Epitaxial ScxAl1−xN thin films of ∼100 nm thickness grown on metal polar GaN substrates are found to exhibit significantly enhanced relative dielectric permittivity (εr) values relative to AlN. εrvalues of ∼17–21 for Sc mole fractions of 17%–25% ( x = 0.17–0.25) measured electrically by capacitance–voltage measurements indicate that ScxAl1−xN has the largest relative dielectric permittivity of any existing nitride material. Since epitaxial ScxAl1−xN layers deposited on GaN also exhibit large polarization discontinuity, the heterojunction can exploit the in situ high-K dielectric property to extend transistor operation for power electronics and high-speed microwave applications.
Oxygen Incorporation in the Molecular Beam Epitaxy Growth of Sc x Ga 1−x N and Sc x Al 1−x N
Secondary‐ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is used to determine impurity concentrations of carbon and oxygen in two scandium‐containing nitride semiconductor multilayer heterostructures: Sc
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10130192
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- physica status solidi (b)
- Volume:
- 257
- Issue:
- 4
- ISSN:
- 0370-1972
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
more » « less
-
more » « less
Growths of monoclinic (Al
x Ga1−x )2O3thin films up to 99% Al contents are demonstrated via metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) using trimethylgallium (TMGa) as the Ga precursor. The utilization of TMGa, rather than triethylgallium, enables a significant improvement of the growth rates (>2.5 μm h−1) of β‐(Alx Ga1−x )2O3thin films on (010), (100), and (01) β‐Ga2O3substrates. By systematically tuning the precursor molar flow rates, growth of coherently strained phase pure β‐(Alx Ga1−x )2O3films is demonstrated by comprehensive material characterizations via high‐resolution X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic‐resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) imaging. Monoclinic (Alx Ga1−x )2O3films with Al contents up to 99, 29, and 16% are achieved on (100), (010), and (01) β‐Ga2O3substrates, respectively. Beyond 29% of Al incorporation, the (010) (Alx Ga1−x )2O3films exhibit β‐ to γ‐phase segregation. β‐(Alx Ga1−x )2O3films grown on (01) β‐Ga2O3show local segregation of Al along (100) plane. Record‐high Al incorporations up to 99% in monoclinic (Alx Ga1−x )2O3grown on (100) Ga2O3are confirmed from XRD, STEM, electron nanodiffraction, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. These results indicate great promises of MOCVD development of β‐(Alx Ga1−x )2O3films and heterostructures with high Al content and growth rates using TMGa for next‐generation high‐power and high‐frequency electronic devices. -
more » « less
The growth of monoclinic phase‐pure gallium oxide (β‐Ga2O3) layers by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition on c‐plane sapphire and aluminum nitride (AlN) templates using silicon‐oxygen bonding (SiO
x ) as a phase stabilizer is reported. The β‐Ga2O3layers are grown using triethylgallium, oxygen, and silane for gallium, oxygen, and silicon precursors, respectively, at 700 °C, with and without silane flow in the process. The samples grown on sapphire with SiOx phase stabilization show a notable change from samples without phase stabilization in the roughness and resistivity, from 16.2 to 4.2 nm and from 85.82 to 135.64 Ω cm, respectively. X‐ray diffraction reveals a pure‐monoclinic phase, and Raman spatial mapping exhibits higher tensile strain in the films in the presence of SiOx . The β‐Ga2O3layers grown on an AlN template, using the same processes as for sapphire, show an excellent epitaxial relationship between β‐Ga2O3and AlN and have a significant change in β‐Ga2O3surface morphology. -
more » « less
Abstract Epitaxial (Ti1−
x Mgx )0.25Al0.75N(0001)/Al2O3(0001) layers are used as a model system to explore how Fermi‐level engineering facilitates structural stabilization of a host matrix despite the intentional introduction of local bonding instabilities that enhance the piezoelectric response. The destabilizing octahedral bonding preference of Ti dopants and the preferred 0.67 nitrogen‐to‐Mg ratio for Mg dopants deteriorate the wurtzite AlN matrix for both Ti‐rich (x < 0.2) and Mg‐rich (x ≥ 0.9) alloys. Conversely,x = 0.5 leads to a stability peak with a minimum in the lattice constant ratioc /a , which is caused by a Fermi‐level shift into the bandgap and a trend toward nondirectional ionic bonding, leading to a maximum in the expected piezoelectric stress constante 33. The refractive index and the subgap absorption decrease withx , the optical bandgap increases, and the elastic constant along the hexagonal axisC 33= 270 ± 14 GPa remains composition independent, leading to an expected piezoelectric constantd 33= 6.4 pC N−1atx = 0.5, which is 50% larger than for the pure AlN matrix. Thus, contrary to the typical anticorrelation between stability and electromechanical coupling, the (Ti1−x Mgx )0.25Al0.75N system exhibits simultaneous maxima in the structural stability and the piezoelectric response atx = 0.5. -
more » « less
A top-illuminated deep-ultraviolet Al0.6Ga0.4N p-i-n avalanche photodiode (APD) structure was designed and grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on an AlN bulk substrate and on two different quality AlN/sapphire templates, and APDs were fabricated and tested. The APD devices with a circular diameter of 20 μm have demonstrated a distinctive reverse-bias breakdown behavior. The reverse breakdown voltage of the APDs is approximately −140 V, which corresponds to a breakdown electric field of 6–6.2 MV/cm for the Al0.6Ga0.4N material as estimated by Silvaco TCAD simulation. The APDs grown on the AlN bulk substrate show the lowest leakage current density of <1 × 10−8 A/cm2(at low reverse bias) compared to that of the devices grown on the AlN templates. From the photocurrent measurement, a maximum gain (current limited) of 1.2 × 104is calculated. The average temperature coefficients of the breakdown voltage are negative for APD devices fabricated from both the AlN bulk substrate and the AlN templates, but these data show that the coefficient is the least negative for the APD devices grown on the low-dislocation-density AlN bulk substrate.
