Showing papers in "Journal of Electronic Materials in 1995"

Progress in silicon carbide semiconductor electronics technology

Abstract: Silicon carbide’s demonstrated ability to function under extreme high-temperature, high-power, and/or high-radiation conditions is expected to enable significant enhancements to a far-ranging variety of applications and systems. However, improvements in crystal growth and device fabrication processes are needed before SiC-based devices and circuits can be scaled-up and incorporated into electronic systems. This paper surveys the present status of SiC-based semiconductor electronics and identifies areas where technological maturation is needed. The prospects for resolving these obstacles are discussed. Recent achievements include the monolithic realization of SiC integrated circuit operational amplifiers and digital logic circuits, as well as significant improvements to epitaxial and bulk crystal growth processes that impact the viability of this rapidly emerging technology.

Characterization and optimization of the SiO 2 /SiC metal-oxide semiconductor interface

Abstract: The response time of deep-lying interface states in silicon carbide metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) capacitors may be thousands of years at room temperature. To accurately measure interface state density beyond about 0.6 eV from the band edge, it is necessary either to raise the temperature well above 300K so that all states can follow changes in DC bias, or to utilize photoexcitation to modulate the interface state population at room temperature. In this paper, we use the hilo capacitance-voltage technique and the ac conductance technique at elevated temperatures to characterize the MOS interface of p-type 6H-SiC. We report on the effect of surface cleaning and push/pull rates, and give the first detailed comparison of the effect of aluminum vs boron as the p-type dopant on the MOS interface. Oxides grown on 6H-SiC at 1150°C in wet O2 followed by a 30 min insitu argon anneal have fixed charge densities as low as 9 x 1011 cm-2 and interface state densities as low as 1.5 x 1011 cm-2 eV-1.

The effect of soldering process variables on the microstructure and mechanical properties of eutectic Sn-Ag/Cu solder joints

Abstract: Fundamental understanding of the relationship among process, microstructure, and mechanical properties is essential to solder alloy design, soldering process development, and joint reliability prediction and optimization. This research focused on the process-structure-property relationship in eutectic Sn-Ag/Cu solder joints. As a Pb-free alternative, eutectic Sn-Ag solder offers enhanced mechanical properties, good wettability on Cu and Cu alloys, and the potential for a broader range of application compared to eutectic Sn-Pb solder. The relationship between soldering process parameters (soldering temperature, reflow time, and cooling rate) and joint microstructure was studied systemati-cally. Microhardness, tensile shear strength, and shear creep strength were measured and the relationship between the joint microstructures and mechani-cal properties was determined. Based on these results, low soldering tempera-tures, fast cooling rates, and short reflow times are suggested for producing joints with the best shear strength, ductility, and creep resistance.

Etch pit characterization of CdTe and CdZnTe substrates for use in mercury cadmium telluride epitaxy

Abstract: A new etch system is described which produces pits on the technologically important B face of (111) and (211) CdTe and CdZnTe which are commonly used in mercury cadmium telluride (MCT) epitaxy A ratio of approximately 10 wide: 1 deep is achieved with this etch allowing its use without removing excessive material Examples of the use of this etch are given and a comparison is made with the Nakagawa, A face etch system which is in common use to characterize this family of materials A screening protocol is discussed which integrates the use of etch pitting into the manufacture of substrates for use in epitaxial MCT applications Comparisons are made between CdZnTe substrates grown using the horizontal and vertical Bridgman techniques

Improving the electrical conductivity of composites comprised of short conducting fibers in a nonconducting matrix: the addition of a nonconducting particulate filler

Abstract: The addition of a second discontinuous filler (silica fume) that is essentially nonconducting to a composite with a comparably nonconducting matrix (cement) and a conducting discontinuous filler (carbon fibers) was found to increase the electrical conductivity of the composite when the conducting filler volume fraction was less than 3.2%. The maximum conducting filler volume fraction for the second filler to be effective was only 0.5% when the second filler was sand, which was much coarser than silica fume. The improved conductivity due to the presence of the second filler is due to the improved dispersion of the conducting filler. The silica fume addition did not affect the percolation threshold, but the sand addition increased the threshold.

