Rapid Thermal Oxidation (RTO) of AlGaN barrier has been employed to reduce the gate leakage current in AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors. Current Voltage (I – V) and Capacitance Voltage (C – V) characteristics of Schottky Barrier diodes and Metal Oxide Semiconductor diodes are compared. At room temperature, reduction in gate leakage current over an order of magnitude in reverse bias and four orders of magnitude in forward bias is achieved upon oxidation. While the gate current reduces upon RTO, gate capacitance does not change indicating gate control over the channel is not compromised. I – V and C – V characterization have been carried out at different temperatures to get more insight into the device operation.

The paper reports on the fabrication of electrical isolation for planar AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor using Al double-implantation. The implantation was performed using Al+ ions with energies of 800 keV and 300 keV with doses of 1.5×1013 ion/cm2 and 1×1013 ion/cm2, respectively. Electrical measurements have shown that after implantation the sheet resistance was 1.8×1011 Ω/□ and increased to 1.17×1014 Ω/□ and 3.29×1012 Ω/□ after annealing at 400°C and 600°C respectively. Annealing at 800°C decreased the sheet resistance to 1.38×108 Ω/□. Characterization by XRD, Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopy give evidence that implantation damages the crystal lattice, yielding insulating properties. It has been demonstrated that the isolation is stable up to 600°C.

Simulation results of InGaN light-emitting diodes and efficiency droop are presented. A special method for investigating the changes in the semiconductor devices characteristics due to different influencing factors is developed.

The cause of efficiency droop was detected-large difference in carrier lifetimes. The simulation results are used to suggest several techniques for improving LED efficiency up to 10-15 %.

We have investigated surface modification methods for avalanche photodiodes using dielectrics deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD). Arrays of mesa GaN APDs were fabricated, and ALD Al2O3 was used for sidewall passivation prior to completing the APD array. The use of ALD Al2O3 in this manner was observed to result in a large average improvement in APD dark current when compared with devices using more conventional SiO2 passivation layers produced by chemical vapor deposition. Co-processed metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors fabricated with the same passivation layers show significant improvement in electrical interface quality for devices with ALD Al2O3.

We have electrically characterized a 300 nm-thick unintentionally-doped In0.09Ga0.91N film grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition on a GaN template, employing capacitance-voltage (C-V), thermal admittance spectroscopy (TAS), and steady-state photocapacitance spectroscopy (SSPC) techniques on Schottky barrier diodes. TAS measurements revealed a degenerating-like shallow-donor defect with a thermal activation energy of ∼7 meV, which most likely acts as a source of residual carriers with their concentration of ∼1017 cm-3 determined from C-V measurements. Additionally, SSPC measurements revealed two characteristic deep-level defects located at ∼2.07 and ∼3.05 eV below the conduction band, which were densely enhanced near the underlayer. These electronic defects are probably introduced by alloying InN with GaN.

Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) crystals enriched in 10B and 11B isotopes were synthesized using a high temperature (1500° C) Ni-Cr-B reactive-precipitation growth under a N2 atmosphere. Two growth mechanisms were observed: conventional defect-facilitated bulk growth which produced crystals with a platelet-like habit with width and thickness of 20-30 μm and 5 μm, respectively, and vapor-liquid-solid interface growth of hBN whiskers with lengths and diameters as large as 70 μm and 5 μm, respectively. Similar growth mechanisms were seen for samples enriched in either isotope. Isotopic analysis via secondary-ion mass spectrometry showed boron concentrations of 84.4 at% and 93.0 at% for the majority isotopes in the 10B-rich and 11B-rich samples, respectively. Raman spectroscopy showed an increase in peak Raman shift for the 10B-rich sample, having two barely resolved peaks at 1393.5 and 1388.8 cm-1, and a decrease for the 11B-rich sample, having peak at 1359.5 cm-1 (FWHM of 9.4 cm-1), compared to that of natural hBN, with its peak at 1365.8 cm-1 (FWHM of 10.3 cm-1). Raman shift showed a linear trend with increasing 10B concentration allowing for a calibration curve to be developed to estimate 10B enrichment in hBN using non-destructive methods.

We investigated carrier dynamics in both proton-irradiated InAs-GaAs quantum dot laser structures and in high power broad-area InAs-GaAs quantum dot lasers with windowed n-contacts using time-resolved PL (TR-PL) techniques.

We report a change in the dielectric response of AlGaInP based multi quantum well diodes with the onset of modulated light emission. Observed variation in junction capacitance and modulated light emission, with frequency and temperature, suggests participation of slow defect channels in fast radiative recombination dynamics. Our work establishes prominent connection between electrical and optical properties of light emitting diodes and provides a tool to investigate the interesting condensed matter physics of these structures. Our observations demand a generalized physical framework, beyond conventional models, to understand an active light emitting diode under charge carrier injection. We suggest that the low frequency response can compromise the performance of these diodes under high frequency applications. We also suggest how internal quantum well structure can affect modulated light output efficiency of the device.

