Evidence of charge carrier number fluctuations in InN thin films?

Due to its small band-gap and its high mobility, InN is a promising material for a large number of key applications like band-gap engineering for high efficiency solar cells, light emitting diodes, and high speed devices. Unfortunately, it has been reported that this material exhibits strong surface charge accumulation which may depend on the type of surface. Current investigations are conducted in order to explain the mechanisms which govern such a behavior and to look for ways of avoiding it and/or finding applications that may use such an effect. In this framework, low frequency noise measurements have been performed at different temperatures on patterned MBE grown InN layers. The evolution of the 1/f noise level with temperature in the 77 K-300 K range is consistent with carrier number fluctuations thus indicating surface mechanisms: the surface charge accumulation is confirmed by the noise measurements

Influence of fabrication steps on optical and electrical properties of InN thin films

This paper reports on a case study of the impact of fabrication steps on InN material properties. We discuss the influence of annealing time and sequence of device processing steps. Photoluminescence (PL), surface morphology and electrical transport (electrical resistivity and low frequency noise) properties have been studied as responses to the adopted fabrication steps. Surface morphology has a strong correlation with annealing times, while sequences of fabrication steps do not appear to be influential. In contrast, the optical and electrical properties demonstrate correlation with both etching and thermal annealing. For all the studied samples PL peaks were in the vicinity of 0.7 eV, but the intensity and full width at half maximum (FWHM) demonstrate a dependence on the technological steps followed. Sheet resistance and electrical resistivity seem to be lower in the case of high defect introduction due to both etching and thermal treatments. The same effect is revealed through 1/f noise level measurements. A reduction of electrical resistivity is connected to an increase in 1/f noise level

Propriétés structurales, optiques et électroniques descouches d'InN et hétérostructures riches en indium pourapplications optoélectroniques

The nitride semiconductors (AlN, GaN, InN) are subject to a large research effort due to their numerous applications, such as light emitting diodes, high power and high frequency components. The aim of this work has been twofold: to investigate the electrical conduction in InN layers and the origin of the high emission efficiency in InGaN/GaN Quantum Wells (QWs).The surface electron accumulation in InN layers is still an important limitation to device applications. We have explored this point using low frequency noise measurements on Plasma Assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxy (PAMBE) InN layers and we demonstrated that the bulk electrical conductivity of InN can be accessed.The investigation of quantum wells produced by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) or Metalorganic Vapour Phase Epitaxy (MOVPE), has been carried out through microstructural analyses by Transmission Electron Microscopy techniques(TEM, HRTEM, STEM) in correlation with optical properties on a large number of samples grown in different growth conditions. This experimental work has allowed us to obtain a critical view on the role of the growth conditions and such parameters as the well morphology, composition fluctuations, as well as the V shaped defects on the current explanations of high emission efficiency in InGaN/GaN QWs.Les semi-conducteurs nitrures (AlN, GaN, InN) focalisent une activité de recherche intense en raison de nombreuses applications comme les diodes électroluminescentes, les composants de puissance ou hyperfréquence. Dans cette recherche, nous avons abordé le travail sous deux angles: a) la conduction électrique dans les couches d'InN produites par croissance épitaxiale aux jets moléculaires assistée par plasma (PAMBE) et une recherche sur l'origine de la forte émission bleue dans les puits de quantiques d'InGaN/GaN.L'accumulation d'électron en surface dans les couches d'InN constitue une limitation importante pour la fabrication de composants. Au cours de ce travail, nous avons exploré l'utilisation des mesures de bruit de basse fréquence sur les couches d'InN et pu accéder à leur conductivité électrique en volume.L'étude des puits quantiques d'InGaN/GaN, obtenue par croissance épitaxiale aux jets moléculaires (MBE) ou épitaxie en phase vapeurs aux organométalliques (MOVPE) , a été effectuée par analyses de la microstructure par microscopie électronique en transmission (MET, HRTEM et STEM) en corrélation avec les propriétés optiques d'un grand nombre d'échantillons provenant de conditions de croissance différentes. Ce travail nous a permis d'acquérir une vision plus critique du rôle des conditions de fabrication et des paramètres comme la morphologie, les fluctuations de composition et la présence des défauts en V sur les explications actuellement avancées pour la forte efficacité d'émission dans les puits quantiques d' InGaN/GaN

2D scaling behavior of nanotextured GaN surfaces: A case study of hillocked and terraced surfaces

The 2D scaling properties of GaN surfaces have been studied by means of the 2D height–height correlation function (HHCF). The GaN layers under investigation presented exemplar morphologies, generated by distinct growth methods: a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) grown surface decorated by hillocks and a metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) grown surface with terraced structure. The 2D statistical analysis of these surfaces has allowed assessing quantitatively the degree of morphological variability along all the different directions across each surface, their corresponding roughness exponents and correlation lengths. A scaling anisotropy as well as correlation length anisotropy has been detected for both hillocked and terraced surfaces. Especially, a marked dependence of correlation length from the direction across the terraced surface has been observed. Additionally, the terraced surfaces showed the lower root mean square (RMS) roughness value and at the same time, the lower roughness exponent value. This could appear as a contradiction, given that a low RMS value is associated to a smooth surface, and usually the roughness exponent is interpreted as a “measure” of the smoothness of the surface, the smoother the surface, the higher (approaching the unity) is the roughness exponent. Our case study is an experimental demonstration in which the roughness exponent should be, more appropriately, interpreted as a quantification of how the roughness changes with length scale

Structural, optical and electronic properties of InN films and In rich heterostructures for optoelectronic applications

