Binary group III-nitride based heterostructures: band offsets and transport properties
TL;DR: In this paper, the growth of non-polar III-nitrides has been an important subject due to its potential improvement on the efficiency of III-nodes-based opto-electronic devices.
Abstract: In the last few years, there has been remarkable progress in the development of group III-nitride based materials because of their potential application in fabricating various optoelectronic devices such as light emitting diodes, laser diodes, tandem solar cells and field effect transistors. In order to realize these devices, growth of device quality heterostructures are required. One of the most interesting properties of a semiconductor heterostructure interface is its Schottky barrier height, which is a measure of the mismatch of the energy levels for the majority carriers across the heterojunction interface. Recently, the growth of non-polar III-nitrides has been an important subject due to its potential improvement on the efficiency of III-nitride-based opto-electronic devices. It is well known that the c-axis oriented optoelectronic devices are strongly affected by the intrinsic spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization fields, which results in the low electron-hole recombination efficiency. One of the useful approaches for eliminating the piezoelectric polarization effects is to fabricate nitride-based devices along non-polar and semi-polar directions. Heterostructures grown on these orientations are receiving a lot of focus due to enhanced behaviour. In the present review article discussion has been carried out on the growth of III-nitride binary alloys and properties of GaN/Si, InN/Si, polar InN/GaN, and nonpolar InN/GaN heterostructures followed by studies on band offsets of III-nitride semiconductor heterostructures using the x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy technique. Current transport mechanisms of these heterostructures are also discussed.
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01 Mar 1997
TL;DR: In this article, first principles electronic structure calculations on wurtzite AlN, GaN, and InN reveal crystal field splitting parameters ΔCF of −217, 42, and 41 meV, respectively.
Abstract: First‐principles electronic structure calculations on wurtzite AlN, GaN, and InN reveal crystal‐field splitting parameters ΔCF of −217, 42, and 41 meV, respectively, and spin–orbit splitting parameters Δ0 of 19, 13, and 1 meV, respectively. In the zinc blende structure ΔCF≡0 and Δ0 are 19, 15, and 6 meV, respectively. The unstrained AlN/GaN, GaN/InN, and AlN/InN valence band offsets for the wurtzite (zinc blende) materials are 0.81 (0.84), 0.48 (0.26), and 1.25 (1.04) eV, respectively. The trends in these spectroscopic quantities are discussed and recent experimental findings are analyzed in light of these predictions.
274 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the fundamental mechanism and interfacial charge transfer dynamics in TiO2/graphene nanocomposites are reviewed and the design strategies of various graphene-based hybrids are highlighted along with some specialized synthetic routes adopted to attain preferred properties.
103 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a general overview of the semiconductor materials applied as photoelectrodes in the treatment of various pollutants is presented, with a particular focus on the main experimental conditions employed in the photo-electrocatalytic degradation of various contaminants.
Abstract: Industrial sources of environmental pollution generate huge amounts of industrial wastewater containing various recalcitrant organic and inorganic pollutants that are hazardous to the environment. On the other hand, industrial wastewater can be regarded as a prospective source of fresh water, energy, and valuable raw materials. Conventional sewage treatment systems are often not efficient enough for the complete degradation of pollutants and they are characterized by high energy consumption. Moreover, the chemical energy that is stored in the wastewater is wasted. A solution to these problems is an application of photoelectrocatalytic treatment methods, especially when they are coupled with energy generation. The paper presents a general overview of the semiconductor materials applied as photoelectrodes in the treatment of various pollutants. The fundamentals of photoelectrocatalytic reactions and the mechanism of pollutants treatment as well as parameters affecting the treatment process are presented. Examples of different semiconductor photoelectrodes that are applied in treatment processes are described in order to present the strengths and weaknesses of the photoelectrocatalytic treatment of industrial wastewater. This overview is an addition to the existing knowledge with a particular focus on the main experimental conditions employed in the photoelectrocatalytic degradation of various pollutants with the application of semiconductor photoelectrodes.
53 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a novel nanowire structure adopting a graded-index separate confinement heterostructure (GRINSCH) in which the active region is sandwiched between two compositionally graded AlGaN layers, namely, a GRINSCH diode, is proposed.
Abstract: High-density dislocations in materials and poor electrical conductivity of p-type AlGaN layers constrain the performance of the ultraviolet light emitting diodes and lasers at shorter wavelengths. To address those technical challenges, we design, grow, and fabricate a novel nanowire structure adopting a graded-index separate confinement heterostructure (GRINSCH) in which the active region is sandwiched between two compositionally graded AlGaN layers, namely, a GRINSCH diode. Calculated electronic band diagram and carrier concentrations show an automatic formation of a p–n junction with electron and hole concentrations of ∼1018 /cm3 in the graded AlGaN layers without intentional doping. The transmission electron microscopy experiment confirms the composition variation in the axial direction of the graded AlGaN nanowires. Significantly lower turn-on voltage of 6.5 V (reduced by 2.5 V) and smaller series resistance of 16.7 Ω (reduced by nearly four times) are achieved in the GRINSCH diode, compared with the ...
