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Lithium niobate is a material of special interest for its challenging functional properties, which can suit various applications. However, high quality 200‐mm LixNb1‐xO3 thin film grown on sapphire substrate have never been reported so far which limits these potential applications. This paper reports the efficient optimization of high quality LiNbO3 thin film deposition on sapphire (001) substrate through chemical beam vapor deposition in a combinatorial configuration. With this technique, flow ratio of Li/Nb can be tuned from ≈0.25 to ≈2.45 on a single wafer. Various complementary characterizations (by means of diffraction, microscopy and spectroscopy techniques) have been performed at different areas of the film (different cationic ratios) in order to investigate the impact of the cationic stoichiometry deviation on the film properties. Close to cationic stoichiometry (LiNbO3), the epitaxial films are of high quality (single phase in spite of two in‐plane domains, low mosaicity of 0.04°, low surface roughness, refractive index and band gap close to bulk values). Deviating from the stoichiometry conditions, secondary phases are detected (LiNb3O8 for Nb‐rich flow ratios, and Li3NbO4 with partial amorphization for Li‐rich flow ratios). LiNbO3 films are of high interest for various key applications in data communications among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Lithium niobate is a material of special interest for its challenging functional properties, which can suit various applications. However, high quality 200‐mm LixNb1‐xO3 thin film grown on sapphire substrate have never been reported so far which limits these potential applications. This paper reports the efficient optimization of high quality LiNbO3 thin film deposition on sapphire (001) substrate through chemical beam vapor deposition in a combinatorial configuration. With this technique, flow ratio of Li/Nb can be tuned from ≈0.25 to ≈2.45 on a single wafer. Various complementary characterizations (by means of diffraction, microscopy and spectroscopy techniques) have been performed at different areas of the film (different cationic ratios) in order to investigate the impact of the cationic stoichiometry deviation on the film properties. Close to cationic stoichiometry (LiNbO3), the epitaxial films are of high quality (single phase in spite of two in‐plane domains, low mosaicity of 0.04°, low surface roughness, refractive index and band gap close to bulk values). Deviating from the stoichiometry conditions, secondary phases are detected (LiNb3O8 for Nb‐rich flow ratios, and Li3NbO4 with partial amorphization for Li‐rich flow ratios). LiNbO3 films are of high interest for various key applications in data communications among others.

This paper investigates the effects of the oxygen precursor flow supplied during metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) of Al2O3 films on the forward bias behavior of Al2O3/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors. The low oxygen flow (100 sccm) delivered during the in situ growth of Al2O3 on GaN resulted in films that exhibited a stable capacitance under forward stress, a lower density of stress-generated negative fixed charges, and a higher dielectric breakdown strength compared to Al2O3 films grown under high oxygen flow (480 sccm). The low oxygen grown Al2O3 dielectrics exhibited lower gate current transients in stress/recovery measurements, providing evidence of a reduced density of trap states near the GaN conduction band and an enhanced robustness under accumulated gate stress. This work reveals oxygen flow variance in MOCVD to be a strategy for controlling the dielectric properties and performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional GaN island growth without any masks was first introduced under high pressure in metalorganic chemical vapor deposition after the growth of AlN and AlGaN buffer layers on Si (111) substrate, followed by two-dimensional GaN growth to form a continuous GaN film with improvement of the crystalline quality and surface smoothness. X-ray diffraction and crosssectional scanning transmission electron microscopy analyses show that a high-quality GaN film can be achieved by bending of edge threading dislocations (TDs) and the formation of dislocation half-loops. It is observed that most of edge TDs bend 90° from the growth direction along c-axis, whereas mixed TDs bend about 30° towards the inclined sidewall facets of the islands. Consequently, a 1.2 μm thick GaN epitaxial film with a low threading dislocation density of 2.5 × 108 cm-2 and a smooth surface of 0. 