Metalorganic chemical vapor deposition growth of high optical quality and high mobility GaN

Abstract: Hall mobilities as high as 702 and 1230 cm2/Vs at 300 and 160K along with low dislocation densities of 4.0 × 108 cm-2 have been achieved in GaN films grown on sapphire by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. High growth temperatures have been established to be crucial for optimal GaN film quality. Photoluminescence measurements revealed a low intensity of the deep defect band around 550 nm in films grown under optimized conditions.

Magneto-transport characterization using quantitative mobility-spectrum analysis

Abstract: A quantitative mobility spectrum analysis (QMSA) of experimental Hall and resistivity data as a function of magnetic field is presented. This technique enables the conductivity contribution of bulk majority carriers to be separated from that of other species such as thermally generated minority carriers, electrons, and holes populating n and p doped regions, respectively, and two-dimensional species at surfaces and interface layers. Starting with a suitable first trial function such as the Beck and Anderson mobility spectrum analysis (MSA), a variation on the iterative procedure of Dziuba and Gorska is used to obtain a mobility spectrum which enables the various carrier species present in the sample to be identified. The QMSA algorithm combines the fully automated execution and visually meaningful output format of MSA with the quantitative accuracy of the conventional least-squares multi-carrier fitting procedure. Examples of applications to HgCdTe infrared detector materials and InAs/GaSb quantum wells are discussed. The ultimate goal of this paper is to provide an automated, universal algorithm which may be used routinely in the analysis and interpretation of magneto-transport data for diverse semiconductor materials and bandgap engineered structures.

Independently accessed back-to-back HgCdTe photodiodes: a new dual-band infrared detector

Abstract: We report the first data for a new two-color HgCdTe infrared detector for use in large dual-band infrared focal plane arrays (IRFPAs). Referred to as the independently accessed back-to-back photodiode structure, this novel dual-band HgCdTe detector provides independent electrical access to each of two spatially collocated back-to-back HgCdTe photodiodes so that true simultaneous and independent detection of medium wavelength (MW, 3–5 μm) and long wavelength (LW, 8–12 μm) infrared radiation can be accomplished. This new dual-band detector is directly compatible with standard backside-illuminated bump-interconnected hybrid HgCdTe IRFPA technology. It is capable of high fill factor, and allows high quantum efficiency and BLIP sensitivity to be realized in both the MW and LW photodiodes. We report data that demonstrate experimentally the key features of this new dual-band detector. These arrays have a unit cell size of 100 x 100 μm2, and were fabricated from a four-layer p-n-N-P HgCdTe film grown in situ by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on a CdZnTe substrate. At 80K, the MW detector cutoff wavelength is 4.5 μm and the LW detector cutoff wavelength is 8.0 μm. Spectral crosstalk is less than 3%. Data confirm that the MW and LW photodiodes are electrically and radiometrically independent.

The effect of GaN and AlN Buffer layers on GaN film properties grown on both c-plane and a-plane sapphire

Abstract: This paper presents a comparative study of the properties of GaN grown by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy, using both a GaN and A1N buffer layer, as a function of sapphire orientation (c-plane vs a-plane). Results are presented for varying the thickness of the buffer layer, varying the growth temperature of the GaN film, and also varying the ammonia/trimethylgallium mass flow ratio. The electron Hall mobilities of GaN films grown on an A1N buffer layer were, in general, higher compared to films grown using a GaN buffer layer. In addition, growth on a-plane sapphire resulted in higher quality films (over a wider range of buffer thicknesses) than growth on c-plane sapphire. The room temperature electron mobilities were also found to be dependent on, not only the growth temperature, but also the ammonia/trimethylgallium mass flow ratio.

Intermetallic compound layer growth by solid state reactions between 58Bi-42Sn solder and copper

Abstract: Solid state intermetallic compound layer growth was examined following ther-mal aging of the 58Bi-42Sn/Cu couple for a temperature range of 55 to 120°C and time periods of from 1 to 400 days. The intermetallic compound layer was comprised of sublayers that included the traditional Cu6Sn5 stoichiometry as well as one or more complex Cu-Sn-Bi chemistries. The number of sublayers increased with aging temperature and time. Time-dependent layer thickness computations based upon the empirical expression, Atn + B, revealed a time exponent, n, that decreased with increasing temperature from a maximum of 0.551 at 70°C to 0.417 at 120°C. The apparent activation energy for growth (at 100 days) was 55± 7 kJ/mol. The Bi-Sn/Cu data, together with that from the other solder/copper systems, suggested that at a given homologous temperature, the quantity of Sn in the solder field determines the intermetallic compound layer thickness as a function of time.