High performance and cost effective multi-junction III-V solar cells are attractive for satellite applications. High performance multi-junction solar cells are based on a triple-junction design that employs an InGaP top-junction, a GaAs middle-junction, and a bottom-junction consisting of a 1.0 – 1.25 eV-material. The most attractive 1.0 – 1.25 eV-material is the lattice-matched dilute nitride such as InGaAsN(Sb). A record efficiency of 43.5% was achieved from multi-junction solar cells including dilute nitride materials [1]. In addition, cost effective manufacturing of III-V triple-junction solar cells can be achieved by employing full-wafer epitaxial lift-off (ELO) technology, which enables multiple substrate re-usages. We employed time-resolved photoluminescence (TR-PL) techniques to study carrier dynamics in both pre- and post-ELO processed GaAs double heterostructures (DHs) as well as in MOVPE-grown bulk dilute nitride layers lattice matched to GaAs substrates.

Alternate aluminum and arsenic precursors were investigated for InAlAs grown by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy (OMVPE). The quality of the InAlAs growths was investigated by secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) to measure impurity concentrations. Trends are extracted from SIMS measurements for each precursor as a function of V/III ratio and growth temperature. Two arsenic precursors, arsine and tertiarybutylarsine (TBAs), were chosen to compare InAlAs growth quality. The impurity concentrations measured by SIMS decrease as the V/III ratio increases, for both arsine and TBAs growths. Impurities also decrease as growth temperature increases. Two aluminum precursors, trimethylaluminum (TMAl) and tritertiarybutylaluminum (TTBAl), were used to compare the effect of alumimum precursor on carbon and oxygen impurity levels. TMAl is widely studied in literature, though TTBAl is less common. This study represents the first report using the TTBAl precursor for InAlAs growth. Each aluminum source is used in conjunction with each aforementioned arsenic precursor in order to compare all possible precursor combinations. TMAl growths demonstrated decreasing impurities with increasing V/III ratio. TTBAl growths did not exhibit such a dependence, impurity concentrations remained virtually constant regardless of V/III ratio.

The microwave-induced magnetoresistance oscillations are exhibited by the GaAs/AlGaAs two dimensional electron system (2DES) under microwave and terahertz photo-excitation at liquid helium temperatures. Such oscillations are presently understood in terms of various theories. In order to identify the relative physical contributions, we have concurrently examined magnetotransport and microwave reflection from the 2DES. For the reflection measurements, a sensitive microwave detector was assimilated into the standard experimental setup. Here, we correlate changes in reflection with the concurrent transport response of the photo-excited 2DES.

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based on the conventional III-V compound semiconductors are known to exhibit internal quantum efficiencies (IQE) that are very close to unity. Ideally, the high IQE is expected to enable electroluminescent cooling with a cooling capacity of several Watts per cm2 of emitter area. One key requirement in enabling such cooling is the ability to fabricate high quality large area LEDs. However, detailed information on the performance of relevant large area devices and their yield is extremely scarce. In this report we present data on the yield and related large area scaling of InP/InGaAs LEDs by using current-voltage measurements performed on LED wafers fabricated at five different facilities. The samples were processed to contain square shaped mesas of sizes 0.25 mm2 and 16 mm2 operating as LEDs. While most of the smaller mesas showed relatively good electrical characteristics and low leakage current densities, some of them also exhibited very large leakage currents. In addition, in some cases the large area devices exhibited large, and even almost linearly behaving leakage currents. Such information on the scaling and unidealities of diodes fabricated using established fabrication technologies is crucial for the development of the optical cooling technologies relying on large area devices.

We examined the potential application of CuIn1-xGaxSe1-ySy (CIGS) film for visible light image sensors. CIGS chalcopyrite semiconductors, which are representative of high efficiency thin film solar cells, have both a high absorption coefficient and high quantum efficiency. However, their dark current is too high for image sensors. In this study, we applied gallium oxide (Ga2O3) as a hole-blocking layer for CIGS thin film to reduce the dark current. The dark current of this hetero-junction was 10-9 A/cm2 at less than 7 V. Moreover, an avalanche multiplication phenomenon was observed at an applied voltage of over 8 V. However, this structure had sensitivity only in the ultraviolet light region due to the much lower carrier density of the Ga2O3 layer. We therefore used a tin-doped Ga2O3 (Ga2O3:Sn) layer deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) for the n-type layer to increase the carrier density. The sensitivity of the visible region was observed in the Ga2O3:Sn/CIGS hetero-junction. We also investigated the influence of the laser frequency of the PLD on the transmittance of Ga2O3:Sn and the quantum efficiency of this hetero-junction. Ga2O3:Sn film deposited at a 0.1-Hz laser repetition rate had higher transmittance than at a 10-Hz repetition rate. The Ga2O3:Sn/CIGS hetero-junction also had a higher quantum efficiency with the lower rate (50%) than with the higher rate (30%).

