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The morphology and crystalline quality of p-GaN shells on coaxial GaInN/GaN multiple quantum shell (MQS) nanowires (NWs) were investigated using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. By varying the trimethylgallium (TMG) flow rate, Mg doping, and growth temperature, it was verified that the TMG supply and growth temperature were the dominant parameters in the control of the p-GaN shape on NWs. Specifically, a sufficiently high TMG supply enabled the formation of a pyramid-shaped NW structure with a uniform p-GaN shell. The ratio of the growth rate between the c- and m-planes on the NWs was calculated to be approximately 0.4545. High-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy characterization confirmed that no clear extended defects were present in the n-GaN core and MQS/p-GaN shells on the sidewall. Regarding the p-GaN shell above the c-plane MQS region, only a few screw dislocations and Frank-type partial dislocations appeared at the interface between the serpentine c-plane MQS and the p-GaN shell near the tips. This suggested that the crystalline quality of the MQS structure can trigger the formation of screw dislocations and Frank-type partial dislocations during the p-GaN growth. The growth mechanism of the p-GaN shell on NWs was also discussed. To inspect the electronic properties, a prototype of a micro light-emitting diode (LED) with a chip size of 50 × 50 μm2 was demonstrated in the NWs with optimal growth. By correlating the light output curve with the electroluminescence spectra, three different emission peaks (450, 470, and 510 nm) were assignable to the emission from the m-, r-, and c-planes, respectively.

Improving current injection into r- and m-planes of nanowires (NWs) is essential to realizing efficient GaInN/GaN multiple quantum shell (MQS) NW-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Here, we present the effects of different p-GaN shell growth conditions on the emission characteristics of MQS NW-LEDs. Firstly, a comparison between cathodoluminescence (CL) and electroluminescence (EL) spectra indicates that the emission in NW-LEDs originates from the top region of the NWs. By growing thick p-GaN shells, the variable emission peak at around 600 nm and degradation of the light output of the NW-LEDs are elaborated, which is attributable to the localization of current in the c-plane region with various In-rich clusters and deep-level defects. Utilizing a high growth rate of p-GaN shell, an increased r-plane and a reduced c-plane region promote the deposition of indium tin oxide layer over the entire NW. Therefore, the current is effectively injected into both the r- and m-planes of the NW structures. Consequently, the light output and EL peak intensity of the NW-LEDs are enhanced by factors of 4.3 and 13.8, respectively, under an injection current of 100 mA. Furthermore, scanning transmission electron microscope images demonstrate the suppression of dislocations, triangular defects, and stacking faults at the apex of the p-GaN shell with a high growth rate. Therefore, localization of current injection in nonradiative recombination centers near the c-plane was also inhibited. Our results emphasize the possibility of realizing high efficacy in NW-LEDs via optimal p-GaN shell growth conditions, which is quite promising for application in the long-wavelength region.

High crystalline quality coaxial GaInN/GaN multiple quantum shells (MQSs) grown on dislocation-free nanowires are highly in demand for efficient white-/micro-light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Here, we propose an effective approach to improve the MQS quality during the selective growth by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. By increasing the growth temperature of GaN barriers, the cathodoluminescent intensity yielded enhancements of 0.7 and 3.9 times in the samples with GaN and AlGaN spacers, respectively. Using an AlGaN spacer before increasing the barrier temperature, the decomposition of GaInN quantum wells was suppressed on all planes, resulting in a high internal quantum efficiency up to 69%. As revealed by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) characterization, the high barrier growth temperature allowed to achieve a clear interface between GaInN quantum wells and GaN quantum barriers on the c-, r-, and m-planes of the nanowires. Moreover, the correlation between the In incorporation and structure features in MQS was quantitatively assessed based on the STEM energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy mapping and line-scan profiles of In and Al fractions. Ultimately, it was demonstrated that the unintentional In incorporation in GaN barriers was induced by the evaporation of predeposited In-rich particles during low-temperature growth of GaInN wells. Such residual In contamination was sufficiently inhibited by inserting low Al fraction (∼6%) AlGaN spacers after each GaInN well. During the growth of AlGaN spacers, AlN polycrystalline particles were deposited on the surrounding dummy substrate, which suppressed the evaporation of the predeposited In-rich particles. Thus, the presence of AlGaN spacers certainly improved the uniformity of In fraction through five GaInN quantum wells and reduced the diffusion of point defects from n-core to MQS active structures. The superior coaxial GaInN/GaN MQS structures with the AlGaN spacer are supposed to improve the emission efficiency in white-/micro-LEDs.