Surface morphology of silicon carbide epitaxial films

Abstract: Silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor technology has been advancing rapidly, but there are numerous crystal growth problems that need to be solved before SiC can reach its full potential. Among these problems is a need for an improvement in the surface morphology of epitaxial films that are grown to produce device structures. Because of advantageous electrical properties, SiC development is shifting from the 6H to the 4H polytype. In this study of both 6H and 4H-SiC epilayers, atomic force microscopy and other techniques were used to characterize SiC epilayer surface morphology. Observed features included isolated growth pits a few micrometers in size in both polytypes and triangles (in 4H only) approximately 50 um in size for epilayers 3 um in thickness. Also observed in some epilayers were large steps with heights greater than 20 nm. We found that there are significant differences between the morphology of 6H and 4H epilayers grown under identical conditions. We were able to improve surface morphology by avoiding conditions that lead to excess silicon during the initial startup of the growth process. However, the observed morphological defect density in both 6H and 4H epilayers was still the order of 104 cm-2 and varied widely from run to run. As expected, we found that morphological defects in the SiC substrates play a role in the formation of some epilayer surface features.

The effects of N + dose in implantation into 6H-SiC epilayers

Abstract: Ion implantation of nitrogen (N) into p-type 6H-SiC {0001} epilayers was investigated as a function of implant dose. Lattice damage induced by implantation was characterized by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy and Raman scattering. The damage severely increased when the implant dose exceeds 1 x 1015 cm-2, and amorphous layers were formed at doses higher than 4 x 1015 cm-2. By high-temperature annealing at 1500°C, relatively high electrical activation ratios (≈50%) can be obtained in the case of low-dose implantation (<1 x 1015cm−2). However, the electrical activation showed sharp decrease with increasing implant dose, which may be caused by the residual damage in implanted layers.

Photoluminescence study of ZnO varistor stability

Abstract: Photoluminescence (PL) measurements were carried out on commercial ZnO varistor samples that were electrically stressed and/or annealed at different temperatures. Changes in the intensity of green and yellow luminescence centers were studied as a function of annealing treatment. It was found that the ZnO luminescence (green and yellow) decrease with increase in annealing temperature, reach a minimum at 700°C, and increase again beyond 800°C. Furthermore, these green and yellow luminescence bands observed in the PL spectra are quenched in the ZnO varistor samples, compared to pure ZnO. In an electrically stressed ZnO varistor sample, the luminescence intensity was found to be higher compared to the as-sintered varistor sample. Annealing of the stressed varistor sample resulted in a decrease of the luminescence intensity. These PL observations are consistent with previous deep level transient spectroscopy and doppler positron annihilation spectroscopy results. All of the experimental results are consistent with the ion migration model of degradation and can be explained using a grain boundary defect model.

Solder joint reliability of indium-alloy interconnection

Abstract: Recent high-density very large scale integrated (VLSI) interconnections in multichip modules require high-reliability solder interconnection to enable us to achieve small interconnect size andlarge number of input/output terminals, and to minimize soft errors in VLSIs induced by α-particle emission from solder. Lead-free solders such as indium (In)-alloy solders are a possible alternative to conventional lead-tin (Pb-Sn) solders. To realize reliable interconnections using In-alloy solders, fatigue behavior, finite element method (FEM) simulations, and dissolution and reaction between solder and metallization were studied with flip-chip interconnection models. We measured the fatigue life of solder joints and the mechanical properties of solders, and compared the results with a computer simulation based on the FEM. Indium-alloy solders have better mechanical properties for solder joints, and their flip-chip interconnection models showed a longer fatigue life than that of Pb-Sn solder in thermal shock tests between liquid nitrogen and room temperatures. The fatigue characteristics obtained by experiment agree with that given by FEM analysis. Dissolution tests show that Pt film is resistant to dissolution into In solder, indicating that Pt is an adequate barrier layer material for In solder. This test also shows that Au dissolution into the In-Sn solder raises its melting point; however, Ag addition to In-Sn solder prevents melting point rise. Experimental results show that In-alloy solders are suitable for fabricating reliable interconnections.

