Effect of N/Ga flux ratio on transport behavior of Pt/GaN Schottky diodes
TL;DR: In this article, the effect of N/Ga flux ratio on structural, morphological, and optical properties of GaN films on c-plane sapphire by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE) was studied.
Abstract: GaN films were grown on c-plane sapphire by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE). The effect of N/Ga flux ratio on structural, morphological, and optical properties was studied. The dislocation density found to increase with increasing the N/Ga ratio. The surface morphology of the films as seen by scanning electron microscopy shows pits on the surface and found that the pit density on the surface increases with N/Ga ratio. The room temperature photoluminescence study reveals the shift in band-edge emission toward the lower energy with increase in N/Ga ratio. This is believed to arise from the reduction in compressive stress in the films as is evidenced by room temperature Raman study. The transport studied on the Pt/GaN Schottky diodes showed a significant increase in leakage current with an increase in N/Ga ratio and was found to be caused by the increase in pit density as well as increase in dislocation density in the GaN films.
Citations
More filters
TL;DR: In this article, the authors have grown InGaN/GaN heterostructures using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy and studied the temperature dependent electrical transport characteristics, where the barrier height and the ideally factor were found to be temperature dependent.
Abstract: We have grown InGaN/GaN heterostructures using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy and studied the temperature dependent electrical transport characteristics. The barrier height (φb) and the ideally factor (η) estimated using thermionic emission model were found to be temperature dependent. The conventional Richardson plot of ln(Js/T2) versus 1/kT showed two temperature regions (region-I: 400–500 K and region-II: 200–350 K) and it provides Richardson constants (A∗) which are much lower than the theoretical value of GaN. The observed variation in the barrier height and the presence of two temperature regions were attributed to spatial barrier inhomogeneities at the heterojunction interface and was explained by assuming a double Gaussian distribution of barrier heights with mean barrier height values 1.61 and 1.21 eV with standard deviation (σs2) of 0.044 and 0.022 V, respectively. The modified Richardson plot of ln(Js/T2) − (q2σs2/2k2T2) versus 1/kT for two temperature regions gave mean barrier height v...
18 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a-plane GaN thin films are grown on r-plane sapphire using three different growth approaches by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE) and in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) analysis is performed during and after the growth to monitor the growth mode.
Abstract: Present work focuses on improving the quality of nonpolar a-plane GaN thin films by introducing unconventional new efficient growth conditions without compromising their UV photodetection properties. These epitaxial thin films are grown on r-plane sapphire using three different growth approaches by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE). In situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) analysis is performed during and after the growth to monitor the growth mode, and it is found that the films assumed desired 2D mode during the growth. The crystalline quality and the phase purity of the films are assessed with the help of high-resolution X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. All the films are found to contain compressive stress, which indicate that all the films are strained and epitaxial. The temporal response is carried out in all the three batches, which is very stable. Sensitivity, responsivity, transit time, and gain values are estimated. Highest responsivity and the corresponding gain are found to be around 25 AW(-1), 86.47 at 1 V bias, respectively. These are the highest reported values so far for a-plane GaN at such low voltages.
16 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the growth of pure gallium nitride (GaN) nanostructures on different silicon (Si) substrates by thermal vapor deposition via the direct reaction of gallium with volatile ammonia solution is reported.
Abstract: We report on the growth of highly pure and single crystalline gallium nitride (GaN) nanostructures on different silicon (Si) substrates by thermal vapor deposition via the direct reaction of gallium with volatile ammonia solution. The structural and optical characteristics of the as-grown GaN/Si nanostructured heterojunctions are investigated. The morphology of the formed GaN nanostructures is strongly dependent on the crystal orientation of the Si substrate. The X-ray diffraction and Raman analysis reveal that the fabricated GaN nanostructures have a hexagonal wurtzite structure. The photoluminescence spectra of all GaN nanostructures exhibit a strong near-band-edge ultraviolet (UV) emission peak (365–372 nm), which illustrates their potential in optoelectronic applications. The current–voltage measurements under dark, visible, and UV illumination conditions are performed to study the light sensing ability of the fabricated heterojunctions. Under reverse bias (5 V), the photocurrent of the GaN/n-Si (111) photodetector was comparably much higher than that of the GaN/n-Si (100) photodetector, probably due to the better quality of the GaN formed on Si (111) compared with those formed on Si (100), resulting in a higher photoresponse. The calculated rectification ratio revealed that the sensitivity of the GaN/n-Si (111) photodiode is higher than that of the GaN/n-Si (100), indicating the importance of the interface architecture. The fabricated photodiodes showed photoresponse toward UV and visible wavelengths, demonstrating shorter rise and decay times compared with other materials used to fabricate UV and visible light photodetectors. The prototype device shows a simple method for GaN synthesis and demonstrates the possibility of constructing nanoscale photodetectors for nano-optics applications.
13 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a single-phase InGaN epitaxial films were grown on GaN template by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy and the composition of indium incorporation was found to be 23%.
8 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a detailed report on the modulation in the electrical properties of VO2/Si heterostructures by application of an external electrical field across VO2 thin films.