48 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , the morphology and structure of these materials influence on the sensor response, and challenges and future perspectives for ZnO chemiresistive sensors are also discussed, focusing on how the morphology of the materials can influence on sensor response.
Abstract: Chemiresistive gas sensors have been widely applied to monitor analytes of environmental, food and health importance. Among the plethora of materials that can be used for designing chemiresistive sensors, ZnO is one of the most explored for gas sensing, as this material has a low-cost, is non-toxic and can be easily obtained through standard chemical synthesis. Adding to this, ZnO can form heterostructures capable to improve sensor performance regarding sensitivity, selectivity and stability. Moreover, ZnO heterostructures also contribute to lower operating temperature of gas sensors, since the synergistic effects contribute to amplify the sensor signal. In this review, we survey recent advances on different types of chemiresistive ZnO-based gas sensors, focusing on how the morphology and structure of these materials influence on the sensor response. Challenges and future perspectives for ZnO chemiresistive sensors are also discussed.
47 citations
References
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TL;DR: In this article, the morphology and optical properties of wurtzite InN layers grown by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PA-MBE) on Si(111) substrates are reported.
Abstract: This work reports on the morphology and optical properties of wurtzite InN layers grown by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PA-MBE) on Si(111) substrates. The layer morphology can be controlled by the effective indium to nitrogen molecular flux ratio, from N-rich conditions that lead to InN nanorods, to stoichiometric conditions leading to compact InN layers. The nanorods deliver a much higher intensity of the photoluminescence emission than compact layers, with a full width at half maximum down to 34 meV, indicative of a high crystal quality. Raman and X-ray measurements on the InN nanorods and compact layers confirm the practical full relaxation of both types of materials. TEM measurements reveal a perfect epitaxial alignment of Si substrate-AIN buffer and InN epilayer with clean AlN-InN interfaces when growth conditions are optimized.
31 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors have determined a lateral homogeneous barrier height value of approximately 0.597 eV for the Au/n-InP/In Schottky barrier diodes from the experimental linear relationship between barrier heights and ideality factors.
Abstract: We have identically prepared Au/n-InP/In Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs). The barrier height for the Au/n-InP/In SBDs from the current–voltage characteristics has varied from 0.557 eV to 0.615 eV, and the ideality factor n from 1.002 to 1.087. We have determined a lateral homogeneous barrier height value of approximately 0.597 eV for the Au/n-InP/In SBD from the experimental linear relationship between barrier heights and ideality factors. The barrier height value obtained from the reverse bias C−2–V characteristics has varied from 0.512 eV to 0.572 eV and statistical analysis yields the mean Φ(C–V) = 0.562 ± 0.004 eV. A doping density of about (2.90 ± 0.05) × 1015 cm−3 has been determined from the reverse bias C−2–V characteristics.
29 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, high-quality GaN epilayers were grown on Si (1 1 1) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy using a new growth process sequence which involved a substrate nitridation at low temperatures, annealing at high temperatures, followed by nitritation at high temperature, deposition of a lowtemperature buffer layer, and a high-temperature overgrowth.
28 citations
TL;DR: Sc2O3 thin-film layers deposited by rf plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy were found to significantly reduce the concentration of prominent surface traps with activation energies of 1 and 0.9 eV on AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs).
Abstract: Sc2O3 thin-film layers deposited by rf plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy were found to significantly reduce the concentration of prominent surface traps with activation energies of 1 and 0.9 eV on AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). The surface passivation is accompanied by effective mitigation of the current collapse observed under rf conditions in HEMTs without Sc2O3. The passivation is stable to post-deposition annealing temperatures of 400 °C and device degradation at higher temperatures is due to reaction of the gate metal with the AlGaN.
28 citations
TL;DR: In this article, temperature dependent electrical transport properties were carried out for InN/GaN heterostructure based Schottky diodes were fabricated by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy.
Abstract: InN/GaN heterostructure based Schottky diodes were fabricated by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The temperature dependent electrical transport properties were carried out for InN/GaN heterostructure. The barrier height and the ideality factor of the Schottky diodes were found to be temperature dependent. The temperature dependence of the barrier height indicates that the Schottky barrier height is inhomogeneous in nature at the heterostructure interface. The higher value of the ideality factor and its temperature dependence suggest that the current transport is primarily dominated by thermionic field emission (TFE) other than thermionic emission (TE). The room temperature barrier height obtained by using TE and TFE models were 1.08 and 1.43 eV, respectively.
25 citations