The effect of substrate misorientation angle direction and degree on the structural properties of N-polar GaN grown by a novel multi-step temperature epitaxial approach using hot-wall metal–organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) on 4H-SiC (0001̄) substrates is investigated. The surface morphology and X-ray diffraction (XRD) rocking curves (RCs) for both symmetric and asymmetric Bragg peaks of the multi-step temperature N-polar GaN are compared to a material obtained in a two-step temperature process at different temperatures corresponding to the growth temperatures in each of the steps of the multi-step process. Different step-flow patterns are obtained on the substrates with a misorientation angle of 4° depending on whether its direction is towards the a-plane or the m-plane. In contrast, for a misorientaton angle of 1° towards the m-plane, the surface morphology of N-polar GaN is dominated by hexagonal hillocks when using the 2-step temperature process and a step meandering growth mode is observed when employing the multi-step temperature process. These results are discussed and explained in terms of kinetic and thermodynamic considerations. As the growth temperature of the GaN layer in the 2-step temperature process increases from 950 °C to 1100 °C, the surface roughness and RCs widths decrease for the three types of substrates indicating improved crystal quality at higher temperature. The multi-step epitaxial approach is shown to be beneficial for achieving smooth surface morphology and low defect density of N-polar GaN layers grown on C-face SiC substrates with a misorientation angle of 4° and an RMS value of 1.5 nm over an area of 20 μm × 20 μm is attained when the substrate mis-cut is towards the m-plane.

Electron effective mass is a fundamental material parameter defining the free charge carrier transport properties, but it is very challenging to be experimentally determined at high temperatures relevant to device operation. In this work, we obtain the electron effective mass parameters in a Si-doped GaN bulk substrate and epitaxial layers from terahertz (THz) and mid-infrared (MIR) optical Hall effect (OHE) measurements in the temperature range of 38–340 K. The OHE data are analyzed using the well-accepted Drude model to account for the free charge carrier contributions. A strong temperature dependence of the electron effective mass parameter in both bulk and epitaxial GaN with values ranging from (0.18 ± 0.02) m0 to (0.34 ± 0.01) m0 at a low temperature (38 K) and room temperature, respectively, is obtained from the THz OHE analysis. The observed effective mass enhancement with temperature is evaluated and discussed in view of conduction band nonparabolicity, polaron effect, strain, and deviations from the classical Drude behavior. On the other hand, the electron effective mass parameter determined by MIR OHE is found to be temperature independent with a value of (0.200 ± 0.002) m0. A possible explanation for the different findings from THz OHE and MIR OHE is proposed.

Wurtzite-type aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films exhibiting high thermal conductivity, large grain size, and low surface roughness are desired for both bulk acoustic wave and surface acoustic wave resonators. In this work, we use ammonia (NH3) assisted reactive sputter deposition of AlN to significantly improve these properties. The study shows a systematic change in the structural, thermal, and morphological properties of AlN grown in nitrogen (N2) and N2 + NH3 atmosphere. The study demonstrates that NH3 assisted AlN sputtering facilitates 2D growth. In addition, the study presents a growth model relating the 2D growth to improve the mobility of aluminum (Al) and nitrogen (N) ad-atoms in NH3 atmosphere. Consequently, the thermal conductivity and roughness improve by ≈76%, and ≈35%, while the grain size increases by ≈78%.

GaN-based power devices operating at high currents and high voltages are critically affected by the dissipation of Joule heat generated in the active regions. Consequently, knowledge of GaN thermal conductivity is crucial for effective thermal management, needed to ensure optimal device performance and reliability. Here, we present a study on the thermal conductivity of bulk GaN in crystallographic directions parallel and perpendicular to the c-axis. Thermal conductivity measurements are performed using the transient thermoreflectance technique. The experimental results are compared with a theoretical calculation based on a solution of the Boltzmann transport equation within the relaxation time approximation and taking into account the exact phonon dispersion. All factors that determine the thermal conductivity anisotropy are analyzed, and the experimentally observed small anisotropy factor is explained.

Owing to their very large piezoelectric coefficients and spontaneous polarizations, (Sc,Y)xAl1−xN alloys have emerged as a new class of III-nitride semiconductor materials with great potential for high-frequency electronic and acoustic devices. The thermal conductivity of constituent materials is a key parameter for design, optimization, and thermal management of such devices. In this study, transient thermoreflectance technique is applied to measure the thermal conductivity of ScxAl1−xN and YxAl1−xN (0 ≤x ≤0.22) layers grown by magnetron sputter epitaxy in the temperature range of 100–400 K. The room-temperature thermal conductivity of both alloys is found to decrease significantly with increasing Sc(Y) composition compared to that of AlN. We also found that the thermal conductivity of YxAl1−xN is lower than that of ScxAl1−xN for all studied compositions. In both alloys, the thermal conductivity increases with the temperature up to 250 K and then saturates. The experimental data are analyzed using a model based on the solution of the phonon Boltzmann transport equation within the relaxation time approximation. The contributions of different phonon-scattering mechanisms to the lattice thermal conductivity of (Sc,Y)xAl1−xN alloys are identified and discussed.

Nitrogen-polar III-nitride heterostructures offer advantages over metal-polar structures in high frequency and high power applications. However, polarity control in III-nitrides is difficult to achieve as a result of unintentional polarity inversion domains (IDs). Herein, we present a comprehensive structural investigation with both atomic detail and thermodynamic analysis of the polarity evolution in low-and high-temperature AlN layers on on-axis and 4 degrees off-axis carbon-face 4H-SiC (000 (1) over bar) grown by hot-wall metal organic chemical vapor deposition. A polarity control strategy has been developed by variation of thermodynamic Al supersaturation and substrate misorientation angle in order to achieve the desired growth mode and polarity. We demonstrate that IDs are completely suppressed for high-temperature AlN nucleation layers when a step-flow growth mode is achieved on the off-axis substrates. We employ this approach to demonstrate high quality N-polar epitaxial AlGaN/GaN/AlN heterostructures.

We report on the free charge carrier properties of a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in an AlN/AlxGa1–xN high electron mobility transistor structure with a high aluminum content (x = 0.78). The 2DEG sheet density Ns=(7.3±0.7)×1012 cm−2, sheet mobility μs=(270±40) cm2/(Vs), sheet resistance Rs=(3200±500) Ω/◻, and effective mass meff=(0.63±0.04)m0 at low temperatures (T=5 K) are determined by terahertz (THz) optical Hall effect measurements. The experimental 2DEG mobility in the channel is found within the expected range, and the sheet carrier density is in good agreement with self-consistent Poisson–Schrödinger calculations. However, a significant increase in the effective mass of 2DEG electrons at low temperatures is found in comparison with the respective value in bulk Al0.78Ga22N (meff=0.334 m0). Possible mechanisms for the enhanced 2DEG effective mass parameter are discussed and quantified using self-consistent Poisson–Schrödinger calculations.

${\mathrm{Al}}_{x}{\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}\mathrm{N}$ ternary alloys are emerging ultrawide band gap semiconductor materials for high-power electronics applications. The heat dissipation, which mainly depends on the thermal conductivity of the constituent material in the device structures, is the key for device performance and reliability. However, the reports on the thermal conductivity of ${\mathrm{Al}}_{x}{\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}\mathrm{N}$ alloys are very limited. Here, we present a comprehensive study of the thermal conductivity of ${\mathrm{Al}}_{x}{\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}\mathrm{N}$ in the entire Al composition range. Thick ${\mathrm{Al}}_{x}{\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}\mathrm{N}$ layers grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition on GaN/sapphire and GaN/SiC templates are examined. The thermal conductivity measurements are done by the transient thermoreflectance method at room temperature. The effects of the Al composition, dislocation density, Si doping, and layer thickness on the thermal conductivity of ${\mathrm{Al}}_{x}{\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}\mathrm{N}$ layers are thoroughly investigated. All experimental data are fitted by the modified Callaway model within the virtual crystal approximation, and the interplay between the different phonon scattering mechanisms is analyzed and discussed.