Numerical simulation of HgCdTe detector characteristics

Abstract: We discuss analytic and numerical models for HgCdTe photodiodes and present examples of their application. Analytic models can account for the performance obtained by many device architectures. Numerical and analytic models agree in predicting several aspects of device performance, such as diffusion limited dark current, confirming the approximations used in deriving the analytic models. Areas are noted where improvement in the numerical models would allow application to a wider range of device simulations. Useful results are obtained from the numerical simulators that cannot be obtained from our analytic model. Flux dependent R0A products are shown to be a direct result of bias dependent quantum efficiency, a mechanism that is much more evident in heterojunction device architectures. Material compositional grading is demonstrated to lead to lower signal to noise ratio in devices designed to detect a particular infrared wavelength. We also show, particularly for high temperature operation, that heterojunction detectors can at best equal the performance of well-designed homojunction detectors; so, for photodetector design, heterojunctions do not offer any inherent performance advantages over homojunctions. Nevertheless, heterostructures, though ideally not required, may be helpful in achieving high performance in practice.

Process parameter dependence of impurity-free interdiffusion in GaAs/Al x Ga 1–x As and In y Ga 1–y As/GaAs multiple quantum wells

Abstract: The dependence of the impurity-free interdiffusion process on the properties of the dielectric cap layer has been studied, for both unstrained GaAs/AlxGa1−xAs and pseudomorphic Iny Ga1−yAs/GaAs MQW structures grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The influence of the cap layer thickness, composition, and deposition technique on the degree of interdiffusion were all systematically investigated. Electron-beam evaporated SiO2 films of varying thickness, chemical-vapor-deposited SiOxNy films of varying composition, and spin-on SiO2 films were used as cap layers during rapid thermal annealing (850-950°C). Photoluminescence at 10K has been employed to determine the interdiffusioninduced bandgap shifts and to calculate the corresponding Al-Ga and In-Ga interdiffusion coefficients. The latter were found to increase with the cap layer thickness (e-beam SiO2) up to a limit determined by saturation of the outdiffused Ga concentration in the SiO2 caps. A maximum concentration of [Ga] = 4–7 ×1019 cm−3 in the SiO2 caps was determined using secondary ion mass spectroscopy profiling. Larger band-edge shifts are also obtained when the oxygen content of SiOxNy cap layers is increased, although the differences are not sufficiently large for a laterally selective interdiffusion process based on variations in cap layer composition alone. Much larger differences are obtained by using different deposition techniques for the cap layers, indicating that the porosity of the cap layer is a much more important parameter than the film composition for the realization of a laterally selective interdiffusion process. For the calculated In0.2Ga0.8As/GaAs interdiffusion coefficients, activation energies EA and prefactors Do were estimated to ranging from 3.04 to 4.74 eV and 5 × Kh−3 to 2 × 105 cm2/s, respectively, dependent on the cap layer deposition technique and the depth of the MQW from the sample surface.

Hydrogen incorporation in boron-doped 6H-SiC CVD epilayers produced using site-competition epitaxy

Abstract: We report on the initial investigations of using site-competition epitaxy to control boron incorporation in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) 6H-SiC epilayers. Also reported herein is the detection of hydrogen in boron-doped CVD SiC epilayers and hydrogen-passivation of the boron-acceptors. Results from low temperature photoluminescence (LTPL) spectroscopy indicate that the hydrogen content increased as the capacitance-voltage (C-V) measured net hole concentration increased. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) analysis revealed that the boron and the hydrogen incorporation both increased as the Si/ C ratio was sequentially decreased within the CVD reactor during epilayer growth. Epilayers that were annealed at 1700°C in argon no longer exhibited hydrogen-related LTPL lines, and subsequent SIMS analysis confirmed the outdiffusion of hydrogen from the boron-doped SiC epilayers. The C-V measured net hole concentration increased more than threefold as a result of thel700°C anneal, which is consistent with hydrogen passivation of the boron-acceptors. However, boron related LTPL lines were not observed before or after the 1700°C anneal.

