Substitutional synthesis of sub-nanometer InGaN/GaN quantum wells with high indium content.

InGaN/GaN quantum wells (QWs) with sub-nanometer thickness can be employed in short-period superlattices for bandgap engineering of efficient optoelectronic devices, as well as for exploiting topological insulator behavior in III-nitride semiconductors. However, it had been argued that the highest indium content in such ultra-thin QWs is kinetically limited to a maximum of 33%, narrowing down the potential range of applications. Here, it is demonstrated that quasi two-dimensional (quasi-2D) QWs with thickness of one atomic monolayer can be deposited with indium contents far exceeding this limit, under certain growth conditions. Multi-QW heterostructures were grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy, and their composition and strain were determined with monolayer-scale spatial resolution using quantitative scanning transmission electron microscopy in combination with atomistic calculations. Key findings such as the self-limited QW thickness and the non-monotonic dependence of the QW composition on the growth temperature under metal-rich growth conditions suggest the existence of a substitutional synthesis mechanism, involving the exchange between indium and gallium atoms at surface sites. The highest indium content in this work approached 50%, in agreement with photoluminescence measurements, surpassing by far the previously regarded compositional limit. The proposed synthesis mechanism can guide growth efforts towards binary InN/GaN quasi-2D QWs.

Nanofabrication of normally-off GaN vertical nanowire MESFETs.

Gallium nitride (GaN) all-around (wrap) gate vertical nanowire (V-NW) field-effect transistors (FETs) are favorable for enhanced electrostatic control of the gate and selectivity for normally on/off operation. In this work, GaN V-NW FETs with a Schottky barrier gate (V-NW MESFETs), were fabricated for the first time. A nanofabrication process with comprehensive description of all processing steps is reported. It was validated with the demonstration of GaN V-NW MESFETs consisting of an array of 900 (30 × 30) GaN NWs with the narrowest until now reported diameter of 100 nm and all-around gate length of 250 nm. The GaN NWs were formed by a top-down approach, which combines conventional nanopatterning techniques and anisotropic wet etching of an initial GaN epilayer, grown by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy on a sapphire (0001) substrate. DC I-V characteristics exhibited normally-off operation and threshold voltage of +0.4 V, due to electron depletion region from the all-around Schottky barrier. A maximum drain-source current density (J ds) of 330 A cm-2 and maximum transconductance (g m) of 285 S cm-2 were obtained from I-V measurements. The results and directions for further optimization were discussed.

Strained GaAs/InGaAs Core-Shell Nanowires for Photovoltaic Applications.

We report on the successful growth of strained core-shell GaAs/InGaAs nanowires on Si (111) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. The as-grown nanowires have a density in the order of 10(8) cm(-2), length between 3 and 3.5 µm, and diameter between 60 and 160 nm, depending on the shell growth duration. By applying a range of characterization techniques, we conclude that the In incorporation in the nanowires is on average significantly smaller than what is nominally expected based on two-dimensional growth calibrations and exhibits a gradient along the nanowire axis. On the other hand, the observation of sharp dot-like emission features in the micro-photoluminescence spectra of single nanowires in the 900-1000-nm spectral range highlights the co-existence of In-rich enclosures with In content locally exceeding 30 %.

Extraction of absorption coefficients from as-grown GaN nanowires on opaque substrates using all-optical method.

We demonstrate a new all-optical method to measure absorption coefficients in any family of as-grown nanowires, provided they are grown on a substrate having considerable difference in permittivity with the nanowire-air matrix. In the case of high crystal quality, strain-free GaN nanowires, grown on Si (111) substrates, the extracted absorption coefficients do not exhibit any enhancement compared to bulk GaN values, unlike relevant claims in the literature. This could be attributed to the relatively small diameters, short heights, and high densities of our nanowire arrays.

InGaN nanopillars grown on silicon substrate using plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy.

Single crystalline and single phase In(x)Ga(1-x)N nanopillars were grown spontaneously on (111) silicon substrate by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The surface morphology, structural quality, and optoelectronic properties of InGaN nanopillars were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray (EDXA) analysis, high resolution x-ray diffraction (HR-XRD), and both room and low temperature photoluminescence spectra. The EDXA results showed that these nanopillars were composed of InGaN and the amount of indium incorporation in In(x)Ga(1-x)N NPs could be controlled by changing the growth temperature. The room temperature and low temperature PL spectra revealed that the emission wavelength could be tuned from a blue to green luminescent region depending on the growth temperature. The wavelength tuning was attributed to a higher amount of In incorporation at a lower growth temperature which was consistent with the EDXA and HR-XRD results.

GaN membrane metal-semiconductor-metal ultraviolet photodetector.

GaN is a wide-bandgap semiconductor with still unexplored capabilities for ultraviolet detection. To exploit GaN properties better for ultraviolet detection, a metal-semiconductor-metal-type photodetector structure was designed and manufactured on a 2.2 microm thin GaN membrane fabricated by micromachining techniques. As a result, a very low dark current (30 pA at 3 V) and a maximum responsivity of 14 mA/W at a wavelength of 370 nm were obtained.