38 nm roughness can be achieved on Si substrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The monolithic integration of III-V semiconductors on silicon and particularly of GaAs has aroused great interest since the 1980s. Potential applications are legion, ranging from photovoltaics to high mobility channel transistors. By using a novel integration method, we have shown that it is possible to achieve heteroepitaxial integration of GaAs crystals (typical size 1μm) on silicon without any structural defect such as antiphase domains, dislocations, or stress, usually reported for direct GaAs heteroepitaxy on silicon. However, concerning their electronic properties, conventional free carrier characterization methods are impractical due to the micrometric size of GaAs crystals. In order to evaluate the GaAs material quality for optoelectronic applications, a series of indirect analyses such as atom probe tomography, Raman spectroscopy, and micro-photoluminescence as a function of temperature were performed. These revealed a high content of partially electrically active carbon originating from the trimethylgallium used as the Ga precursor. Nevertheless, the very good homogeneity observed by this doping mechanism and the attractive properties of carbon as a dopant once controlled to a sufficient degree are a promising route to device doping. Published by AIP Publishing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

InSb nanoflags are grown by chemical beam epitaxy in regular arrays on top of Au-catalyzed InP nanowires synthesized on patterned SiO2/InP(111)B substrates. Two-dimensional geometry of the nanoflags is achieved by stopping the substrate rotation in the step of the InSb growth. Evolution of the nanoflag length, thickness and width with the growth time is studied for different pitches (distances in one of the two directions of the substrate plane). A model is presented which explains the observed non-linear time dependence of the nanoflag length, saturation of their thickness and gradual increase in the width by the shadowing effect for re-emitted Sb flux. These results might be useful for morphological control of InSb and other III-V nanoflags grown in regular arrays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incorporation of Si in GaAsN alloys grown simultaneously on (100), (311)A, (311)B, and (211)B GaAs substrates by the chemical beam epitaxy has been investigated. The decrease in electron concentration with the increasing N composition suggests the occurrence of N and Si interaction, whereas the interaction exhibits evidently different extent depending on the growth orientation. Combined with the secondary ion mass spectrometry and photoluminescence measurements, it is revealed that (311)B and (211)B are the promising substrate orientations to reduce the N-Si passivation and improve n-type Si doping in GaAsN over a wider N composition range. A surface bonding model is utilized to explain the plane polarity dependent incorporation behaviors of Si and N. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combining deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS), high-resolution Laplace DOLTS, and minority carrier transient spectroscopy studies, we question the identification of the dominant Ti-related defects introducing deep levels (E40, E150, and H180) in n- and p-type Si. The observed results cannot unambiguously support the models previously reported for these defects. The presence of the Poole-Frenkel effect describing the enhancement of the emission rates of E40 as a function of electric field is not consistent with the previous assignment of this defect to the single acceptor, whereas the absence of the enhancement of the emission rate of E150 under different reverse bias applied to the diode does not confirm the previous attribution of this defect to the single donor in n-type Si. The attribution of H180 to the double donor is in good agreement with our results. In contrast, the identical depth profiles obtained for E40 and E150 in bulk of as-grown, hydrogenated and annealed samples cannot be explained by the assignment of these levels to different defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hole traps associated with high background doping in p-type GaAsN grown by chemical beam epitaxy are studied based on the changes of carrier concentration, junction capacitance, and hole traps properties due to the annealing. The carrier concentration was increased dramatically with annealing time, based on capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurement. In addition, the temperature dependence of the junction capacitance (C-T) was increased rapidly two times. Such behavior is explained by the thermal ionization of two acceptor states. These acceptors are the main cause of high background doping in the film, since the estimated carrier concentration from C-T results explains the measured carrier concentration at room temperature using C-V method. The acceptor states became shallower after annealing, and hence their structures are thermally unstable. Deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) showed that the HC2 hole trap was composed of two signals, labeled HC21 and HC22. These defects correspond to the acceptor levels, as their energy levels obtained from DLTS are similar to those deduced from C-T. The capture cross sections of HC21 and HC22 are larger than those of single acceptors. In addition, their