Les semi-conducteurs nitrures (AlN, GaN, InN) focalisent une activité de recherche intense en raison de nombreuses applications comme les diodes électroluminescentes, les composants de puissance ou hyperfréquence. Dans cette recherche, nous avons abordé le travail sous deux angles: a) la conduction électrique dans les couches d'InN produites par croissance épitaxiale aux jets moléculaires assistée par plasma (PAMBE) et une recherche sur l'origine de la forte émission bleue dans les puits de quantiques d'InGaN/GaN. L'accumulation d'électron en surface dans les couches d'InN constitue une limitation importante pour la fabrication de composants. Au cours de ce travail, nous avons exploré l'utilisation des mesures de bruit de basse fréquence sur les couches d'InN et pu accéder à leur conductivité électrique en volume. L'étude des puits quantiques d'InGaN/GaN, obtenue par croissance épitaxiale aux jets moléculaires (MBE) ou épitaxie en phase vapeurs aux organométalliques (MOVPE) , a été effectuée par analyses de la microstructure par microscopie électronique en transmission (MET, HRTEM et STEM) en corrélation avec les propriétés optiques d'un grand nombre d'échantillons provenant de conditions de croissance différentes. Ce travail nous a permis d'acquérir une vision plus critique du rôle des conditions de fabrication et des paramètres comme la morphologie, les fluctuations de composition et la présence des défauts en V sur les explications actuellement avancées pour la forte efficacité d'émission dans les puits quantiques d' InGaN/GaN.The nitride semiconductors (AlN, GaN, InN) are subject to a large research effort due to their numerous applications, such as light emitting diodes, high power and high frequency components. Following the trend, the aim of this dissertation has been twofold: first, we have probed the bulk electrical conduction in InN layers, second, we investigated the origin of the high emission efficiency in InGaN/GaN Quantum Wells (QWs). The surface electron accumulation in InN layers is still an important limitation to device applications. W have explored this point using low frequency noise measurements on Plasma Assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxy (PAMBE) InN layers and we demonstrated that the bulk electrical conductivity of InN can be accessed. The investigation of quantum wells produced by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) or matalorganic vapour phase epitaxy (MOVPE), has been carried out through microstructural analyses by transmission electron microscopy techniques(TEM, HRTEM, STEM) in correlation with optica properties on a large number of samples grown in different growth conditions. This experimental work has allowed us to obtain a critical view on the role of the growth conditions and such parameters as the well morphology, composition fluctuations, as well as the V shaped defects on the current explanations of high emission efficiency in InGaN/GaN QWs.CAEN-BU Sciences et STAPS (141182103) / SudocSudocFranceF

Nanostructured surfaces investigated by quantitative morphological studies

The morphology of different surfaces has been investigated by atomic force microscopy and quantitatively analyzed in this paper. Two different tools have been employed to this scope: The analysis of the height-height correlation function and the determination of the mean grain size, which have been combined to obtain a complete characterization of the surfaces. Different materials have been analyzed: SiOxNy, InGaN/GaN quantum wells and Si nanowires, grown with different techniques. Notwithstanding the presence of grain-like structures on all the samples analyzed, they present very diverse surface design, underlying that this procedure can be of general use. Our results show that the quantitative analysis of nanostructured surfaces allows us to obtain interesting information, such as grain clustering, from the comparison of the lateral correlation length and the grain size

Nanostructured surfaces investigated by quantitative morphological studies

The morphology of different surfaces has been investigated by atomic force microscopy and quantitatively analyzed in this paper. Two different tools have been employed to this scope: The analysis of the height-height correlation function and the determination of the mean grain size, which have been combined to obtain a complete characterization of the surfaces. Different materials have been analyzed: SiOxNy, InGaN/GaN quantum wells and Si nanowires, grown with different techniques. Notwithstanding the presence of grain-like structures on all the samples analyzed, they present very diverse surface design, underlying that this procedure can be of general use. Our results show that the quantitative analysis of nanostructured surfaces allows us to obtain interesting information, such as grain clustering, from the comparison of the lateral correlation length and the grain size

Bruit en 1/f dans des couches minces de Nitrure d'Indium

National audienc

Electrical properties of extended defects in III-nitrides

Electrical and structural properties of extended defects including threading dislocations/V-defects and nanopipes in unintentionally doped GaN, InGaN (50 nm)/GaN and AlInN (33 nm)/AlN(1 nm)/GaN heterostructures have been investigated by means of various scanning probe (Kelvin probe and conductive-Atomic Force Microscopy) and electron beam (electron beam induced current and transmission electron microscopy) microscopy methods. Due to low energy measurements of Kelvin probe force microscopy, charge state of the dislocations have been correctly identified where threading dislocations (TDs) with screw-component are negatively charged, while pure-edge type TDs are neutral in InGaN/GaN. It is explained how various factors such as indium segregation, surface termination, presence of vacancies and/or impurities affect the electrical charge, conductivity and recombination properties of the extended defects. They are found to be strongly correlated to the type of dislocations as identified from TEM

Quantification of roughness and spatial distribution of dislocations in MBE and MOVPE grown LED heterostructures

A combination of nanoscale imaging techniques such as atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy are used to investigate the relationship between surface morphology and height statistics of GaN cap layers in InGaN/GaN light emitting diode heterostructures. The investigated samples were grown in two very different growth regimes which lead to distinct characteristic superficial landscapes. We also report here on the introduction of a new methodological approach that adapt the concept of height-height correlation function, a well known statistical tool in the field of studies on rough surfaces. We evaluate to which extent the geometrical properties of the constitutive 'bricks' (hillocks for ammonia assisted molecular beam epitaxial film) and structural defects (dislocation pits for metal organic vapor phase epitaxial film) affects the statistical properties of heights of these GaN surfaces. Finally, we have studied the spatial distribution of dislocation pits in both the samples to assess the quantitative differences between these heterostructures of very distinct surface morphology. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved