Introducing carbon dots to moderate the blue emission from zinc vanadium oxide hydroxide hydrate nanoplates

The relative intensity of the blue component of the total emission from light-emitting diodes (LEDs) can be an important factor when assessing their biological safety. Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are compatible with many materials and present a high density of multiple surface states; the incorporation of such CQDs thus offers a route to modifying the emission from a given LED matrix. Here we report the fabrication of stable CQD/zinc pyrovanadate (Zn(3)(OH)(2)V(2)O(7)·2H(2)O) nanoplate composites via a facile hydrothermal route. Structural and morphological analyses confirm that the nanoplates are hexagonal phase and grew normal to the [0001] direction. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, Raman and infrared spectroscopy demonstrate that the CQDs combine with nanoplates via surface carbon–oxygen bonds. Wavelength resolved photoluminescence measurements show that the relative intensity of the blue (2.93 eV) component of the emission associated with the nanoplates is significantly reduced by incorporating CQDs. We suggest that this reduction arises as a result of preferential trapping of the higher energy photoelectrons by surface defects on the CQDs

Nanoscale Cathodoluminescence Spectroscopy Probing the Nitride Quantum Wells in an Electron Microcope

To gain a deeper understanding of the luminescence of multiquantum wells and the factors affecting it on a microscopic level, cathodoluminescence combined with scanning transmission electron microscopy and spectroscopy was used to reveal the luminescence of In0.15Ga0.85N five-period multiquantum wells. The composition-wave-energy relationship was established in combination with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy , and the bandgaps of In0.15Ga0.85N and GaN in multiple quantum wells were extracted by electron energy loss spectroscopy to understand the features of cathodoluminescence luminescence spectra. The luminescence differences between different periods of multiquantum wells and the effects on the luminescence of multiple quantum wells owing to defects such as composition fluctuation and dislocations were revealed. Our study establishing the direct correspondence between the atomic structure of InxGa1-xN multiquantum wells and photoelectric properties, provides useful information for nitride applications.Comment: 13 pages,4 figure

Direct van der Waals Epitaxy of Crack-Free AlN Thin Film on Epitaxial WS2

Van der Waals epitaxy (vdWE) has drawn continuous attention, as it is unlimited by lattice-mismatch between epitaxial layers and substrates. Previous reports on the vdWE of III-nitride thin film were mainly based on two-dimensional (2D) materials by plasma pretreatment or pre-doping of other hexagonal materials. However, it is still a huge challenge for single-crystalline thin film on 2D materials without any other extra treatment or interlayer. Here, we grew high-quality single-crystalline AlN thin film on sapphire substrate with an intrinsic WS2 overlayer (WS2/sapphire) by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition, which had surface roughness and defect density similar to that grown on conventional sapphire substrates. Moreover, an AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet light emitting diode structure on WS2/sapphire was demonstrated. The electroluminescence (EL) performance exhibited strong emissions with a single peak at 283 nm. The wavelength of the single peak only showed a faint peak-position shift with increasing current to 80 mA, which further indicated the high quality and low stress of the AlN thin film. This work provides a promising solution for further deep-ultraviolet (DUV) light emitting electrodes (LEDs) development on 2D materials, as well as other unconventional substrates

Direct van der Waals epitaxy of crack-free AlN thin film on epitaxial WS2

Van der Waals epitaxy (vdWE) has drawn continuous attention, as it is unlimited by lattice-mismatch between epitaxial layers and substrates. Previous reports on the vdWE of III-nitride thin film were mainly based on two-dimensional (2D) materials by plasma pretreatment or pre-doping of other hexagonal materials. However, it is still a huge challenge for single-crystalline thin film on 2D materials without any other extra treatment or interlayer. Here, we grew high-quality single-crystalline AlN thin film on sapphire substrate with an intrinsic WS2 overlayer (WS2/sapphire) by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition, which had surface roughness and defect density similar to that grown on conventional sapphire substrates. Moreover, an AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet light emitting diode structure on WS2/sapphire was demonstrated. The electroluminescence (EL) performance exhibited strong emissions with a single peak at 283 nm. The wavelength of the single peak only showed a faint peak-position shift with increasing current to 80 mA, which further indicated the high quality and low stress of the AlN thin film. This work provides a promising solution for further deep-ultraviolet (DUV) light emitting electrodes (LEDs) development on 2D materials, as well as other unconventional substrates

Mechanical Deformation Behavior of Nonpolar GaN Thick Films by Berkovich Nanoindentation

In this study, the deformation mechanisms of nonpolar GaN thick films grown on m-sapphire by hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) are investigated using nanoindentation with a Berkovich indenter, cathodoluminescence (CL), and Raman microscopy. Results show that nonpolar GaN is more susceptible to plastic deformation and has lower hardness thanc-plane GaN. After indentation, lateral cracks emerge on the nonpolar GaN surface and preferentially propagate parallel to the orientation due to anisotropic defect-related stresses. Moreover, the quenching of CL luminescence can be observed to extend exclusively out from the center of the indentations along the orientation, a trend which is consistent with the evolution of cracks. The recrystallization process happens in the indented regions for the load of 500 mN. Raman area mapping indicates that the distribution of strain field coincides well with the profile of defect-expanded dark regions, while the enhanced compressive stress mainly concentrates in the facets of the indentation

The Optical Properties of InGaN/GaN Nanorods Fabricated on (-201) β-Ga2O3 Substrate for Vertical Light Emitting Diodes

We fabricated InGaN/GaN nanorod light emitting diode (LED) on (-201) β-Ga2O3 substrate via the SiO2 nanosphere lithography and dry-etching techniques. The InGaN/GaN nanorod LED grown on β-Ga2O3 can effectively suppress quantum confined Stark effect (QCSE) compared to planar LED on account of the strain relaxation. With the enhancement of excitation power density, the photoluminescence (PL) peak shows a large blue-shift for the planar LED, while for the nanorod LED, the peak position shift is small. Furthermore, the simulations also show that the light extraction efficiency (LEE) of the nanorod LED is approximately seven times as high as that of the planar LED. Obviously, the InGaN/GaN/β-Ga2O3 nanorod LED is conducive to improving the optical performance relative to planar LED, and the present work may lay the groundwork for future development of the GaN-based vertical light emitting diodes (VLEDs) on β-Ga2O3 substrate