InGaAs/InP double heterostructures on InP/Si templates fabricated by wafer bonding and hydrogen-induced exfoliation

Hydrogen-induced exfoliation combined with wafer bonding has been used to transfer ~600-nm-thick films of (100) InP to Si substrates. Cross-section transmission electron microscopy (TEM) shows a transferred crystalline InP layer with no observable defects in the region near the bonded interface and an intimately bonded interface. InP and Si are covalently bonded as inferred by the fact that InP/Si pairs survived both TEM preparation and thermal cycles up to 620 °C necessary for metalorganic chemical vapor deposition growth. The InP transferred layers were used as epitaxial templates for the growth of InP/In0.53Ga0.47As/InP double heterostructures. Photoluminescence measurements of the In0.53Ga0.47As layer show that it is optically active and under tensile strain, due to differences in the thermal expansion between InP and Si. These are promising results in terms of a future integration of Si electronics with optical devices based on InP-lattice-matched materials

Role of hydrogen in hydrogen-induced layer exfoliation of germanium

The role of hydrogen in the exfoliation of Ge is studied using cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and multiple-internal transmission mode Fourier-transform infrared absorption spectroscopy and compared with the mechanism in silicon. A qualitative model for the physical and chemical action of hydrogen in the exfoliation of these materials is presented, in which H-implantation creates damage states that store hydrogen and create nucleation sites for the formation of micro-cracks. These micro-cracks are chemically stabilized by hydrogen passivation, and upon annealing serve as collection points for molecular hydrogen. Upon further heating, the molecular hydrogen trapped in these cracks exerts pressure on the internal surfaces causing the cracks to extend and coalesce. When this process occurs in the presence of a handle substrate that provides rigidity to the thin film, the coalescence of these cracks leads to cooperative thin film exfoliation. In addition to clarifying the mechanism of H-induced exfoliation of single-crystal thin Ge films, the vibrational study helps to identify the states of hydrogen in heavily damaged Ge. Such information has practical importance for the optimization of H-induced layer transfer as a technological tool for materials integration with these materials systems

Phonon confinement and plasmon-phonon interaction in nanowire based quantum wells

Resonant Raman spectroscopy is realized on closely spaced nanowire based quantum wells. Phonon quantization consistent with 2.4 nm thick quantum wells is observed, in agreement with cross-section transmission electron microscopy measurements and photoluminescence experiments. The creation of a high density plasma within the quantized structures is demonstrated by the observation of coupled plasmon-phonon modes. The density of the plasma and thereby the plasmon-phonon interaction is controlled with the excitation power. This work represents a base for further studies on confined high density charge systems in nanowires

Spectroscopic studies of the mechanism for hydrogen-induced exfoliation of InP

The motion and bonding configurations of hydrogen in InP are studied after proton implantation and subsequent annealing, using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. It is demonstrated that, as implanted, hydrogen is distributed predominantly in isolated pointlike configurations with a smaller concentration of extended defects with uncompensated dangling bonds. During annealing, the bonded hydrogen is released from point defects and is recaptured at the peak of the distribution by free internal surfaces in di-hydride configurations. At higher temperatures, immediately preceding exfoliation, rearrangement processes lead to the formation of hydrogen clusters and molecules. Reported results demonstrate that the exfoliation dynamics of hydrogen in InP and Si are markedly different, due to the higher mobility of hydrogen in InP and different implant-defect characteristics, leading to fundamental differences in the chemical mechanism for exfoliation

The role of hydrogen in the formation of microcrystalline silicon

The growth mechanisms of microcrystalline silicon thin films at low temperatures (100-250°C) by plasma CVD are still a matter of debate. We have shown that ue-Si:H formation proceeds through four phases (incubation, nucleation, growth and steady state) and that hydrogen plays a key role in this process, particularly during the incubation phase in which hydrogen modifies the amorphous silicon network and forms a highly porous phase where nucleation takes place. In this study we combine in-situ ellipsometry and dark conductivity measurements with ex-situ high resolution transmission electron microscopy to improve our understanding of microcrystalline silicon formation

Wafer bonded virtual substrate and method for forming the same

A method of forming a virtual substrate comprised of an optoelectronic device substrate and handle substrate comprises the steps of initiating bonding of the device substrate to the handle substrate, improving or increasing the mechanical strength of the device and handle substrates, and thinning the device substrate to leave a single-crystal film on the virtual substrate such as by exfoliation of a device film from the device substrate. The handle substrate is typically Si or other inexpensive common substrate material, while the optoelectronic device substrate is formed of more expensive and specialized electro-optic material. Using the methodology of the invention a wide variety of thin film electro-optic materials of high quality can be bonded to inexpensive substrates which serve as the mechanical support for an optoelectronic device layer fabricated in the thin film electro-optic material

GaAs nanowires and related prismatic heterostructures

The growth of GaAs nanowires by the gallium-assisted method with molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) is presented in this review article. The structure of the grown nanowires was investigated by means of scanning and transmission electron microscopy as well as Raman spectroscopy. Their optical properties were revealed by performing photoluminescence measurements at the single nanowire level. Furthermore, by tuning the MBE conditions to planar growth, quantum heterostructures on the side facets of the nanowires were achieved. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy proved that the grown heterostructures have epitaxial precision, while photoluminescence measurements showed that they possess excellent optical quality. These quantum heterostructures constitute templates for developing novel nanowire based devices, such as a high electron mobility one-dimensional transistor or third generation solar cells

Direct-bonded GaAs/InGaAs tandem solar cell

A direct-bonded GaAs/InGaAs solar cell is demonstrated. The direct-bonded interconnect between subcells of this two-junction cell enables monolithic interconnection without threading dislocations and planar defects that typically arise during lattice-mismatched epitaxial heterostructure growth. The bonded interface is a metal-free n(+)GaAs/n(+)InP tunnel junction. The tandem cell open-circuit voltage is approximately the sum of the subcell open-circuit voltages. The internal quantum efficiency is 0.8 for the GaAs subcell compared to 0.9 for an unbonded GaAs subcell near the band gap energy and is 0.7 for both of the InGaAs subcell and an unbonded InGaAs subcell, with bonded and unbonded subcells similar in spectral response