the observed reconstruction yields surface states consistent with the experiment. Based on all of these results, we provide insight into the observed properties of oxidized AlGaN surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite their technological importance, studying the properties of alloys with first principles methods remains challenging. In cases of AlxGa1-xN and BaxSrx-1TiO3 (BST), whose most important properties are governed by point defects, explicit simulation can be a computationally demanding task due to the random occupation of Al and Ga on cation sites in AlGaN and Ba and Sr on A-sites in BST. In this work, interpolation between end member compounds is used as a first approximation to defect properties and concentrations in intermediate alloy compositions in lieu of explicit simulation. In AlGaN, the efficacy of Si and Ge as dopants for n-type Al-rich AlGaN is explored by considering self-compensating defects such as multi-donor vacancy complexes and Si and Ge DX configurations. In BST, variation of the high temperature defect chemistry of Mg and Fe is examined. The approach presented here is expected to be generally appropriate for first approximation of defect properties in semiconductors and dielectrics where the alloy is a random solid solution of the end members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A grand canonical multiscale space-charge model has been developed to study and predict the electrical properties of polycrystalline perovskites with complex defect chemistries. This model combines accurate data from hybrid exchange-correlation functional density functional theory calculations (defect formation energies, resultant grand canonical calculations of defect concentrations, and ionization states) with finite-element simulation of the electric field and its coupling to defect redistribution and reionization throughout the grain. This model was used to simulate the evolution of the oxygen partial pressure-dependent conductivity of polycrystalline acceptor-doped strontium titanate as the grain size decreases, and the results were compared to previous experiments. These results demonstrate that as the grain size is reduced from the microscale to nanoscale, the experimentally observed disappearance of ionic conductivity and forward shift of the oxygen partial pressure of the n–p crossover are successfully reproduced and explained by the model. Mechanistically, the changes to conductivity stem from the charge transfer from the grain boundary core into the grain interior, forming a space-charge layer near the grain boundary core that perturbs the local defect chemistry. The impact of the grain size on the electrical conductivity and the underlying defect chemistry across the grain are discussed. In addition to the findings herein, the model itself enables exploration of the electrical response of polycrystalline semiconductor systems with complex defect chemistries, which is critical to the design of future electronic components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barium titanate (BTO) and strontium titanate (STO) are often treated as close analogues, and models of defect behavior are freely transferred from one material to the other with only minor modifications. On the other hand, it is often reported that B-site vacancies (vB) are the dominant metal vacancy in BTO, while A-site vacancies (vA) dominate in STO. This difference precludes the use of analogous defect models for BTO and STO, begging the question: how similar are the defect chemistries of the two materials? Here, we address this question with density functional theory calculations using a state-of-the-art hybrid exchange correlation functional, which more accurately describes the electronic structure and charge localization than traditional functionals. We find that vA is the dominant metal vacancy in STO but that different combinations of vA, vB, and vB-vO complexes are present in BTO depending on processing and doping. Mechanistically, this occurs for two reasons: thermodynamic differences in the accessible processing conditions of the two materials and energy differences in the bonds broken when forming the vacancies. These differences can also lead to widely differing responses when impurity dopants are intentionally added. Therefore, the response of metal vacancy behavior in BTO and STO to the inclusion of niobium and iron, two typical dopants in these systems, is examined and compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barium titanate (BTO) and strontium titanate (STO) are often treated as close analogues, and models of defect behavior are freely transferred from one material to the other with only minor modifications. On the other hand, it is often reported that B-site vacancies (vB) are the dominant metal vacancy in BTO, while A-site vacancies (vA) dominate in STO. This difference precludes the use of analogous defect models for BTO and STO, begging the question: how similar are the defect chemistries of the two materials? Here, we address this question with density functional theory calculations using a state-of-the-art hybrid exchange correlation functional, which more accurately describes the electronic structure and charge localization than traditional functionals. We find that vA is the dominant metal vacancy in STO but that different combinations of vA, vB, and vB-vO complexes are present in BTO depending on processing and doping. Mechanistically, this occurs for two reasons: thermodynamic differences in the accessible processing conditions of the two materials and energy differences in the bonds broken when forming the vacancies. These differences can also lead to widely differing responses when impurity dopants are intentionally added. Therefore, the response of metal vacancy behavior in BTO and STO to the inclusion of niobium and iron, two typical