A comparison of techniques for nondestructive composition measurements in CdZnTe substrates

Abstract: We report an overview and a comparison of nondestructive optical techniques for determining alloy composition x in Cd1-xZnxTe substrates for HgCdTe epitaxy. The methods for single-point measurements include a new x-ray diffraction technique for precision lattice parameter measurements using a standard highresolution diffractometer, room-temperature photoreflectance, and low-temperature photoluminescence. We compare measurements on the same set of samples by all three techniques. Comparisons of precision and accuracy, with a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of different techniques, are presented. In addition, a new photoluminescence excitation technique for full-wafer imaging of composition variations is described.

The role of the low temperature buffer layer and layer thickness in the optimization of OMVPE growth of GaN on sapphire

Abstract: In agreement with previous work,12 a thin, low temperature GaN buffer layer, that is used to initiate OMVPE growth of GaN growth on sapphire, is shown to play a critical role in determining the surface morphology of the main GaN epilayer. X-ray analysis shows that the mosaicity of the main GaN epilayer continues to improve even after several μm of epitaxy. This continuing improvement in crystal perfection correlates with an improvement in Hall mobility for thicker samples. So far, we have obtained a maximum mobility of 600 cm2/V-s in a 6 μm GaN epilayer. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis of the buffer layer and x-ray analysis of the main epilayer lead us to conclude that the both of these effects reflect the degree of coherence in the main GaN epitaxial layer. These results are consistent with the growth model presented by Hiramatsu et al., however, our AFM data indicates that for GaN buffer layers partial coherence can be achieved during the low temperature growth stage.

Development of rf sputtered, Cu-doped ZnTe for use as a contact interface layer to p-CdTe

Abstract: Cu-doped ZnTe films deposited by rf-magnetron sputtering have been analyzed with the intention to use this material as a contact interface in CdS/CdTe thin-film photovoltaic solar-cell devices. It is observed that unless careful attention is made to the pre-deposition conditioning of the ZnTe target, the electrical resistivity of thin films (∼70 nm) will be significantly higher than that measured on thicker films (∼1.0 μm). It is determined that N contamination of the target during substrate loading is likely responsible for the increased film resistivity. The effect of film composition on the electrical properties is further studied by analyzing films sputtered from targets containing various Cu concentrations. It is determined that, for targets fabricated from stoichiometric ZnTe and metallic Cu, the extent of Zn deficiency in the film is dependent on both sputtering conditions and the amount of metallic Cu in the target. It is observed that the carrier concentration of the film reaches a maximum value of ∼3 × 1020 cm−3 when the concentrations of Te and (Zn+Cu) are nearly equal. For the conditions used, this optimum film stoichiometry results when the concentration of metallic Cu in the target is ≈6 at.%.

Improvement in HgCdTe diode characteristics by low temperature post-implantation annealing

Abstract: Hg1−xCdxTe diodes (x∼0.22) with different carrier concentrations in p type materials have been fabricated by employing an ion-implantation technique. The performances of the diodes, prior to and after low temperature postimplantation annealing, have been investigated in detail by model fitting, taking into account dark current mechanisms. Prior to the annealing process, dark currents for diodes with relatively low carrier concentrations are found to be limited by generation-recombination current and trap-assisted tunneling current, while dark currents for diodes with higher carrier concentrations are limited by band-to-band tunneling current. These dark currents in both diodes have been dramatically decreased by the low temperature annealing at 120∼150°C. From the model fitting analyses, it turned out that trap density and the density of the surface recombination center in the vicinity of the pn junction were reduced by one order of magnitude for a diode with lower carrier concentration and that the carrier concentration profile in a pn junction changed for a diode with higher carrier concentration. The improvements are explained by changes in both carrier concentration profile and pn junction position determined by interaction of interstitial Hg with Hg vacancy in the vicinity of the junction during the annealing process.