The hot-wall metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) concept, previously shown to enable superior material quality and high performance devices based on wide bandgap semiconductors, such as Ga(Al)N and SiC, has been applied to the epitaxial growth of β-Ga2O3. Epitaxial β-Ga2O3 layers at high growth rates (above 1 μm/h), at low reagent flows, and at reduced growth temperatures (740 °C) are demonstrated. A high crystalline quality epitaxial material on a c-plane sapphire substrate is attained as corroborated by a combination of x-ray diffraction, high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy, and spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements. The hot-wall MOCVD process is transferred to homoepitaxy, and single-crystalline homoepitaxial β-Ga2O3 layers are demonstrated with a 2̄01 rocking curve width of 118 arc sec, which is comparable to those of the edge-defined film-fed grown (2̄01) β-Ga2O3 substrates, indicative of similar dislocation densities for epilayers and substrates. Hence, hot-wall MOCVD is proposed as a prospective growth method to be further explored for the fabrication of β-Ga2O3.

AlxGa1-xN ternary alloys are emerging ultrawide band gap semiconductor materials for high-power electronics applications. The heat dissipation, which mainly depends on the thermal conductivity of the constituent material in the device structures, is the key for device performance and reliability. However, the reports on the thermal conductivity of AlxGa1-xN alloys are very limited. Here, we present a comprehensive study of the thermal conductivity of AlxGa1-xN in the entire Al composition range. Thick AlxGa1-xN layers grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition on GaN/sapphire and GaN/SiC templates are examined. The thermal conductivity measurements are done by the transient thermoreflectance method at room temperature. The effects of the Al composition, dislocation density, Si doping, and layer thickness on the thermal conductivity of AlxGa1-xN layers are thoroughly investigated. All experimental data are fitted by the modified Callaway model within the virtual crystal approximation, and the interplay between the different phonon scattering mechanisms is analyzed and discussed.

Research on nanowire (NW) growth of III-V semiconductors including GaAs and InAs demonstrated the ability to grow in both wurtzite (WZ) and zincblende (ZB) polymorphs. However, the control of crystal phase in selfcatalyzed NW growth is still a remaining challenge. In this study we report a controlled growth of GaAs/InAs core/shell nanowires in WZ phase using self-catalyzed molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The GaAs NWs having pure WZ crystal were achieved and attributed to the effect of small wetting angle, which is realized by supplying high V/III ratio. Furthermore, the WZ formation is shown to be uninfluenced by NW diameter. For the wetting angle larger than 90?, mixed phase starts to be observed. The InAs shell is planarly grown on six m-plane facets of the GaAs core NWs leading to the same strain states along a and c axes of growth plane, in which tensile and compressive strains are observed for GaAs core and InAs shell, respectively. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) reveals a few misfit dislocations (-0.03 nm- 1) at GaAs/InAs interface indicating insignificant strain relief via creating misfit dislocation. Electrical characterization of the hetero-wires shows that the InAs shell exhibits n-type conduction. A room-temperature sheet carrier concentration at zero gate-bias of 2.5 ? 1012 cm-2 and the corresponding carrier mobility of - 900 cm2 V-1 s- 1 are demonstrated.

Thermal conductivity of AlxGa1−xN layers with 0≤x≤0.96 and variable thicknesses is systematically studied by combined thermoreflectance measurements and a modified Callaway model. We find a reduction in the thermal conductivity of AlxGa1−xN by more than one order of magnitude compared to that of GaN, which indicates a strong effect of phonon-alloy scattering. It is shown that the short-mean free path phonons are strongly scattered, which leads to a major contribution of the long-mean free path phonons to the thermal conductivity. In thin layers, the long-mean free path phonons become efficiently scattered by the boundaries, resulting in a further decrease in the thermal conductivity. Also, an asymmetry of thermal conductivity as a function of Al content is experimentally observed and attributed to the mass difference between Ga and Al host atoms.