The dependence of optical properties on impurity concentrations and excitation power was explored. In particular, it was found that the peak shift of photoluminescence (PL) is proportional to the boron concentration. This might be due to donor–acceptor pair (DAP) recombination via double deep acceptor levels (D-centers), where the occupancy of the D*-center increased with the B concentration, and the recombination via the D*-center for longer wavelengths became dominant. Moreover, the relative constants B and C were calculated by BC model fitting from the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) curve as a function of excitation power. The theoretical extrapolation based on BC model predicted that high impurity concentrations are sufficient to suppress the droop phenomenon of efficiency induced by the increased excitation power.

In this study, the improvement of reverse leakage current characteristics with a sputtered (SP) -AlN buffer layer in GaInN-based green light-emitting diodes (LEDs) has been presented for the first time. To understand the origin of the improvement, a detailed review and careful analysis of reverse leakage current characteristics were performed. The review and analysis identified that the improvement was primarily caused by the suppression of variable-range-hopping process obtained by replacing conventional low-temperature GaN buffer. Verification that threading dislocations and V- defects can enhance the variable-range-hopping process has been received. We believe that this study will contribute to the realization of green LEDs with advantages of high reliability, a long lifetime, and electrical robustness.

The superior crystalline quality of coaxial GaInN/GaN multiple-quantum shell (MQS) nanowires (NWs) was demonstrated by employing an AlGaN undershell during metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) results reveal that the NW structure consists of distinct GaInN/GaN regions on different positions of the NWs and the cores were dislocation-free. High-resolution atomic contrast STEM images verified the importance of AlGaN undershells in trapping the point defects diffused from n-core to MQSs (m-planes), as well as the improvement of the grown crystal quality on the apex region (c-planes). Time-integrated and time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) measurements were performed to clarify the mechanism of the emission within the coaxial GaInN/GaN MQS NWs. The improved internal quantum efficiency in the NW sample was attributed to the unique AlGaN undershell, which was able to suppress the point defects diffusion and reduce the dislocation densities on c-planes. Carrier lifetimes of 2.19 ns and 8.44 ns were derived from time-resolved PL decay curves for NW samples without and with the AlGaN undershell, respectively. Hence, the use of an AlGaN undershell exhibits promising improvement of optical properties for NW-based white and micro light-emitting diodes.

Here, we systematically investigated the growth conditions of an n-GaN cap layer for nanowire-based light emitters with a tunnel junction. Selective-area growth of multiple quantum shell (MQS)/nanowire core-shell structures on a patterned n-GaN/sapphire substrate was performed by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy, followed by the growth of a p-GaN, an n++/ p++-GaN tunnel junction, and an n-GaN cap layer. Specifically, two-step growth of the n-GaN cap layer was carried out under various growth conditions to determine the optimal conditions for a flat n-GaN cap layer. Scanning transmission electron microscopy characterization revealed that n++-GaN can be uniformly grown on the m-plane sidewall of MQS nanowires. A clear tunnel junction, involving 10-nm-thick p++-GaN and 3-nm-thick n++-GaN, was confirmed on the nonpolar m-planes of the nanowires. The Mg doping concentration and distribution profile of the p++-GaN shell were inspected using three-dimensional atom probe tomography. Afterward, the reconstructed isoconcentration mapping was applied to identify Mg-rich clusters. The density and average size of the Mg clusters were estimated to be approximately 4.3 × 1017 cm-3 and 5 nm, respectively. Excluding the Mg atoms contained in the clusters, the remaining Mg doping concentration in the p++-GaN region was calculated to be 1.1 × 1020 cm-3. Despite the lack of effective activation, a reasonably low operating voltage and distinct light emissions were preliminarily observed in MQS nanowire-based LEDs under the optimal n-GaN cap growth conditions. In the fabricated MQS-nanowire devices, carriers were injected into both the r-plane and m-plane of the nanowires without a clear quantum confinement Stark effect.

