Band gaps of wurtzite ScxGa1-xN alloys.

Authors :: Tsui, H. C. L.
Goff, L. E.
Rhode, S. K.
Pereira, S.
Beere, H. E.
Farrer, I.
Nicoll, C. A.
Ritchie, D. A.
Moram, M. A.
Source :: Applied Physics Letters. 3/30/2015, Vol. 106 Issue 13, p1-3. 3p. 1 Black and White Photograph, 1 Diagram, 1 Graph.
Publication Year :: 2015
Abstract: Optical transmittance measurements on epitaxial, phase-pure, wurtzite-structure ScxGa1-xN films with ≤ x ≤ 0.26 showed that their direct optical band gaps increased from 3.33 eV to 3.89 eV with increasing x, in agreement with theory. These films contained I1- and I2-type stacking faults. However, the direct optical band gaps decreased from 3.37 eV to 3.26 eV for ScxGa1-xN films, which additionally contained nanoscale lamellar inclusions of the zinc-blende phase, as revealed by aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy. Therefore, we conclude that the apparent reduction in ScxGa1-xN band gaps with increasing x is an artefact resulting from the presence of nanoscale zinc-blende inclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]