Suppression of twin formation in CdTe(111)B epilayers grown by molecular beam epitaxy on misoriented Si(001)

Abstract: CdTe(lll)B layers have been grown on misoriented Si(001). Twin formation inside CdTe(lll)B layer is very sensitive to the substrate tilt direction. When Si(001) is tilted toward [110] or [100], a fully twinned layer is obtained. When Si(001) is tilted toward a direction significantly away from [110], a twin-free layer is obtained. Microtwins inside the CdTe(111)B layers are overwhelmingly dominated by the lamellar twins. CdTe(111)B layers always start with heavily lamellar twinning. For twin-free layers, the lamellar twins are gradually suppressed and give way to twin-free CdTe(111)B layer. The major driving forces for suppressing the lamellar twinning are the preferential orientation of CdTe[11-2] along Si[1-10] and lattice relaxation. Such preferential orientation is found to exist for the CdTe(111)B layers grown on Si(001) tilted toward a direction between [110] and [100].

Molecular beam epitaxial HgCdTe material characteristics and device performance: reproducibility status

Abstract: Extensive material, device, and focal plane array (FPA) reproducibility data are presented to demonstrate significant advances made in the molecular beam epitaxial (MBE) HgCdTe technology. Excellent control of the composition, growth rate, layer thickness, doping concentration, dislocation density, and transport characteristics has been demonstrated. A change in the bandgap is readily achieved by adjusting the beam fluxes, demonstrating the flexibility of MBE in responding to the needs of infrared detection applications in various spectral bands. High performance of photodiodes fabricated on MBE HgCdTe layers reflects on the overall quality of the grown material. The photodiodes were planar p-on-n junctions fabricated by As ion-implantation into indium doped, n-type, in situ grown double layer heterostructures. At 77K, diodes fabricated on MBE Hg1−xCdxTe with x ≈ 0.30 (λco ≈ 5.6 μm), x ≈ 0.26 (λco ≈ 7 μm), x ≈ 0.23 (λco ≈ 10 μm) show R0A products in excess of 1 x 106 ohm-cm2, 7 x 105 ohm-cm2, and 3 x 102 ohm-cm2, respectively. These devices also show high quantum efficiency. As a means to assess the uniformity of the MBE HgCdTe material, two-dimensional 64 x 64 and 128 x 128 mosaic detector arrays were hybridized to Si multiplexers. These focal plane arrays show an operability as high as 97% at 77K for the x ≈ 0.23 spectral band and 93% at 77K for the x ≈ 0.26 spectral band. The operability is limited partly by the density of void-type defects that are present in the MBE grown layers and are easily identified under an optical microscope.

Basic studies of gallium nitride growth on sapphire by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition and optical properties of deposited layers

Abstract: We have studied the growth of gallium nitride on c-plane sapphire substrates. The layers were grown in a horizontal metalorganic chemical vapor deposition reactor at atmospheric pressure using trimethylgallium (TMG) and ammonia (NH3). Variation of the V/III ratio (150–2500) shows a distinct effect on the growth rate. With decreasing V/III ratio, we find an increasing growth rate. Variation of the growth temperature (700–1000°C) shows a weak increase in growth rate with temperature. Furthermore, we performed secondary ion mass spectroscopy measurements and find an increasing carbon incorporation in the GaN films with decreasing ammonia partial pressure and a growing accumulation of carbon at the substrate interface. Photoluminescence measurements show that samples with high carbon content show a strong yellow luminescence peaking at 2.2 eV and a near band gap emission at 3.31 eV. With increasing carbon content, the intensity of the 3.31 eV line increases suggesting that a carbon related center is involved.

Operation of a compact electron cyclotron resonance source for the growth of gallium nitride by molecular beam epitaxy (ECR-MBE)

Abstract: The operation of an ASTeX compact electron cyclotron resonance plasma source and its effect on the growth of GaN thin films by electron cyclotron resonancemolecular beam epitaxy has been investigated. The role a flow limiting orifice plays in increasing plasma stability as well as reducing ion damage and impurities in resultant films has also been studied. Both optical emission spectroscopy as well as electrostatic (Langmuir) probe studies have been employed to elucidate the generation and transport of charged and neutral species. With the introduction of the flow orifice, a substantial decrease in ion induced damage as well as surface roughening in the films is observed. This can be accounted for in terms of a collisionally induced relaxation of the grad-B acceleration of charged species toward the substrate in plasma sources employing axial solenoidal fields.