Multi-color emission from coaxial GaInN/GaN multiple-quantum-shell (MQS) nanowire-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) was identified. In this study, MQS nanowire samples for LED processes were selectively grown on patterned commercial GaN/sapphire substrates using metal–organic chemical vapor deposition. Three electroluminescence (EL) emission peaks (440, 540, and 630 nm) were observed, which were primarily attributed to the nonpolar m-planes, semipolar r-planes, and the polar c-plane tips of nanowire arrays. A modified epitaxial growth sequence with improved crystalline quality for MQSs was used to effectively narrow the EL emission peaks. Specifically, nanowire-based LEDs manifested a clear redshift from 430 nm to 520 nm upon insertion of AlGaN spacers after the growth of each GaInN quantum well. This demonstrates the feasibility of lengthening the EL emission wavelength since an AlGaN spacer can suppress In decomposition of the GaInN quantum wells during ramping up the growth temperature for GaN barriers. EL spectra showed stable emission peaks as a function of the injection current, verifying the critical feature of the non-polarization of GaN/GaInN MQSs on nanowires. In addition, by comparing EL and photoluminescence spectra, the yellow-red emission linked to the In-fluctuation and point defects in the c-plane MQS was verified by varying the activation annealing time and lowering the growth temperature of the GaInN quantum wells. Therefore, optimization of MQS nanowire growth with a high quality of c-planes is considered critical for improving the luminous efficiency of nanowire-based micro-LEDs/white LEDs.

As an attempt to elucidate the origin of the power-efficiency (PE) degradation at high current injection for GaInN-based light-emitting diodes, the injection current is quantitatively separated to radiative and nonradiative current components as a function of applied voltage. It is found that the conventional Shockley equation for the current-voltage curve of a Si pn diode is not adequate for the LED since the carrier transport and recombination processes are quite different from those of the Si pn diode. Hence, we propose a diode equation for an LED where the radiative and nonradiative currents are separately expressed as a function of applied voltage. By analyzing the proposed diode equation, it is concluded that the PE degradation at high injection currents is due to the increase of the junction voltage and the decrease of the internal quantum efficiency at the same time. The phenomena can be understood by the insufficient recombination rate in the active quantum wells.

Boron (B) doping sources and crucible materials for stable, reproducible and high concentration B doping in fluorescent SiC (f-SiC) were investigated. When a Ta crucible was used with BN powder as a B doping source were used, B doping did not occur owing to too low C/Si ratio. On the other hand, when a C crucible and suitable Ta components inside the crucible were used, a high B concentration of 1.58 × 1019 cm-3 was obtained, owing to the high C/Si ratio. The results indicate that a C crucible with optimal Ta components and BN powder are suitable for high concentration B doping.

Coaxial GaInN/GaN multiple-quantum-shells (MQSs) nanowires (NWs) were grown on an n-type GaN/sapphire template employing selective growth by metal-organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD). To improve the cathodoluminescence (CL) emission intensity, an AlGaN shell was grown underneath the MQS active structures. By controlling the growth temperature and duration, an impressive and up to 11-fold enhancement of CL intensity is achieved at the top area of the GaInN/GaN MQS NWs. The spatial distribution of Al composition in the AlGaN undershell was assessed as a function of position along the NW and analysed by energy-dispersive X-ray measurement and CL characterisation. By introducing an AlGaN shell underneath GaInN/GaN MQS, the diffusion of point defects from the n-core to MQS is effectively suppressed because of the lower formation energy of vacancies-complexes in AlGaN in comparison to GaN. Moreover, the spatial distribution of Al and In was attributed to the insufficient delivery of gas precursors to the bottom of the NWs and the anisotropy diffusion on the nonpolar m-planes. This investigation can shed light on the effect of the AlGaN undershell on improving the emission efficiency of NW-based white and micro-light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

GaInN/GaN multiple quantum shells (MQS) nanowires and p-GaN shells were embedded with n-GaN layers through tunnel junction (TJ) shells using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) method. The MQS nanowires were selectively grown on n-GaN/sapphire or GaN substrates. The fabrication process of laser structures with different resonators of 600500, 750, 1000 μm, and cavity widths of 7, 12, and 17 μm were investigated with insulating layer on the sidewalls of the ridge. The structures of the fabricated devices were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and current-voltage-light output characteristics were evaluated. Two different methods for mirror formation, etching and cleavage, were developed for the laser devices. During the investigation, a superior mirror formation suffered from the difference in etching rate between GaInN and GaN, generating concaves in the MQS region. Bluegreen light emission was observed from the entire ridge surface of the MQS index-guided laser structures. A maximum current density of emission at 17.9 kA/cm2 has been confirmed in the devices. The electroluminescence and cathodoluminescence measurements demonstrated that the r-plane and c-plane at the top of the MQS are dominant at low current densities, and the m-plane emission becomes stronger as the current density increases.

A tunnel junction and a n-GaN cap layer grown on the multi-quantum shells (MQS) /nanowires are introduced to decrease the resistivity and optical loss. The selective-area growth of the MQS/nanowire core-shell structures on the template was performed by metalorganic vapour phase epitaxy (MOVPE). Further, the MQS structure was covered with the tunnel junction and the n-GaN cap layer. Here, the growth conditions of the n-GaN cap layer were systemically investigated. The effect of p-GaN shape on the morphology of grown n-GaN cap layer was also assessed.

We will show our two recent results related to GaN-based VCSELs with AlInN/GaN DBRs. One is in-situ wafer curvature control of AlInN/GaN DBRs. Curvature data successfully provides us the strain condition in the AlInN layers, which leads to a high reproducibility for fabricating the AlInN/GaN DBRs. The other is laser operation of the VCSELs with large current apertures. While our previous VCSELs with only 8-15 µm apertures showed RT CW operations, our recent VCSELs now show RT CW operations with 5-30 µm apertures. such larger apertures will eventually provide much higher LOPs in the future.

As a potential material for white light source, high luminous efficiency of fluorescent SiC requires a concentration of higher than 1.0×1019 cm-3 for both the donor (Nd) and acceptor (Na) and a film thickness of about 120 μm. In this study, we focus on the epitaxial growth of fluorescent 4H-SiC by closed sublimation growth in terms of different growth temperatures to increase the doping concentration of boron and nitrogen. In addition, the effect of growth pressure on the surface morphology was investigated. The photoluminescence (PL) intensity of the sample grown at 1900 °C is higher than that grown at 1800 °C. This result indicates that a higher temperature of 1900 °C can increase the boron (B) and nitrogen (N) doping concentration. However, it was confirmed that the surface of the sample grown at 1900 °C was rough. The surface morphology was significantly improved with an increased pressure to 9000 Pa. Meanwhile, the growth time was extended to increase the film thickness, and the amount of BN, which is the doping source of B acceptor, was increased accordingly. As a result, strong PL emission intensity with high internal quantum efficiency (IQE) was successfully demonstrated in 4H-SiC sample, which is comparable to that in fluorescent 6H-SiC.

Ultraviolet (UV) semiconductor lasers are widely used in medical and industrial applications, and their commercialization is strongly desired. Recently, laser oscillation by current injection in the UV-C and UV-B regions has been reported . From now on, it is necessary to demonstrate CW operation, which is indispensable for practical applications. In order to realize this, it is important to understand the internal loss and optical gain of the current devices. In this presentation, we report the details of our UV-B lasers. Specifically, we would like to discuss the results of the variable stripe length analysis of the internal loss of the obtained device and the performance of the UV-B lasers. The results show that the internal losses of the optimized UV-B laser are relatively low and good values are obtained. We also discuss the details of polarization doping, which is very effective in the realization of these UV lasers.

The selective-monolithic growth of coaxial GaInN/GaN NWs was investigated by changing the TEG flow rate, barrier and well growth temperature during MQS growth. In incorporation increased with a higher TEG flow rate. However, In-rich flakes were formed the NWs resulting in the deterioration of crystal quality. Using a higher growth temperature of quantum barriers, abnormal growth at the top of NWs was eliminated. As a result, the CL emission intensity was enhanced. Furthermore, the occurrence of In desorption was suppressed by decreasing the growth temperature of quantum wells. Therefore, these results are promising for NW-based white LEDs.

This study aims to elucidate the carrier dynamics behind thermal droop in GaInN-based blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) by separating multiple physical factors. To this end, first, we study the differential carrier lifetimes (DCLs) by measuring the impedance of a sample LED under given driving-current conditions over a very wide operating temperature range of 300 K–500 K. The measured DCLs are decoupled into radiative carrier lifetime (τR) and nonradiative carrier lifetime (τNR), via utilization of the experimental DCL data, and then very carefully investigated as a function of driving current over a wide range of operating temperatures. Next, to understand the measurement results of temperature-dependent τR and τNR characteristics, thermodynamic analysis is conducted, which enables to look deeply into the temperature-dependent behavior of the carriers. On the basis of the results, we reveal that thermal droop is originated by the complex dynamics of multiple closely interrelated physical factors instead of a single physical factor. In particular, we discuss the inherent cause of accelerated thermal droop with elevated temperature.

This study investigated the fabrication of porous fluorescent SiC using a constant voltage-controlled anodic oxidation process. The application of a high, constant voltage resulted in a spatial distinction between the porous structures formed inside the fluorescent SiC substrates, due to the different etching rates at the terrace and the large step bunches. Large, dendritic porous structures were formed as the etching process continued and the porous layer thickened. Under the conditions of low hydrofluoric acid (HF) concentration, the uniformity of the dendritic porous structures through the entire porous layer was considerably improved compared with the conditions of high HF concentration. The resulting large uniform structure offered a sizable surface area, and promoted the penetration of atomic layer-deposited (ALD) Al2O3 films (ALD&ndash, Al2O3). The emission intensity in the porous fluorescent SiC was confirmed via photoluminescence (PL) measurements to be significantly improved by a factor of 128 after ALD passivation. With surface passivation, there was a clear blueshift in the emission wavelength, owing to the effective suppression of the non-radiative recombination rate in the porous structures. Furthermore, the spatial uniformity of emitted light was examined via PL mapping using three different excitation lasers, which resulted in the observation of uniform and distinctive emissions in the fluorescent SiC bulk and porous areas.

We investigated the effects of different growth facets of 6H-SiC and different voltage waveforms on the porous structure and luminescence properties. The structure formed on the surface after anodic etching significantly changed because of the difference in the growth plane, whereas dendritic and columnar pores were observed inside the Si- and C-face samples. These large porous structures were shown to promote the penetration depth of the atomic-layer-deposited Al2O3 films, and a recorded passivation depth of 30 μm layer was confirmed in C-face porous SiC. From the results using a fluorescence microscope and photoluminescence spectra measurement, it was concluded that the pulsed-voltage etching was preferable for fabricating uniform porous structures compared with the constant-voltage etching. However, the enhancement of the luminescence intensity needs to be further improved to realize high luminescent efficiency in porous fluorescent SiC.

In this study, the growth mechanisms of n-type gallium nitride (GaN) cap layers for embedding nanowire-based multi-quantum-shell (NW-MQS) with a tunnel junction were investigated using the metal–organic vapor-phase epitaxy method. Herein, instead of a p-type GaN layer, n-type GaN cap layers were applied as a contact layer to the anode electrode via a tunnel junction. NW-MQSs were prepared in a rectangular grid arrangement aligning with the m- and a-axis of GaN. The growth mode of the cap layers was controlled in three stages using different growth pressures and temperatures. The first cap layer was a faceted growth mode primarily comprising the r-plane, the second was a lateral growth mode that expanded the area of the c-plane, and the third was an acceleration of lateral growth. Finally, cap layers with a flat surface were realized. Void formation in the cap layers occurred only between the NW-MQSs along the m-axis of GaN. This observation can be attributed to the difference in the coalescence of the cap layers in the a- and m-axis directions. We believe that the NW-MQS structure with the cap layer that was optimized in this study can be used as a highly efficient optical device.