Nanoisland films have been grown via incongruent evaporation films. The basis of incongruent evaporation growth method was worked out. Samples surface morphology has been studied by atomic force microscopy. The surface density and characteristic dimensions of the islands have been shown.

Hereby, we present a synthetic route for the production of wurtzite (WZ) CdSe nanocrystals (NCs), which are essential for further shell growing reaction (e.g. CdSe/CdS dot-in-rod (DRs) nanoheterostructures). Our continuous flow reactor set-up consists of a separate nucleation chamber and growth oven. Both components can be heated up to temperatures above 350 °C to guarantee WZ crystal structure.

Furthermore, we introduce DRs as the next powerful tool concerning biological imaging and assay detection. Using DRs in cell imaging results in an increased sensitivity due to the higher brightness compared to spherical core/shell/shell (CSS) nanocrystals.

We successfully fabricated semiconductor microspheres of ZnO, ZnSe, etc., by laser ablation in superfluid helium and investigated their morphology and optical properties. Time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy in ultraviolet region of single ZnO microspheres shows luminescence spectra with mode structures and remarkable reduction of the luminescence decay time compared to that of polycrystals or non-spherical microparticles. This indicates strong light-matter interaction due to efficient light-confinement in the ZnO microspheres. In addition, the fabricated ZnSe microspheres also show the photoluminescence spectra with typical mode structures indicating their high sphericity.

We have investigated on a relation between C-related deep-level defects and turn-on recovery characteristics in bulk regions of AlGaN/GaN hetero-structures containing various C concentrations, employing their Schottky barrier diodes. With decreasing the growth temperature of the GaN buffer layer, three specific deep-level defects located at ∼2.07, ∼2.75, and ∼3.23 eV below the conduction band were significantly enhanced probably due to the C impurity incorporation into the GaN buffer layer. Among them, the ∼2.75 and ∼3.23 eV levels are considered to be strongly responsible for the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) carrier trapping in the bulk regions of the hetero-structures, from their turn-on current recovery characteristics under various optical illuminations.

The paper reports on the growth of group III-Sb’s on silicon, substrate preparation, optimization of AlGaSb metamorphic buffer, formation of defects (threading dislocations, microtwins and anti-phase boundaries) and their effect on the surface morphology and electrical properties of these high hole mobility materials for future III-V CMOS technology. Defect density was found to be 2-3x higher than in similar structures grown on GaAs, resulting in 2x higher roughness. Defects also result in background p-type doping well above 1017 cm-3 causing inversion of polarity from n-type to p-type in thin n-type doped GaSb. MOS Capacitors fabricated on these buffers demonstrate similar characteristics to higher quality GaSb-on-GaAs. The highest hole mobility obtained in a strained InGaSb QW MOS channel grown on silicon is ∼630 cm2/V-s which is ∼30% lower than similar channels grown on GaAs substrates.

The forward voltage degradation in 4H-SiC PiN diodes with a simplified process and that in 4H-SiC pin diodes with additional processes are investigated. Photoluminescence images were also observed to identify the cause of forward voltage degradation. The forward voltage degradations of 4H-SiC PiN diodes with additional processes were larger than those with a simplified process. Observing photoluminescence images of diodes after a current stress test showed that less than 25% of Shockley-type stacking faults in 4H-SiC PiN diodes with a simplified process are caused by half-loop dislocations, which are generated not only in the additional processes but also in the whole device fabrication process. With additional processes, those rates are over 65%, which may be reduced by eliminating half-loop dislocations due to the optimization of the process condition and sequence.

An electrical and analytical study was carried out to investigate TiW/ZnO Schottky contacts with 30 nm ZnO thin film layers deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD), plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD), and thermal atomic layer deposition (TALD). Devices with ZnO layer deposited by TALD exhibit approximately linear behavior in their I-V measurements. However, both devices with ZnO layers deposited by PEALD and PLD behaved like Schottky rectifiers with barrier heights between TiW and ZnO of 0.51 eV and 0.45 eV respectively and ideality factors of 2.0 and 2.3 respectively. The PEALD deposited ZnO Schotty diodes demonstrated an on/off rectifying ratio of about 25 at ±1 V. The leakage current values of the PLD deposited ZnO Schottky diodes are significantly larger than those of PEALD, leading to a poor on/off rectifying ratio of ∼4. Due to the small thickness, a critical breakdown strength of 1.3 MV/cm was estimated for PEALD-ZnO thin films.