energy levels and capture cross sections change in the same way due to the annealing. This tendency suggests that HC21 and HC22 signals originate from the same defect which acts as a double acceptor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a new approach for synthesis of GaN nanowires and microwires by metal organic chemical vapor deposition via a thin titanium film evaporated onto sapphire substrate prior to growth. Titanium etches a two-dimensional GaN layer deposited at the initial stage and GaN nanowires subsequently emerge at the boundaries of the etched grains. These wires grow at an exceptional elongation rate of 18 μm/min and extend radially at a rate of 0.14 μm/min. The GaN layer between the wires grows at a rate of 0.1 μm/min. High material quality of these structures is confirmed by micro-photoluminescence spectroscopy. We investigate the initial nucleation stage, the time evolution of the wire length and diameter, the length and diameter distributions and speculate about a mechanism that yields the observed growth behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of Al on the surface morphology of chemical beam epitaxy grown AlGaNAs alloys is studied. Pits attributed to N clustering appearing on the dilute nitride surface become smaller, denser, and more uniformly distributed in the presence of Al. This reveals that the introduction of Al results in more homogenous N atoms spatial distribution. A growth temperature study reveals the formation of 3D structures at high temperature due to phase separation. The density of these structures decreases, while their diameter and height increase when the temperature is raised from 380 °C to 565 °C. At growth temperatures in the 380-420 °C range, the phase separation is suppressed and the growth mode is 2D. At 420 °C, the N incorporation is also maximized, making it the optimum temperature. The absorption coefficient and the bandgap of AlGaNAs alloys are extracted from transmittance measurement. A good agreement is obtained between the experimentally measured bandgap and the theoretical values calculated using the band anticrossing model. A bandgap as low as 1.22 eV was reached using Al and N concentrations of ~15% and ~3.4%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manganese nitrides thin films on MgO (100) substrates with and without Cu-doping have been fabricated by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Antiperovskite compounds Mn3.6Cu0.4N have been grown in the case of Cu-doping, and the pure Mn3N2 single crystal has been obtained without Cu-doping. The Mn3.6Cu0.4N exhibits ferrimagnetism, and the magnetization of Mn3.6Cu0.4N increases upon the temperature decreasing from 300K to 5 K, similar to Mn4N. The exchange bias (EB) effects emerge in the Mn3.6Cu0.4N films. The EB behavior is originated from the interfaces between ferrimagnetic Mn3.6Cu0.4N and antiferromagnetic metal Mn, which is verified to be formed by the data of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The present results not only provide a strategy for producing functional antiperovskite manganese nitrides, but also shed promising light on fabricating the exchange bias part of spintronic devices. © 2014 AIP Publishing LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface optical (SO) phonons were studied by Raman spectroscopy in GaAs nanowires (NWs) grown by Ga-assisted chemical beam epitaxy on oxidized Si(111) substrates. NW diameters and lengths ranging between 40 and 65 nm and between 0.3 and 1.3 µm, respectively, were observed under different growth conditions. The analysis of the Raman peak shape associated to either longitudinal or surface optical modes gave important information about the crystal quality of grown NWs. Phonon confinement model was used to calculate the density of defects as a function of the NW diameter resulting in values between 0.02 and 0.03 defects/nm, indicating the high uniformity obtained on NWs cross section size during growth. SO mode shows frequency downshifting as NW diameter decreases, this shift being sensitive to NW sidewall oxidation. The wavevector necessary to activate SO phonon was used to estimate the NW facet roughness responsible for SO shift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

InSb nanoflags are grown by chemical beam epitaxy in regular arrays on top of Au-catalyzed InP nanowires synthesized on patterned SiO2/InP(111)B substrates. Two-dimensional geometry of the nanoflags is achieved by stopping the substrate rotation in the step of the InSb growth. Evolution of the nanoflag length, thickness and width with the growth time is studied for different pitches (distances in one of the two directions of the substrate plane). A model is presented which explains the observed non-linear time dependence of the nanoflag length, saturation of their thickness and gradual increase in the width by the shadowing effect for re-emitted Sb flux. These results might be useful for morphological control of InSb and other III-V nanoflags grown in regular arrays.