dopants in these systems, is examined and compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-temperature annealing coupled with above bandgap UV illumination is an emerging approach to manipulate defect chemistries and resultant properties of electroceramics. To explore defect-processing-property relationships in these materials, an advanced multiphysics and multiscale model has been developed, which involves (a) high-fidelity first principles simulations of defect energies, (b) grand canonical thermodynamics of defect equilibria, (c) UV-perturbed defect formation energies from Shockley–Read–Hall generation and recombination, and (d) finite-element analyses of electrostatic potential and defect redistribution. Using this model, bottom-up insights into defect mechanisms associated with the UV-induced brown photochromism of Fe-doped SrTiO3 at high temperatures are provided. It is found that UV illumination leads to dissociation of the Fe Ti - v O complex and reduction in the oxygen vacancy concentration through exchange with the gas reservoir. Changes to these defect populations cause reionization of the Fe Ti defect from −1 to 0 charge state to maintain charge neutrality. This collectively gives rise to an increased concentration of Fe Ti 0 , which is the source of brown chromism. In addition, this model reproduces the experimentally observed electrical resistance degradation of samples annealed in this manner due to the increasing hole concentration in the material with time. The present model itself offers a route to guide and facilitate future efforts in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A first‐principles informed grand canonical defect chemistry model capable of accounting for non‐stoichiometry and partial equilibration of different sub‐lattices is developed and used to study Mg and Mn doped, and (Mg+Y) and (Mn+Y) co‐doped BaTiO3 to elucidate the role of Mn and Y in improving the resistivity and resistance degradation of BaTiO3 as observed by Ryu et al. in Part I of this series of papers. The model qualitatively captures the behavior of the samples in all conditions, reproducing the observed carrier plateau and increased resistivity of (Mn+Y) co‐doped BaTiO3, and expected trends in the concentrations of free oxygen vacancies with doping. These trends reflect the observed differences in degradation characteristics, and help explain the substantially improved degradation resistance of the (Mn+Y) co‐doped samples. Our model adds to the mechanism proposed by Yeoh et al. that the Fermi level is pinned by the multivalent character of MnTi in (Mn+Y) co‐doped BaTiO3 by giving insight into the role of barium vacancies, the site preferences of the dopants, and defect complexes in this mechanism. These insights provide a set of criteria in the search for sets of co‐dopants with similar behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unintentional impurities often found in strontium titanate (doped or undoped) have hindered efforts to study individual impurities experimentally. To fill this gap, a computational survey of acceptor‐type point defects of common intentional or unintentional impurities (Al, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, N, Na, Ni, and Zn) is presented. Utilizing defect formation energies from density functional theory using hybrid exchange correlation functionals in a grand canonical model of the defect chemistry, the equilibrium Fermi level (μe) was calculated as a function of processing conditions for pure SrTiO3, SrTiO3 individually doped with each impurity, and SrTiO3 co‐doped with Al and N. Above a certain concentration, each impurity reduced the maximum predicted hole concentration relative to the intrinsic case. Al, Mg, Zn, K, and Na exhibited similar trends and behaved more like ideal acceptors while N, Ni, Fe, Mn, and Cu were all unique and pinned μe near or above the mid‐gap in most conditions. Al/N:SrTiO3 also exhibited similar trends at 800°C for all Al/N ratios, but more variation at 25°C. Additionally, the behavior of Al:SrTiO3 was not recovered until Al/N = 104. This suggests that to achieve SrTiO3 with free holes at room temperature, the concentration of most impurities must be controlled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrical behavior of iron‐doped strontium titanate (Fe:SrTiO3) single crystals equilibrated at 900°C and quenched below 400°C at various oxygen partial pressures (PO2) was investigated via impedance spectroscopy and compared to defect chemistry models. Fe:SrTiO3 annealed and quenched between 1.2 × 10−14 and 2.0 × 10−4 Pa PO2 exhibits a conduction activation energy (EA) around 0.6 eV, consistent with ionic conduction of oxygen vacancies. However, sudden changes in EA are found to either side of this range; a transition from 0.6 to 1 eV is found in more oxidizing conditions, while a sudden transition to 1.1 and then 0.23 eV is found in reducing PO2 These transitions, not described by the widely used canonical model, are consistent with predictions of transitions from ionic to electronic conductivity, based on first principles point defect chemistry simulations. These models demonstrate that activation energies in mixed conductors may not correlate to specific conduction mechanisms, but are determined by the cumulative response of all operative conduction processes and are very sensitive to impurities. A comparison to electrically degraded Fe:SrTiO3 provides insight into the origins of the conductivity activation energies observed in those samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen contamination of strontium titanate (STO) during processing and usage is a known problem. However, it is relatively little-studied due to the difficulty in quantifying the amount of hydrogen that dissolves in the lattice. Here, we use hybrid exchange-correlation density functional theory calculations