The role of extended and point defects, and key impurities such as C, O, and H, on the electrical and optical properties of GaN is reviewed. Recent progress in the development of high reliability contacts, thermal processing, dry and wet etching techniques, implantation doping and isolation, and gate insulator technology is detailed. Finally, the performance of GaN-based electronic and photonic devices such as field effect transistors, UV detectors, laser diodes, and light-emitting diodes is covered, along with the influence of process-induced or grown-in defects and impurities on the device physics.

Gan : processing, defects, and devices

High-efficiency multijunction or tandem solar cells based on group III–V semiconductor alloys are applied in a rapidly expanding range of space and terrestrial programs. Resistance to high-energy radiation damage is an essential feature of such cells as they power most satellites, including those used for communications, defense, and scientific research. Recently we have shown that the energy gap of In1−xGaxN alloys potentially can be continuously varied from 0.7 to 3.4 eV, providing a full-solar-spectrum material system for multijunction solar cells. We find that the optical and electronic properties of these alloys exhibit a much higher resistance to high-energy (2 MeV) proton irradiation than the standard currently used photovoltaic materials such as GaAs and GaInP, and therefore offer great potential for radiation-hard high-efficiency solar cells for space applications. The observed insensitivity of the semiconductor characteristics to the radiation damage is explained by the location of the band edge...

Superior radiation resistance of In1-xGaxN alloys: Full-solar-spectrum photovoltaic material system

GaInNAs was proposed and created in 1995 by the authors. It can be grown pseudomorphically on a GaAs substrate and is a light-emitting material having a bandgap energy suitable for long-wavelength laser diodes (1.3-1.55 /spl mu/m and longer wavelengths). By combining GaInNAs with GaAs or other wide-gap materials that can be grown on a GaAs substrate, a type-I band lineup is achieved and, thus, very deep quantum wells can be fabricated, especially in the conduction band. Since the electron overflow from the wells to the barrier layers at high temperatures can he suppressed, the novel material of GaInNAs is very attractive to overcome the poor temperature characteristics of conventional long-wavelength laser diodes used for optical fiber communication systems. GaInNAs with excellent crystallinity was grown by gas-source molecular beam epitaxy in which a nitrogen radical was used as the nitrogen source. GaInNAs was applied in both edge-emitting and vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) in the long-wavelength range. In edge-emitting laser diodes, operation under room temperature continuous-wave (CW) conditions with record high temperature performance (T/sub 0/=126 K) was achieved. The optical and physical parameters, such as quantum efficiency and gain constant, are also systematically investigated to confirm the applicability of GaInNAs to laser diodes for optical fiber communications. In a VCSEL, successful lasing action was obtained under room-temperature (RT) CW conditions by photopumping with a low threshold pump intensity and a lasing wavelength of 1.22 /spl mu/m.

GaInNAs: a novel material for long-wavelength semiconductor lasers

GaN and related materials (especially AlGaN) have recently attracted a lot of interest for applications in high power electronics capable of operation at elevated temperatures. Although the growth and processing technology for SiC, the other viable wide bandgap semiconductor material, is more mature, the AlGaInN system offers numerous advantages. These include wider bandgaps, good transport properties, the availability of heterostructures (particularly AlGaN/GaN), the experience base gained by the commercialization of GaN-based laser and light-emitting diodes and the existence of a high growth rate epitaxial method (hydride vapor phase epitaxy) for producing very thick layers or even quasi-substrates. These attributes have led to rapid progress in the realization of a broad range of GaN electronic devices, including heterostructure field effect transistors (HFETs), Schottky and p–i–n rectifiers, heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs), bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) and metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs). This review focuses on the development of fabrication processes for these devices and the current state-of-the-art in device performance, for all of these structures. We also detail areas where more work is needed, such as reducing defect densities and purity of epitaxial layers, the need for substrates and improved oxides and insulators, improved p-type doping and contacts and an understanding of the basic growth mechanisms.

Fabrication and performance of GaN electronic devices

1-eV solar cells with GaInNAs active layer

We propose a novel material, GaInNAs, that can be formed on GaAs to drastically improve the temperature characteristics (T0) in long-wavelength-range laser diodes. The feasibility of our proposal is demonstrated experimentally.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1143/JJAP.35.1273/pdf

GaInNAs: A Novel Material for Long-Wavelength-Range Laser Diodes with Excellent High-Temperature Performance

Extremely large N content (up to 10%) in GaNAs grown by gas-source molecular beam epitaxy

GaInP single junction and GaInP/GaAs two junction thin-film solar cell structures by epitaxial lift-off

The two main keys to growing GaNAs are reducing layer thickness and using a highly efficient N source. Through careful and precise growth control, GaNAs is grown with a N content of up to about 10% by gas source molecular beam epitaxy in which a N radical is used as the N source.

GaNAs grown by gas source molecular beam epitaxy

Three-junction tandem solar cells were fabricated by mechanical stacking of a thin-film GaInP/GaAs monolithic tandem cell and a Si cell. The epitaxial lift-off (ELO) technique was used for the thinning of GaInP/GaAs tandem cells. Both spectral responses of the GaInP top cell and the GaAs middle cell in the thin-film GaInP/GaAs monolithic tandem cell were conserved. The Si cell performance has been improved by reducing the absorption loss in the GaAs substrate.

S. Watahiki

Papers

GaInNAs: A Novel Material for Long-Wavelength-Range Laser Diodes with Excellent High-Temperature Performance

Extremely large N content (up to 10%) in GaNAs grown by gas-source molecular beam epitaxy

GaInP single junction and GaInP/GaAs two junction thin-film solar cell structures by epitaxial lift-off

GaNAs grown by gas source molecular beam epitaxy

Three-junction solar cells comprised of a thin-film GaInP/GaAs tandem cell mechanically stacked on a Si cell