Highlights • HHCF and PSDF were employed to analyze the surface structures. • Oscillatory behavior in HHCF for larger lateral distances suggests mound-like morphology. • Existence of characteristic frequency peak in the PSDF further supports mound-like structure. • Growth mechanism is well explained by the Schwoebel barrier effect coupled with the Mullins diffusion model. Abstract The mechanism of surfaces/interfaces and precise control of growth morphology is a key parameter for any specific device application. Herein, we report on a qualitative growth study of molecular beam epitaxy-grown polycrystalline InAs thin films on a lattice-mismatched Si(1 0 0) substrate using atomic force microscopy. The height-height correlation function (HHCF) and power spectral density function (PSDF) were employed to analyze the surface structures. Clear oscillatory behavior in the HHCF for sufficiently larger lateral distances suggests a mound-like morphology, which was confirmed by the existence of a characteristic frequency peak in the PSDF. The growth mechanism is described qualitatively by the Schwoebel barrier (roughening) effect coupled with the Mullins diffusion model (smoothing effect). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a new growth technique, ammonia-free high temperature metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (AFHT-MOVPE), for high quality AlN growth. Nitrogen (N2) gas, instead of ammonia (NH3) gas in the conventional MOVPE growth technique, is used together with hydrogen (H2) gas and trimethylaluminum (TMA) in AlN growth. Basic growth features and AlN epilayer characteristics, such as the H2 gas effect on the growth, the AlN growth features, the lattice polarity of an AlN epilayer and the AlN epilayer structural qualities, are investigated to capture the whole image of the new growth technique. It is found that H2 plays a role in AlN growth, where AlN growth takes place only with the introduction of H2 into the growth chamber. The Al-polar AlN epilayers with high structural quality have been successfully grown on the sapphire c-plane (0001) substrate. High resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) rocking curve measurements show the full width at half maximum (FWHM) values of the symmetric (002) and the asymmetric (102) diffraction peaks of 298 and 420 arcsec from an ∼2.5 μm-thick AlN epilayer, respectively, which are comparable to or better than those grown by the conventional MOVPE technique. Our results show a potential feature of the proposed technique in the growth of high quality AlN as a template, which is greatly important for optical and electronic power device applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • GaNAs layers are grown with and without hydrogen by chemical beam epitaxy. • Both XRD and AFM results show that hydrogen improves the quality of GaNAs layer. • Hydrogen induced two-dimensional growth mode is responsible for the improvement. • This conclusion is also supported by XRD and PL results for InGaNAs/GaAs SQWs. Abstract In order to investigate the impact of hydrogen on the quality of GaNAs, GaNAs layers are grown by chemical beam epitaxy (CBE) with and without hydrogen. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that hydrogen improves nitrogen incorporation significantly for GaNAs. For GaNAs layer grown without hydrogen, nitrogen incorporation cannot be detected, whereas for GaNAs layer grown with hydrogen, nitrogen incorporation can be clearly detected by XRD. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) observations show that root mean square (RMS) roughness for GaNAs layer grown without hydrogen is around 34 times higher than that grown with hydrogen. High quality GaNAs layer with RMS roughness of around 1 monolayer is successfully obtained with hydrogen. Based upon XRD and AFM results, it is suggested that atomic hydrogen induced enhancement of two-dimensional growth mode is responsible for the quality improvement. This conclusion is also supported by XRD and photoluminescence (PL) results for InGaNAs/GaAs SQWs grown with and without hydrogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The successful synthesis of high crystalline quality and high aspect ratio GaAs nanowires (NWs) with a uniform diameter is needed to develop advanced applications beyond the limits established by thin film and bulk material properties. Vertically aligned GaAs NWs have been extensively grown by Ga-assisted vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism on Si(111) substrates, and they have been used as building blocks in photovoltaics, optoelectronics, electronics, and so forth. However, the nucleation of parasitic species such as traces and nanocrystals on the Si substrate surface during the NW growth could affect significantly the controlled nucleation of those NWs, and therefore the resulting performance of NW-based devices. Preventing the nucleation of parasitic species on the Si substrate is a matter of interest, because