Ultraviolet-B laser diode at 298 nm was realized by developing the technologies; growth method of lattice-relaxed Al 0.6 Ga 0.4 N layer on AlN/sapphire template and III-group composition-graded p-AlGaN cladding layer. The threshold current, current density and voltage were 5.0 A, 25 kA/cm2, and 34.4 V, respectively.

The three-dimensional core-shell structure consisting of GaN nanowire and GaInN/GaN multi-quantum shell (MQS) is thought to be promising for high-performance light-emitting devices, because of its advantages such as non-polar surface orientation, dislocation-free and tolerance of misfit strain due to small size crystal. However, their crystal growth mechanism and its crystalline quality have not yet fully understood, and they are still under the basic considerations. The key issues in the nanowire/MQS structure are its crystalline quality and shape control, which are greatly dependent on the growth condition. Thus, in this paper, selective growth of nanowire/MQS and its optical properties are described.

To reduce the number of threading dislocations (TDs) in nonpolar a -plane GaN ( a -GaN) epi-layers grown on flat r -plane sapphire substrates ( r -FSS), we investigated the effects on the crystalline quality of the a -GaN epi-layers of high-density patterned r -plane sapphire substrates ( r -HPSS), the patterns of which were placed at intervals of several hundred nanometers. Two types of r -HPSS, the patterns of which had diameters and heights on the order of several hundred nanometers ( r -NHPSS) or several micrometers ( r -MHPSS), were prepared with conventional r -FSS. The effect of these r -HPSS on the a -GaN epi-layers was demonstrated by evaluating the surface morphology and the crystalline quality of the epi-layers. The surfaces of the a -GaN epi-layer grown on r -FSS and r -NHPSS were pit-free and mirror-like, whereas the surface of the a -GaN epi-layer grown on r -MHPSS was very rough due to the large, irregular GaN islands that grew on the patterns, mainly at the initial growth stage. The crystalline quality of the a -GaN epi-layer grown on r -NHPSS was better than that of the a -GaN epi-layer grown on r -FSS. We confirmed that there were fewer TDs in the a -GaN epi-layer grown on r -NHPSS than there were in the a -GaN epi-layer grown on r -FSS. The TDs propagating to the surface in a -GaN epi-layer grown on r -NHPSS were mainly generated on the flat sapphire regions between the patterns. Interestingly, it was also found that the TDs that propagated to the surface concentrated with a periodic pitch along the c -axis direction. The TD densities of a -GaN epi-layers grown on r -FSS and r -NHPSS were estimated to be approximately 5.0 × 10 10 and 1.5 × 10 9 cm −2 , respectively. This knowledge will contribute to the further development of a -GaN epi-layers for high-performance devices.

This study aimed to investigate and analyze the impurity doping characteristics in tunnel junctions (TJs) grown on core–shell structures, comprising GaInN/GaN multiple-quantum-shells (MQSs) and GaN nanowires. To this end, the impurity, structural, and electrical properties of the samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, atom probe tomography (APT), nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS), and electroluminescence of the device which was fabricated for a prototype laser device to demonstrate an electrical operation of the MQSs layer. From the experimental results of NanoSIMS and APT, we demonstrated that the Mg-related problems in the TJ, such as the diffusion to the n++-GaN layer from the p+-GaN layer and formation of clusters in p+-GaN, are critical. Consequently, they cause a high operating voltage and dot-like spot emission of the light-emitting device. Based on the analysis, we suggested remedies and strategies to further improve the TJs that work well.