as input to a grand canonical thermodynamics framework to estimate hydrogen solubility and site preferences in donor-doped STO. Our results provide clear theoretical evidence that hydrogen contamination in donor-doped STO occurs at a low enough level to essentially ignore. But, this simple conclusion belies hydrogen's rich behavior; unlike many dopants, it is able to easily change its incorporation site in response to changes in processing conditions. Overall, the findings are consistent with prevailing wisdom and suggest that the presented first principles approach could be used for systematic exploration of hydrogen's impact as a function of doping and processing in this and other wide bandgap materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In studies of high temperature electrical conductivity (HiTEC) of dielectrics, the impurity in the highest concentration is assumed to form a single defect that controls HiTEC. However, carrier concentrations are typically at or below the level of background impurities, and all impurities may complex with native defects. Canonical defect models ignore complex formation and lump defects from multiple impurities into a single effective defect to reduce the number of associated reactions. To evaluate the importance of background impurities and defect complexes on HiTEC, a grand canonical defect model was developed with input from density functional theory calculations using hybrid exchange correlation functionals. The influence of common background impurities and first nearest neighbor complexes with oxygen vacancies (vO) was studied for three doping cases: nominally undoped, donor doped, and acceptor doped SrTiO3. In each case, conductivity depended on the ensemble of impurity defects simulated with the extent of the dependence governed by the character of the dominant impurity and its tendency to complex with vO. Agreement between simulated and measured conductivity profiles as a function of temperature and oxygen partial pressure improved significantly when background impurities were included in the nominally undoped case. Effects of the impurities simulated were reduced in the Nb and Al doped cases as both elements did not form complexes and were present in concentrations well exceeding all other active impurities. The influence of individual impurities on HiTEC in SrTiO3 was isolated and discussed and motivates further experiments on singly doped SrTiO3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In studies of high temperature electrical conductivity (HiTEC) of dielectrics, the impurity in the highest concentration is assumed to form a single defect that controls HiTEC. However, carrier concentrations are typically at or below the level of background impurities, and all impurities may complex with native defects. Canonical defect models ignore complex formation and lump defects from multiple impurities into a single effective defect to reduce the number of associated reactions. To evaluate the importance of background impurities and defect complexes on HiTEC, a grand canonical defect model was developed with input from density functional theory calculations using hybrid exchange correlation functionals. The influence of common background impurities and first nearest neighbor complexes with oxygen vacancies (vO) was studied for three doping cases: nominally undoped, donor doped, and acceptor doped SrTiO3. In each case, conductivity depended on the ensemble of impurity defects simulated with the extent of the dependence governed by the character of the dominant impurity and its tendency to complex with vO. Agreement between simulated and measured conductivity profiles as a function of temperature and oxygen partial pressure improved significantly when background impurities were included in the nominally undoped case. Effects of the impurities simulated were reduced in the Nb and Al doped cases as both elements did not form complexes and were present in concentrations well exceeding all other active impurities. The influence of individual impurities on HiTEC in SrTiO3 was isolated and discussed and motivates further experiments on singly doped SrTiO3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to the article "Mechanisms Governing Metal Vacancy Formation in BaTiO3 and SrTiO3," that was published in a previous issue.

High-temperature annealing coupled with above bandgap UV illumination is an emerging approach to manipulate defect chemistries and resultant properties of electroceramics. To explore defect-processing-property relationships in these materials, an advanced multiphysics and multiscale model has been developed, which involves (a) high-fidelity first principles simulations of defect energies, (b) grand canonical thermodynamics of defect equilibria, (c) UV-perturbed defect formation energies from Shockley–Read–Hall generation and recombination, and (d) finite-element analyses of electrostatic potential and defect redistribution. Using this model, bottom-up insights into defect mechanisms associated with the UV-induced brown photochromism of Fe-doped SrTiO3 at high temperatures are provided. It is found that UV illumination leads to dissociation of the Fe Ti - v O complex and reduction in the oxygen vacancy concentration through exchange with the gas reservoir. Changes to these defect populations cause reionization of the Fe Ti defect from −1 to 0 charge state to maintain charge neutrality. This collectively gives rise to an increased concentration of Fe Ti 0 , which is the source of brown chromism. In addition, this model reproduces the experimentally observed electrical resistance degradation of samples annealed in this manner due to the increasing hole concentration in the material with time. The present model itself offers a route to guide and facilitate future efforts in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]