Transient thermoreflectance (TTR) technique is employed to study the thermal conductivity of β-Ga2O3 and high Al-content AlxGa1-xN semiconductors, which are very promising materials for high-power device applications. The experimental data are analyzed with the Callaway's model taking into account all relevant phonon scattering processes. Our results show that out-of-plane thermal conductivity of high Al-content AlxGa1-xN and (−201) β-Ga2O3 is of the same order of magnitude and approximately one order lower than that of GaN or AlN. The low thermal conductivity is attributed to the dominant phonon-alloy scattering in AlxGa1-xN and to the strong Umklapp phonon-phonon scattering in β-Ga2O3. It is also found that the phonon-boundary scattering is essential in thin β-Ga2O3 and AlxGa1-xN layers even at high temperatures and the thermal conductivity strongly deviates from the common 1/T temperature dependence.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) using plasmonic effect relies on the amplification of the Raman signals of targeted molecules due to a strong near-field enhancement of plasmonic nanostructures. The SERS intensity, therefore, depends strongly on the geometry of plasmonic structures wherein nanogaps between plasmonic objects play a significant role in the near-field enhancement. Here, using the random gold nanoisland assemble as a plasmonic medium and the Rh6G as the targeted molecule, we show that not only the size of the nanogaps but also their density influence strongly on the SERS intensity. The SERS intensity is found to be significantly improved if the gap size decreases and gap density increases. Our work provides additional information that might be useful for optimizing the SERS signal strength of the random plasmonic media.

The hybrid structure of ZnO NWs with the presence of different dopants recently has drawn many interests from researchers due to the possibility to integrate multiple functionalities into one single structure. In this article, we investigated the morphology, crystal structure and ferromagnetism of the ZnO@Co/Ni hybrid core@shell NWs prepared by a facile electrochemical deposition method. The results show that a thin layer of Ni and Co coated on the surface of ZnO NWs (confirmed by XRD, EDS, TEM and Raman scattering) can create a significant improvement of ferromagnetic property in such hybrid core@shell NWs. In which, for the coating time of 10, 15, 20 min, the value of M s is around 0.67, 0.88 and 2.56 emu g-1 for ZnO@Co NWs, and about 0.013, 0.022 and 0.031 emu g-1 for ZnO@Ni NWs, respectively, in comparison with the number of 0.016 emu g-1 for pure ZnO NWs. Interestingly, we also found the temperature dependence of ferromagnetism of such Co/Ni coated ZnO NWs. These results reveal the possibility to employ such hybrid core@shell NWs for many applications, e.g. spin field effect transistors.

The galvanic-cell-based synthesis is considered as an effective method for the seed-layer free preparation of ZnO nanorods. However, the nucleation stage of the growth which decides the final structures of ZnO nanorods is still not well-understood. Here we show that the nucleation is almost completed after two minutes of growth and the galvanic-cell-based method results in a condensed ZnO layer beneath of the ZnO nanorods. Beyond this finding, we propose a hybrid approach that combines the galvanic and hydrothermal growth to fabricate the condensed-layer free, well-separated ZnO nanorods that might be compatible for the ZnO-based devices. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

We report on crystallographic behaviors of inclined GaAs nanowires (NWs) self-crystallized on GaAs (001) substrate. The NWs were grown on hydrogen-silsesquioxane (HSQ) covered substrates using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Commonly, the epitaxial growth of GaAs 111B (B-polar) NWs is prominently observed on GaAs (001); however, we yielded a remarkable number of epitaxially grown GaAs 111A (A-polar) NWs in addition to the majorly obtained B-polar NWs. Such NW orientations are always accompanied by a typical inclined angle of 35° from (001) plane. NWs with another inclined angle of 74° were additionally observed and attributed to be 111-oriented, not in direct epitaxial relation with the substrate. Such 74° NWs' existence is related to first-order three-dimensional (3D) lattice rotation taking place at the very beginning of the growth. It turns out that spatially 60° lattice rotation around 111 directions at GaAs seeds is essentially in charge of A- and B-polar 74° NWs. Transmission electron microscope observations reveal a high density of twinning in the B-polar NWs and twin-free characteristic in the A-polar NWs.