Electron-concentration dependence of absorption and refraction in n-In 0.53 Ga 0.47 As near the band-edge

Abstract: The optical constants of InGaAs were determined as a function of electron concentration in the range from 1015 to 2 × 1019 cm−3 by reflectance- and transmission-spectroscopy. A pronounced shift of the fundamental absorption edge toward shorter wavelengths with increasing doping concentration was found. The experimental results can be satisfactorily explained by band-filling and band-gap shrinkage.

Doping of gallium nitride using disilane

Abstract: The silicon doping of n-type GaN using disilane has been demonstrated for films grown on sapphire substrates by low pressure organometallic vapor phase epitaxy. The binding energy of an exciton bound to a neutral Si donor has been determined from low temperature (6K) photoluminescence spectra to be 8.6 meV. Nearly complete activation of the Si impurity atom in the GaN lattice has been observed.

Direct growth of CdZnTe/Si substrates for large-area HgCdTe infrared focal plane arrays

Abstract: Direct epitaxial growth of high-quality 100lCdZnTe on 3 inch diameter vicinal {100}Si substrates has been achieved using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE); a ZnTe initial layer was used to maintain the {100} Si substrate orientation. The properties of these substrates and associated HgCdTe layers grown by liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) and subsequently processed long wavelength infrared (LWIR) detectors were compared directly with our related efforts using CdZnTe/ GaAs/Si substrates grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The MBE-grown CdZnTe layers are highly specular and have both excellent thickness and compositional uniformity. The x-ray full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the MBE-grown CdZnTe/Si increases with composition, which is a characteristic of CdZnTe grown by vapor phase epitaxy, and is essentially equivalent to our results obtained on CdZnTe/GaAs/Si. As we have previously observed, the x-ray FWHM of LPE-grown HgCdTe decreases, particularly for CdZnTe compositions near the lattice matching condition to HgCdTe; so far the best value we have achieved is 54 arc-s. Using these MBE-grown substrates, we have fabricated the first high-performance LWIR HgCdTe detectors and 256 x 256 arrays using substrates consisting of CdZnTe grown directly on Si without the use of an intermediate GaAs buffer layer. We find first that there is no significant difference between arrays fabricated on either CdZnTe/Si or CdZnTe/GaAs/Si and second that the results on these Si-based substrates are comparable with results on bulk CdZnTe substrates at 78K. Further improvements in detector performance on Si-based substrates require a decrease in the dislocation density.

Submicron nickel filaments made by electroplating carbon filaments as a new filler material for electromagnetic interference shielding

Abstract: Short nickel filaments of diam 0.4 μm and containing 94 vol% Ni and 6 vol% C were fabricated by electroplating with nickel 0.1 μm diam catalytically grown carbon filaments. The use of these filaments in polyether sulfone in amounts of 3, 7,13, and 19 vol% gave composites with electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness at 1–2 GHz of 42,87,84, and 92 dB, respectively, compared to a value of 90 dB for solid copper. Less shielding was attained when 0.1 μm diam carbon filaments or 2 or 20 μm diam nickel fibers were used instead.

Magnetron sputter deposition of A-15 and BCC crystal structure tungsten thin films

Abstract: The effect of processing parameters on the crystal structure and electrical resistivity of magnetron sputter deposited tungsten thin films was investigated. Formation of body centered cubic (bcc) W was favored when the concentration of impurity oxygen atoms in the films was <5 at.% while the formation of A-15 W was favored between 6 and 10 at.% oxygen. A transition from A-15 W films to bcc W films occurred as the oxygen was removed from the deposition chamber by presputtering the target for extended periods of time. The binding energies of the W atoms in A-15 and bcc W films are similar, as is the binding energy of the O atoms in the two different crystal structures, indicating that the oxygen is not present as a tungsten oxide compound. The resistivity of A-15 W films is always higher than the resistivity of bcc W films due to the increased oxygen concentration and small grain size of the A-15 films. However, the sputter deposition pressure is found to have a greater effect on resistivity. This is attributed to the formation of cracks in the film.