Here we examined the use of AlN buffer layers of various thicknesses to improve the crystalline quality of nonpolar a -plane GaN ( a -GaN) grown on an r -plane sapphire substrate. Three types of AlN buffer layers were used: sputtered AlN buffer layers (sp-AlNs) with or without annealing, and epitaxially grown AlN buffer layers (ep-AlNs). Buffer layer thicknesses of 30, 90, and 180 nm were used. We found that the surface morphological transitions with increasing thickness were different between the sp-AlNs and the ep-AlNs, and that the sp-AlNs had poorer crystallographic orientations than did the ep-AlNs. Annealing caused marked changes to occur in the surface morphologies and crystallographic orientations of the sp-AlNs; however, the positive effect of annealing was limited because the in-plane crystallographic orientation degraded with increasing layer thickness. The optimal buffer layer was found to be the 30-nm-thick annealed sp-AlN, which was composed of uniformly arranged oval grains with better crystallographic orientation than the other sp-AlNs and annealed sp-AlNs. The crystalline quality of the a -GaN epilayer grown on 30-nm-thick annealed sp-AlN had a narrower X-ray rocking curve–full width at half maximum for both the on- and off-axis planes compared with that grown on any other AlN buffer layers.

The minimization of electronics makes heat dissipation of related devices an increasing challenge. When the size of materials is smaller than the phonon mean free paths, phonons transport without internal scatterings and laws of diffusive thermal conduction fail, resulting in significant reduction in the effective thermal conductivity. This work reports, for the first time, the temperature dependent thermal conductivity of doped epitaxial 6H-SiC and monocrystalline porous 6H-SiC below room temperature probed by time-domain thermoreflectance. Strong quasi-ballistic thermal transport was observed in these samples, especially at low temperatures. Doping and structural boundaries were applied to tune the quasi-ballistic thermal transport since dopants selectively scatter high-frequency phonons while boundaries scatter phonons with long mean free paths. Exceptionally strong phonon scattering by boron dopants are observed, compared to nitrogen dopants. Furthermore, orders of magnitude reduction in the measured thermal conductivity was observed at low temperatures for the porous 6H-SiC compared to the epitaxial 6H-SiC. Finally, first principles calculations and a simple Callaway model are built to understand the measured thermal conductivities. Our work sheds light on the fundamental understanding of thermal conduction in technologically-important wide bandgap semiconductors such as 6H-SiC and will impact applications such as thermal management of 6H-SiC-related electronics and devices.

In this study, we discuss the influence of SiH4 flow rates on the structural and optical properties of GaN nanowires (NWs) with multiple-quantum-shells (MQSs). To this end, we prepared two n-GaN core NW samples with different SiH4 flow rates. Subsequently, MQS active layers of the same structure were grown on each n-GaN core NW under identical growth conditions. The samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray, and cathodoluminescence (CL) mapping. From the experimental results, we ascertained that a Si-rich layer was created between the sidewall of the NWs and MQSs, in which the number of Si atoms was mainly determined by the SiH4 flow rate. These Si atoms diffused into the MQSs during the growth, and significantly impacted the structural and optical properties, such as the shape and crystalline quality of the MQSs and NWs, and the CL intensity of the MQSs. On the basis of experimental results, we conclude that the SiH4 flow rate during the NW growth plays a critical role in the performance of an MQS-based optoelectronic semiconductor device.

In this study, we attempted to elucidate the carrier dynamics behind the abnormal characteristics of photogenerated current and voltage ( I Ph and V Ph ) at cryogenic temperature in III-nitride optoelectronic semiconductors by employing space-charge theory. To this end, we carefully investigated and analyzed excitation-power-dependent I – V (PDIV) curves operated by quasiresonant excitation of an AlGaInN-based p − i − n junction semiconductor at 300 K and 15 K. At 300 K, the curves exhibited typical characteristics and were well described by the conventional theory. However, the PDIV curves at 15 K could no longer be described by the conventional theory. To elucidate the mechanism behind this phenomenon, we proposed a model in which the space-charge effect (SCE) plays a key role. Based on this model, we proposed the modified Shockley diode equation, which can explain the PDIV characteristic at 15 K, including the SCE. We also discussed the SCE on the efficiency of devices.

