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Abstract The recent observation of unusually high thermal conductivity exceeding 1000 W m−1K−1in single‐crystal boron arsenide (BAs) has led to interest in the potential application of this semiconductor for thermal management. Although both the electron/hole high mobilities have been calculated for BAs, there is a lack of experimental investigation of its electronic properties. Here, a photoluminescence (PL) measurement of single‐crystal BAs at different temperatures and pressures is reported. The measurements reveal an indirect bandgap and two donor–acceptor pair (DAP) recombination transitions. Based on first‐principles calculations and time‐of‐flight secondary‐ion mass spectrometry results, the two DAP transitions are confirmed to originate from Si and C impurities occupying shallow energy levels in the bandgap. High‐pressure PL spectra show that the donor level with respect to the conduction band minimum shrinks with increasing pressure, which affects the release of free carriers from defect states. These findings suggest the possibility of strain engineering of the transport properties of BAs for application in electronic devices.
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General algorithm for characterization of donor-acceptor pair recombination processes in solid-state materials
Radiative recombination processes can occur in solid-state systems through the pairing of donor and acceptor defects of the lattice. Recently, donor-acceptor pairs (DAP) have been proposed as promising candidates for quantum applications, and their signature has been observed in emerging low-dimensional materials. Therefore, the identification of such processes is gaining interest and requires methods to efficiently and reliably characterize them. Here, we introduce a general algorithm to identify DAP processes starting from the experimental photoluminescence (PL) emission spectrum and basic material parameters, including the lattice structure and dielectric constant. The algorithm recognizes possible DAP transitions from the emission pattern in the spectrum and returns the characteristic energy of the DAP transition and the separation between the donor and acceptor sites. By testing the algorithm on the photoluminescence spectrum of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), we show that our method is robust against experimental errors and adds new capabilities to the investigation toolbox of semiconductors and their optical properties.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2044281
- PAR ID:
- 10531599
- Publisher / Repository:
- Optical Society of America
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Optical Materials Express
- Volume:
- 14
- Issue:
- 9
- ISSN:
- 2159-3930
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: Article No. 2122
- Size(s):
- Article No. 2122
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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