1 research outputs found
Electronic and Optical Properties of Two-Dimensional GaN from First-Principles
Gallium nitride (GaN)
is an important commercial semiconductor
for solid-state lighting applications. Atomically thin GaN, a recently
synthesized two-dimensional material, is of particular interest because
the extreme quantum confinement enables additional control of its
light-emitting properties. We performed first-principles calculations
based on density functional and many-body perturbation theory to investigate
the electronic, optical, and excitonic properties of monolayer and
bilayer two-dimensional (2D) GaN as a function of strain. Our results
demonstrate that light emission from monolayer 2D GaN is blueshifted
into the deep ultraviolet range, which is promising for sterilization
and water-purification applications. Light emission from bilayer 2D
GaN occurs at a similar wavelength to its bulk counterpart due to
the cancellation of the effect of quantum confinement on the optical
gap by the quantum-confined Stark shift. Polarized light emission
at room temperature is possible via uniaxial in-plane strain, which
is desirable for energy-efficient display applications. We compare
the electronic and optical properties of freestanding two-dimensional
GaN to atomically thin GaN wells embedded within AlN barriers in order
to understand how the functional properties are influenced by the
presence of barriers. Our results provide microscopic understanding
of the electronic and optical characteristics of GaN at the few-layer
regime