Cathodoluminescence and TEM investigations of structural and optical properties of AlGaN on epitaxial laterally overgrown AlN/sapphire templates

Surface steps as high as 15 nm on up to 10 μm thick AlN layers grown on patterned AlN/sapphire templates play a major role for the structural and optical properties of AlxGa1−xN layers with x ≥ 0.5 grown subsequently by metalorganic vapour phase epitaxy. The higher the Ga content in these layers is, the stronger is the influence of the surface morphology on their properties. For x = 0.5 not only periodic inhomogeneities in the Al content due to growth of Ga-rich facets are observed by cathodoluminescence, but these facets give rise to additional dislocation formation as discovered by annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy. For AlxGa1−xN layers with x = 0.8 the difference in Al content between facets and surrounding material is much smaller. Therefore, the threading dislocation density (TDD) is only defined by the TDD in the underlying epitaxially laterally overgrown (ELO) AlN layer. This way high quality Al0.8Ga0.2N with a thickness up to 1.5 μm and a TDD ≤ 5x108 cm−2 was obtained.Peer Reviewe

Spatial clustering of defect luminescence centers in Si-doped low resistivity Al0.82Ga0.18N

A series of Si-doped AlN-rich AlGaN layers with low resistivities was characterized by a combination of nanoscale imaging techniques. Utilizing the capability of scanning electron microscopy to reliably investigate the same sample area with different techniques, it was possible to determine the effect of doping concentration, defect distribution, and morphology on the luminescence properties of these layers. Cathodoluminescence shows that the dominant defect luminescence depends on the Si-doping concentration. For lower doped samples, the most intense peak was centered between 3.36 eV and 3.39 eV, while an additional, stronger peak appears at 3 eV for the highest doped sample. These peaks were attributed to the (VIII-ON)2− complex and the V3−III vacancy, respectively. Multimode imaging using cathodoluminescence, secondary electrons, electron channeling contrast, and atomic force microscopy demonstrates that the luminescence intensity of these peaks is not homogeneously distributed but shows a strong dependence on the topography and on the distribution of screw dislocations.DFG, 43659573, SFB 787: Halbleiter - Nanophotonik: Materialien, Modelle, BauelementeBMBF, 13N12587, Photonische Plattformtechnologie zur ultrasensitiven und hochspezifischen biochemischen Sensorik auf Basis neuartiger UV-LEDs (UltraSens