they could act as traps for gaseous precursors and/or chemical elements during VLS growth, drastically reducing the maximum length of grown NWs, affecting their morphology and structure, and reducing the NW density along the Si substrate surface. This work presents a novel and easy to develop growth method (i.e., without using advanced nanolithography techniques) to prevent the nucleation of parasitic species, while preserving the quality of GaAs NWs even for long duration growths. GaAs NWs are grown by Ga-assisted chemical beam epitaxy on oxidized Si(111) substrates using triethylgallium and tertiarybutylarsine precursors by a two-step-based growth method presented here; this method includes a growth interruption for an oxidation on air between both steps of growth, reducing the nucleation of parasitic crystals on the thicker SiOx capping layer during the second and longer growth step. VLS conditions are preserved overtime, resulting in a stable NW growth rate of around 6 µm/h for growth times up to 1 h. Resulting GaAs NWs have a high aspect ratio of 85 and average radius of 35 nm. We also report on the existence of characteristic reflection high-energy electron diffraction patterns associated with the epitaxial growth of GaAs NWs on Si(111) substrates, which have been analyzed and compared to the morphological characterization of GaAs NWs grown for different times under different conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the site-selected growth of bright single InAsP quantum dots embedded within InP photonic nanowire waveguides emitting at telecom wavelengths. We demonstrate a dramatic dependence of the emission rate on both the emission wavelength and the nanowire diameter. With an appropriately designed waveguide, tailored to the emission wavelength of the dot, an increase in the count rate by nearly 2 orders of magnitude (0.4 to 35 kcps) is obtained for quantum dots emitting in the telecom O-band, showing high single-photon purity with multiphoton emission probabilities down to 2%. Using emission-wavelength-optimized waveguides, we demonstrate bright, narrow-line-width emission from single InAsP quantum dots with an unprecedented tuning range of 880 to 1550 nm. These results pave the way toward efficient single-photon sources at telecom wavelengths using deterministically grown InAsP/InP nanowire quantum dots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two isomorphous metal-organic frameworks, {[M(TIPA) (btec)½]H 2 O} n , [M = Co ( 1 ) or Zn ( 2 )] were synthesized hydrothermally based on a semi-rigid N-center triangular ligand TIPA, where TIPA = tris(4-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)-phenyl)amine, H 4 btec = 1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylic acid. Single crystal structural analyses show that complexes 1 and 2 are isostructural and both feature a twofold interpenetrated pcu topology. In 1 and 2 , the btec 4− ligand adopting μ 2 -η 2 :η 1 and μ 1 -η 1 :η 0 coordination modes connect adjacent dinuclear Co/Zn units to form a 1D straight polymeric chain. Then these chains arranged in parallel/parallel fashion were further extended to a 3D network by exo-tridentate ligand TIPA with μ 2 -κ 2 N:N′ coordination mode. The magnetic property of 1 and the luminescent property of 2 were investigated. Furthermore, the structure and spectroscopic property of 2 were further investigated by DFT and TD-DFT calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of rapid thermal annealing (RTA) on the optical properties of GaNAs/GaAs multiple quantum wells (MQWs) grown by chemical beam epitaxy (CBE) are studied by photoluminescence (PL) at 77 K. The results show that the optical quality of the MQWs improves significantly after RTA. With increasing RTA temperature, PL peak energy of the MQWs redshifts below 1023 K, while it blueshifts above 1023 K. Two competitive processes which occur simultaneously during RTA result in redshift at low temperature and blueshift at high temperature. It is also found that PL peak energy shift can be explained neither by nitrogen diffusion out of quantum wells nor by nitrogen reorganization inside quantum wells. PL peak energy shift can be quantitatively explained by a modified recombination coupling model in which redshift nonradiative recombination and blueshift nonradiative recombination coexist. The results obtained have significant implication on the growth and RTA of GaNAs material for high performance optoelectronic device application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, GaAs crystals were grown by chemical beam epitaxy on nominal (001) Si substrate over Ge nano-seeds placed within nano-holes opened through a 0.6 nm silica layer. GaAs crystal morphology and atomic organization at the interface between Ge and GaAs were studied by using complementary Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry and dark-field electron holography. Fourfold symmetry GaAs crystals were obtained and found to be