Abstract: Smart multifunctional materials such as vanadium dioxide (VO2), which exhibit a reversible semiconductor-to-metal transition (SMT), provide a new route toward engineering high speed switchable devices. Here, we present a detailed report on the modulation in the electrical properties of VO2/Si heterostructures by application of an external electrical field across VO2 thin films. Single-phase VO2 thin films have been deposited on an Si(111) substrate using the pulsed laser deposition technique. The electrical transport behavior across the VO2/Si heterostructure has been studied in the temperature range of 35–105 °C, and a reversible SMT can be seen at 68 and 63 °C for heating and cooling cycles, respectively. The temperature-dependent resistance of the device shows a hysteresis loop around the transition temperature of the VO2 thin film. In addition, the device shows a significant change in junction current when an external bias is applied on the VO2 thin film, and this phenomenon has been utilized to study the switching behavior of the device. Such behavior is due to the change in interfacial barrier height because of the bias dependent tilting of electronic energy bands of the VO2 thin film. Our results offer novel opportunities to externally control the electrical transport of vertical heterostructures and can be beneficial for extending the notion of electrical field modulation in electrical switches and sensors.
6 citations
References
More filters
TL;DR: The effect of built-in biaxial stress on the E2 and A1 (LO) q = 0 phonon modes of wurtzite GaN layers deposited by Metal Organic Vapor Phase Epitaxy on (0 0 0 1) direction on sapphire substrates was studied by Raman spectroscopy.
163 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the deep levels in GaN associated with yellow luminescence transitions have been investigated using photoluminescence, Hall measurements, and deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS).
Abstract: The deep levels in GaN associated with yellow luminescence transitions have been investigated using photoluminescence, Hall measurements, and deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS). Hall measurements on Si-doped GaN show the presence of donor levels at ∼18, ∼35, and ∼70 meV, which are respectively associated with the Si shallow donors, O impurities, and the nitrogen vacancies (VN). DLTS measurements, on the other hand, reveal trap levels at Ec−0.1 eV, Ec−(0.2–0.24) eV, and Ev+0.87 eV. The trap level at Ec−0.1 eV obtained from DLTS can be correlated to the 70 meV deep donor (VN) obtained from Hall measurements. The deep donor band at Ec−(0.2–0.24) eV is attributed to the ON related defect complex decorated along dislocation sites while the hole level at Ev+0.87 eV is attributed to the Ga vacancy (VGa). Thermal annealing at 750 °C in nitrogen ambient results in reduction of yellow luminescence, which could be due to decrease in the concentration of VN and ON-related defect complexes. From these observatio...
101 citations
TL;DR: The origins of threading dislocations in GaN epitaxial layers grown on sapphire have been investigated by examining different stages of high-temperature (HT) GaN growth on lowtemperature GaN nucleation layers by transmission electron microscopy as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The origins of threading dislocations (TDs) in GaN epitaxial layers grown on (0001) sapphire have been investigated by examining different stages of high-temperature (HT) GaN growth on low-temperature GaN nucleation layers (NLs) by transmission electron microscopy. Results indicate that after 20 s of HT growth, GaN islands were free of TDs. After 75 and 120 s of growth, most of the islands contained pure screw (c type) and pure edge (a type) TDs with an interspersion of mixed (c+a type) TDs. Most of the TDs originated from faulted regions located within NLs. TDs move toward the island top surface (c type) or curve toward island side facets (a, c+a type). Coalescence of HT GaN islands did not give rise to either a, c, or c+a type TDs. After 240 s of growth, most TDs were predominantly of a type and could result from climb and glide of basal plane (BP) dislocations that form by the dissociation of Shockley partials located within the faulted regions. BP dislocations are also observed attached to the side fa...
94 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a method for the reduction of threading dislocation density in GaN epilayers is proposed, and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy observations clearly show that the formation and lateral propagation of macro-steps on the GaN surface play an important role in this dislocation reduction.
Abstract: Structural properties of GaN films grown on vicinal sapphire (0001) substrates with various vicinal angles by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy are investigated. High-resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD) results reveal the dramatic improvement of both tilting and twisting grain features of the GaN films when the vicinal angle is larger than 0.5° with the formation of multilayer macro-steps on the surface. The threading dislocation density reduces by over an order of magnitude estimated from the HRXRD results. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy observations clearly show that the formation and lateral propagation of macro-steps on the GaN surface play an important role in this dislocation reduction. A method for the reduction of threading dislocation density in GaN epilayers is proposed.
93 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the incorporation of In during growth of InxGa1−xN by molecular beam epitaxy under varying In/Ga flux ratios and with different film thicknesses was investigated.
Abstract: We report on the incorporation of In during growth of InxGa1−xN by molecular beam epitaxy under varying In/Ga flux ratios and with different film thicknesses. The incorporation efficiency studied by energy dispersive x-ray microanalysis, high-resolution x-ray diffraction and photoluminescence spectroscopy is strongly affected by the chosen fluxes of Ga and N and is limited by the excess of nitrogen compared to gallium. Furthermore, thick films exhibit a decrease of the In content in growth direction. The behavior can be explained by considering the different stabilities of the two binary compounds InN and GaN.
85 citations