Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t8hqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-29T07:45:08.147Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Conducting (Si-Doped) Aluminum Nitride Epitaxial Films Grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2011

J. G. Kim ,
Madhu Moorthy  and
R. M. Park
J. G. Kim
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, [email protected] v
Madhu Moorthy
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, [email protected] v
R. M. Park
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, [email protected] v
Get access

Abstract

As a member of the III-V nitride semiconductor family, AlN, which has a direct energygap of 6.2eV, has received much attention as a promising material for many applications. However, despite the promising attributes of AlN for various semiconductor devices, research on AlN has been limited and n-type conducting AlN has not been reported. The objective of this research was to understand the factors impacting the conductivity of AlN and to control the conductivity of this material through intentional doping. Prior to the intentional doping study, growth of undoped AlN epilayers was investigated. Through careful selection of substrate preparation methods and growth parameters, relatively low-temperature molecular beam epitaxial growth of AlN films was established which resulted in insulating material. Intentional Si doping during epilayer growth was found to result in conducting films under specific growth conditions. Above a growth temperature of 900°C, AlN films were insulating, however, below a growth temperature of 900°C, the AlN films were conducting. The magnitude of the conductivity and the growth temperature range over which conducting AlN films could be grown were strongly influenced by the presence of a Ga flux during growth. For instance, conducting, Si-doped, AlN films were grown at a growth temperature of 940°C in the presence of a Ga flux while the films were insulating when grown in the absence of a Ga flux at this particular growth temperature. Also, by appropriate selection of the growth parameters, epilayers with n-type conductivity values as large as 0.2 Ω−1 cm−1 for AlN and 17 Ω−1cm−1 for Al0.75Ga0.25N were grown in this work for the first time.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 572: Symposium Y – Wide-Bandgap Semiconductors for High-Power, High Frequency… , 1999 , 333
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1999

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1. Nakamura, S., Mukai, T. and Senoh, M., Appl. Phys. Lett. 64, 1687(1994).10.1063/1.111832Google Scholar
2. Nakamura, S., Proc. of the SPIE V2693, 43 (1996)Google Scholar
3. Khan, M.A., Chen, Q., Shur, M.S., Dermott, B.T., Higgins, J.A., Burm, J., Schaff, W. and Eastman, L.F., Electronic Letters 32, 357(1996).10.1049/el:19960206Google Scholar
4. Wu, Y.F., Keller, B.P., Keller, S., Kapolnek, D., Kozodoy, P., Denbaars, S.P. and Mishra, U.K., Appl. Phys. Lett. 69, 1438(1996).10.1063/1.117607Google Scholar
5. Binari, S.C., Redwing, J.M., Kelner, G. and Kruppa, W., Electronic Letters 33, 242(1997).10.1049/el:19970122Google Scholar
6. Chen, Q., Gaska, R., Khan, M. Asif, Shur, M.S., Ping, A., Adesida, I., Burm, J., Schaff, W.J. and Eastman, L.F., Electronic Letters 33, 637(1997).10.1049/el:19970403Google Scholar
7. Kline, G.R. and Lakin, K.M., Appl. Phys. Lett. 43,750 (1983).Google Scholar
8. Benjamin, M.C., Wang, C., Davis, R.F. and Nemanich, R. J., Appl. Phys. Lett. 64 3288(1994).10.1063/1.111312Google Scholar
9. Chu, T.L., Ing, D.W. and Noreika, A.J., Solid State Electron. 10, 1023(1967).10.1016/0038-1101(67)90152-9Google Scholar
10. Zhang, X., Kung, P., Saxler, A., Walker, D., Wang, T.C. and Razeghi, M., Appl. Phys. Lett. 67, 1745(1995).10.1063/1.115036Google Scholar
11. Bremser, M.D., Perry, W.G., Zheleva, T., Edwards, N.V., Nam, O.H., Parikh, N., Aspnes, D.E. and Davis, R.F., MRS Internet Journal Vol. 1, Article 8 (1996).Google Scholar
12. Liu, H., Frenkel, A.C., Kim, J.G. and Park, R.M., J. Appl. Phys. 74, 6124(1993).10.1063/1.355176Google Scholar
13. Kim, J.G., Frenkel, A.C., Liu, H. and Park, R.M., Appl. Phys. Lett. 65 91(1994).Google Scholar
14. Liu, H., Kim, J.G., Ludwig, H. and Park, R.M., Appl. Phys. Lett. 71, 347(1997).10.1063/1.119971Google Scholar