This paper mainly describes the status and prospects of GaN-based tunnel junctions grown by metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy. GaN-based tunnel junctions are expected to offer an alternative structure for hole injection in various optoelectronic devices, simultaneously providing additional features, such as electrical contacts between cascaded devices, current confinement, simple device fabrication processes, and novel controllability in band engineering. After reviewing the role of tunnel junctions and the history of the development of GaN-based tunnel junctions, the development details of GaInN, GaN, and AlGaN tunnel junctions are separately summarized, including those grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Various optoelectronic devices utilizing GaN-based tunnel junctions are reviewed from the viewpoint of device characteristics.

Ga-rich zones created along macrosteps in n-AlGaN plausibly function as electron pathways of AlGaN-based deep-ultraviolet (DUV) LEDs fabricated on AlN templates using 1.0°-miscut c(0001) sapphire substrates toward the m[1-100] axis. This work was performed to clarify AlN mole fractions (xAl) of Ga-rich zones. xAl ≃ (7/12, 6/12, and 5/12) was observed in Ga-rich zones in AlαGa1−αN (α ≃ 0.63, 0.55, and 0.43, respectively) by the method proposed in our previous article in which we showed that Ga-rich zones of Al8/12Ga4/12N were created in Al0.7Ga0.3N. xAl in the Ga-rich zones obtained from an energy-dispersive x-ray signal by scanning transmission electron microscopy calibrated by Rutherford backscattering well agreed with xAl obtained by cross-sectional cathodoluminescence (CL) spectroscopy using scanning electron microscopy. A weak CL shoulder peak corresponding to Al4/12Ga8/12N was also observed for Al0.43Ga0.57N. In addition, xAl ≃ n/12 (n = 6–9) in Al-rich zones appeared in the rest of the Ga-rich zones. Furthermore, nanobeam electron diffraction patterns of the Ga-rich zones indicated a high possibility of a regular configuration of Ga and Al atoms on the c(0001) plane in our samples. Consequently, xAl values in nonflat AlGaN layers with macrosteps were often determined to be near n/12 (n: integer). Thus, Ga-rich zones (xAl = n/12: n = 4–8) formed in our nonflat AlGaN layers, which originated from the macrosteps along [11–20] edgelines normal to the m[1–100] axis, are suggested to be metastable. The creation of discrete xAl in Ga-rich zones should contribute to the stable production of DUV-LEDs using high-miscut sapphire substrates.

Room-temperature pulsed oscillation with a laser wavelength of 290 nm and a threshold current density of 35 kA cm−2 was achieved by fabricating a UV-B laser diode on a thick AlGaN film formed on a 1 μm periodic concavo–convex pattern AlN (PCCP-AlN) on a sapphire substrate. The advantage of this method using PCCP-AlN is that it promotes the nucleation of AlGaN crystals. Planarization of this growth nucleus with AlGaN reduces the threading dislocation density at the top of the AlGaN growth layer while suppressing the formation of giant micrometer-sized hillocks and V-shaped pits that appear irregularly.

To reduce the threshold current density (Jth) of ultraviolet (UV)-B AlGaN-based laser diodes, we investigated the critical parameters aiming to increase the injection efficiency ηi and the optical confinement factor Γ. Optimization of the thickness of the waveguide layer, the average Al content of the p-type AlGaN cladding layer, and the film thickness of the cladding layer demonstrated that the device characteristics can be improved. This optimization achieved a reduction in Jth to 13.3 kA cm−2 at a lasing wavelength of 300 nm, thus offering the lowest Jth value yet achieved for a UV-B laser diode.

An n-GaN nanowire and a GaInN/GaN multi-quantum shell (MQS) were uniformly grown by the continuous flow mode MOVPE with the optimal growth condition. Although the extended defect-free crystal was successfully grown, the MQS may contain point defects acting as the nonradiative recombination centers. The AlGaN underlying shell was found to be effective point defect trap to improve the optical property of the MQS.