completely relaxed and twin free. Thus, the use of Ge nano-seeds to initiate the growth of GaAs results in the suppression of twins previously observed for direct GaAs growth on nominal (001) Si. Nevertheless, anti-phase domains were detected. A simple atomistic model is proposed which explains how Anti-Phase Boundaries develop at the junctions between Ge {113} facets, and {113} and {111} facets for As-stabilized GaAs growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using ab initio calculations, a simple model for GaAs 1- x N x vapor-phase epitaxy on (100) surface of GaAs was created. By studying As 2 and H 2 molecules adsorptions and As/N atom substitutions on (100) GaAs surfaces, we obtain a relative stability diagram of all stable surfaces under varying As 2 , H 2 , and N 2 conditions. We previously proved that this model could describe the vapor-phase epitaxy of GaAs 1- x N x with simple, fully decomposed, precursors. In this paper, we show that in more complex reaction conditions using monomethylhydrazine (MMHy), and dimethylhydrazine (DMHy), it is still possible to use our model to obtain an accurate description of the temperature and pressure stability domains for each surfaces, linked to chemical beam epitaxy (CBE) growth conditions. Moreover, the different N-incorporation regimes observed experimentally at different temperature can be explain and predict by our model. The use of MMHy and DMHy precursors can also be rationalized. Our model should then help to better understand the conditions needed to obtain an high quality GaAs 1- x N x using vapor-phase epitaxy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The N–H related defects at 3124 cm -1 are found to be acceptors in GaAsN grown by chemical beam epitaxy (CBE), by comparing the concentrations of N–H defects with those of acceptors as a function of annealing condition. The vibrations of N–H defects appear as local vibration modes at 2952, 3011, 3098, and 3124 cm -1 using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The integrated absorptions at 2952 and 3098 cm -1 decrease, at 3011 cm -1 remain small, while at 3124 cm -1 increases due to the annealing treatment. On the other hand, the concentration of acceptors increases with the annealing time, based on capacitance–temperature (C–T) measurement. The densities of N–H defects at 3124 cm -1 and those of acceptors are almost equal independent of the annealing condition. This result suggests that the N–H defects appearing at 3124 cm -1 play the role of acceptors in GaAsN grown through CBE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors report on high-quality InGaAsP (1.61–1.65 eV) solar cells grown on a GaAs substrate; their study is the first to grow these using solid-source molecular beam epitaxy (SS-MBE). A temperature of 430 °C was found to be suitable for the growth of the InGaAsP solar cells. The properties of these InGaAsP solar cells were found to be better than those of AlGaAs solar cells that had the same bandgap energy, and it was found to be suitable for use as the second cell in a triple-junction top cell used in a smart stack multijunction solar cell. The authors also developed an InGaP/InGaAsP/GaAs solar cell and found that it had an impressive open-circuit voltage of 3.16 V. This result indicates that high-performance InGaP/InGaAsP/GaAs triple-junction solar cells can be fabricated using SS-MBE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth orientation dependence of N incorporation on traditional (100) and high-index GaAs (311)A/B planes has been investigated by the first principle calculation and experimental measurement. Due to the electronegativity and atomic radius differences between As and N atoms, the Ga N bond is much shorter than the corresponding Ga As bond as N occupies As atom site. The optimization to energetically preferred construction leads to the inward moving of N atom, while the displacement extent of three surface models exhibits considerable differences. More importantly, the theoretical result reveals a lower formation energy of N doping for N@(311)B GaAs surface and a larger one for N@(311)A GaAs surface as compared with the traditional (100) GaAs plane. The first principle investigations thus suggest the enhanced N incorporation in (311)B GaAsN, which is in good accordance with the secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) measurement results of GaAsN layers by chemical beam epitaxy (CBE). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this publication, the results of development of the technology of the epitaxial growth of GaN on single-crystal langasite substrates LaGaSiO (0001) by the plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy (PA MBE) method are reported. An investigation of the effect of the growth temperature at the initial stage of deposition on the crystal quality and morphology of the obtained GaN layer is performed. It is demonstrated that the optimal temperature for deposition of the initial GaN layer onto the langasite substrate is about ~520°C. A decrease in the growth temperature to this value allows the suppression of oxygen diffusion from langasite into the growing layer and a decrease in the dislocation density in the main GaN layer upon its subsequent high-temperature deposition (~700°C). Further lowering of the growth temperature of the nucleation layer leads to sharp degradation of the GaN/LGS layer crystal quality. As a result of the performed research, an epitaxial GaN/LGS layer with a dislocation density of ~10 cm and low surface roughness (<2 nm) is obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonpolar (11-20) a -plane GaN and polar (0001) c -plane GaN films have been grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition on r -plane (1-102) and c -plane (0001) sapphire substrates, respectively. Conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) has been used to investigate the local conductivity of the films. C-AFM shows enhanced current conduction within the etch pits of c -plane GaN and triangular pits of a -plane GaN. The results indicate that the off-axis planes are more electrically active than c -plane and a -plane. Surprisingly, the C-AFM values in triangular pit of the a -plane GaN are much smaller than that in etch pits of the c -plane GaN. The dislocations type related current leakage mechanism is revealed for polar c -plane and nonpolar a -plane GaN films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we present the observation of a bias-induced, degradation-enhancing defect process in plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy grown reverse gate-biased AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs), which is compatible with the current theoretical framework of HEMT degradation. Specifically, we utilize both conventional transmission electron microscopy and aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy to analyze microstructural changes in not only high strained regions in degraded AlGaN/GaN HEMTs but also the extended gate-drain access region. We find a complex defect structure containing an I2 basal stacking fault and offer a potential mechanism for device degradation based on this defect structure. This work supports the reality of multiple failure mechanisms during device operation and identifies a defect potentially involved with device degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on step-flow growth of GaN(0001) on 4H-SiC(0001) substrates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The GaN layers were deposited directly on the substrate without using a buffer layer. A growth temperature of [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on Chemical Beam Epitaxy (CBE) growth of wavelength tunable InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QD) based superluminescent diode’s active layer suitable for Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). The In-flush technique has been employed to fabricate QD with controllable heights, from 5 nm down to 2 nm, allowing a tunable emission band over 160 nm. The emission wavelength blueshift has been ensured by reducing both dots’ height and composition. A structure containing four vertically stacked height-engineered QDs have been fabricated, showing a room temperature broad emission band centered at 1.1 μm. The buried QD layers remain insensitive to the In-flush process of the subsequent layers, testifying the reliability of the process for broadband light sources required for high axial resolution OCT imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We correlate the structural properties of aluminium-based dilute nitrides to their electrical properties. The effect of annealing on the carrier density and the mobility is measured on chemical beam epitaxy grown Al0.05Ga0.95N0.005As0.995 alloys. Both parameters increase with the annealing temperature due to the disappearance of N-C and N-H-VGa complexes. After annealing, a mobility of 60 cm2 V−1s−1 for a hole concentration of 1 × 1019 cm−3 are measured, which is similar to the values reported on GaAs with the same carrier concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crystalline structure and quality of ZnSnAs2:Mn films grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on InP substrates are two of the most important issues in preparing spintronic structures such as magnetic quantum wells and spin-based transistors. We conducted high-resolution X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements to clarify the crystalline structure of ZnSnAs2:Mn thin films. The XRD measurements reveal with very high accuracy that the samples have a sphalerite structure with high epitaxial quality. These results, within the limits of measurement accuracy support the previous assumption that ZnSnAs2:Mn thin films are coherently clustered ferromagnetic semiconductors without breaking the continuity of the sphalerite structure, leading to ferromagnetism with a high Curie temperature close to that of zincblende MnAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the Chemical Beam Epitaxy approach to GaAsN material growth has been investigated. Photoluminescence and Hall effect measurements were performed to clarify the influence of defects on the transport properties, those of holes in particular. The PL intensity of near-band emission (1.35 eV-peak) for GaAs 0.996 N 0.004 at low temperature (<100 K) can be well fitted by considering the effects of N-related localized states, whilst the PL intensity was followed an Arrhenius dependence in the temperature region higher than 150 K. It was concluded that the formation of N-related localized states, arising from the alloy disorder (N clusters), still cannot be avoided in GaAsN deposited by CBE. To further study its effects on the transport properties, we have also studied the contribution of various alloy scattering mechanisms to the temperature dependence of Hall mobility. The alloy scattering coefficient K Alloy -1 was calculated from the fitting of an alloy scattering mechanism. In addition, a pseudo-alloy scattering coefficient K Alloy -2 was theoretical deduced by assuming the nitrogen atoms were homogeneously incorporated along the growth direction. The ratio of those two values was studied: the departure from 1 ( K Alloy- 2 −1 / K Alloy -1 −1 >1) indicated that the N atoms were alloyed in a disordered arrangement. As a result, the corresponding alloy scattering mechanism was enhanced, contributing to the hole mobility decrease. However, compared to p-type GaAsN grown by MBE or MOCVD, our CBE-grown GaAsN showed a higher value of hole mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

III-V semiconductor heterostructures are important components of many solid-state optoelectronic devices, but the ability to control and tune the electrical and optical properties of these structures in conventional device geometries is fundamentally limited by the bulk dimensionality and the inability to accommodate lattice-mismatched material combinations. Here we demonstrate how semiconductor nanowires may enable the creation of arbitrarily shaped one-dimensional potential structures for new types of designed device functionality. We describe the controlled growth of stepwise compositionally graded InAs1-xPx heterostructures defined along the axes of InAs nanowires, and we show that nanowires with sawtooth-shaped composition profiles behave as near-ideal unipolar diodes with ratchet-like rectification of the electron transport through the nanowires, in excellent agreement with simulations. This new type of designed quasi-1D potential structure represents a significant advance in band gap engineering and may enable fundamental studies of low-dimensional hot-carrier dynamics, in addition to constituting a platform for implementing novel electronic and optoelectronic device concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contact behavior of Cu on n-type GaAsN, grown on (100) and (311)A/B GaAs substrates by chemical beam epitaxy, has been investigated by current–voltage (I–V) and capacitance–voltage (C–V) measurements. Both N incorporation and growth orientation are found to influence the electrical properties of Cu/GaAsN Schottky diodes. The increasing N composition leads to an increase in the ideality factor and Schottky barrier height (C–V), whereas a decrease in the carrier concentration in samples with all adopted growth orientations. Compared with (100) and (311)B samples, the Schottky diodes constructed on (311)A GaAsN epilayer exhibit better performance with ideality factor close to 1 and higher barrier height. The interfacial chemical reaction between metal layer and surface atoms on the growth surface is believed to account for the observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dilute-nitride GaAsNx epilayers were grown on GaAs (001) substrates at temperatures of ∼450 °C using a radio-frequency plasma-assisted molecular/chemical beam exitaxy system. The concentration of nitrogen incorporated into the films was varied in the range between 0.01 and 0.04. High-resolution electron microscopy was used to determine the cross-sectional morphology of the epilayers, and Z-contrast imaging showed that the incorporated nitrogen was primarily interstitial. {110}-oriented microcracks, which resulted in strain relaxation, were observed in the sample with the highest N concentration ([N]∼3.7%). Additionally, Z-contrast imaging indicated the formation of a thin, high-N quantum-well-like layer associated with initial ignition of the N-plasma. Significant N contamination of the GaAs barrier layers was observed in all samples, and could severely affect the carrier extraction and transport properties in future targeted devices. Dilutenitride quantum-well-based photovoltaic solar cells were fabricated having a band-gap energy of 1.19 eV, which was attributed to the dilute-nitride layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]