Gradual variation method for thick GaN heteroepitaxy by hydride vapour phase epitaxy

Two strain-state samples of GaN, labelled the strain-relief sample and the quality-improved sample, were grown by hydride vapour phase epitaxy （HVPE）, and then characterized by high-resolution X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence and optical microscopy. Two strain states of GaN in HVPE, like 3D and 2[） growth modes in metal-organic chemical vapour deposition （MOCVD）, provide an effective way to solve the heteroepitaxial problems of both strain relief and quality improvement. The gradual variation metbod （GVM）, developed based on the two strain states, is characterized by growth parameters＇ gradual variation alternating between the strain-relief growth conditions and the quality-improved growth conditions. In GVM, the introduction of the strain-relief amplitude, which is defined by the range from the quality-improved growth conditions to the strain-relief growth conditions, makes the strain-relief control concise and effective. The 300-μm thick bright and crack-free GaN film grown on a two-inch sapphire proves the effectiveness of GVM.

Heteroepitaxy of semiconductor thin films

The heteroepitaxy of semiconductor thin films is a cornerstone of semiconductor devices and is naturally preferred to grow on matched substrates from the view point of material epitaxy. However, the heteroepitaxy is always performed on mismatched substrates due to the limited choices of mature substrates, which constrains the quality of semiconductor thin films.

DIAMOND HETEROEPITAXY-NUCLEATION, INTERFACE STRUCTURE, FILM GROWTH

The present understanding of diamond heteroepitaxy by bias-enhanced chemical vapour deposition on technologically relevant substrate materials is briefly reviewed. First the early stages of diamond nucleation and the diamond film growth as well as influences of various deposition conditions are described. Then the results of microscopic investigations of the structure of interfaces and of grain boundaries are summarized.

MECHANISM OF THE GROWTH, NUCLEATION, AND HETEROEPITAXY OF METASTABLE DIAMOND FILMS ON ATOMIC SCALE

The mechanism of chemical-vapor-deposited (CVD) diamond film growth has attracted increasing attention recent years, mainly due to the fact that further technological advancement (such as obtaining high-quality films, controlling film growth, and heteroepitaxial growth, etc.) requires a more detailed understanding of the fundamental phenomena responsible for diamond growth.

Relationship between the orientation of texture and heteroepitaxy of diamond and related materials films on silicon single crystal and the valence electron structure of the interface

Diamond and cubic boron nitride films have already been applied practically be- cause of their excellent properties. The specific orientations of the films have spe- cial meaning on their application in optics and microelectronics fields. In this paper, the relative electron density differences of the interface between the different crystal planes of silicon substrate and those of diamond and cubic boron films are calculated with the empirical electron theory in solids and molecules. Analyses on the calculation results show that in the range of the researched films, the smaller the relative electron density difference between the film and the substrate is, the stabler the film is in thermodynamics. Therefore, the electron density difference is the essential factor of determining the orientation of the texture and heteroepitaxy of the films. The deductions accord well with the experimental facts. The calcula- tion methods and the theory not only provide a new angle of view for the research of the growth mechanism of diamond film and cubic boron nitride film on the sili- con substrate, but also provide a possible direction for the prediction of the orien- tation of other films.

Insight into the synergistic effect of defect and strong interface coupling on ZnIn_(2)S_(4)/CoIn_(2)S_(4)heterostructure for boosting photocatalytic H_(2) evolution

Steering the directional carrier migration across the interface is a central mission for efficient photocatalytic reactions.In this work,an atomic-shared heterointerface is constructed between the defect-rich ZnIn_(2)S_(4)(HVs-ZIS)and CoIn_(2)S_(4)(CIS)via a defect-guided heteroepitaxial growth strategy.The strong interface coupling induces adequate carriers exchanging passageway between HVs-ZIS and CIS,enhancing the internal electric field(IEF)in the ZnIn_(2)S_(4)/CoIn_(2)S_(4)(HVs-ZIS/CIS)heterostructure.The defect structure in HVs-ZIS induces an additional defect level,improving the separation efficiency of photocarriers.Moreover,promoted by the IEF and intimate heterointerface,photogenerated electrons trapped by the defect level can migrate to the valence band of CIS,contributing to massive photogenerated electrons with intense reducibility in HVs-ZIS/CIS.Consequently,the HVs-ZIS/CIS heterostructure performs a boosted H_(2)evolution activity of 33.65 mmol g^(-1)h^(-1).This work highlights the synergistic effects of defect and strong interface coupling in regulating carrier transfer and paves a brave avenue for constructing efficient heterostructure photocatalysts.

High performance solar-blind deep ultraviolet photodetectors viaβ-phase(In_(0.09)Ga_(0.91))_(2)O_(3)single crystalline film

We successfully fabricate a high performanceβ-phase(In_(0.09)Ga_(0.91))_(2)O_(3)single-crystalline film deep ultraviolet(DUV)solar-blind photodetector.The 2-inches high crystalline quality film is hetero-grown on the sapphire substrates using the plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy(PA-MBE).The smooth InGaO single crystalline film is used to construct the solar-blind DUV detector,which utilized an interdigitated Ti/Au electrode with a metal-semiconductor-metal structure.The device exhibits a low dark current of 40 pA(0 V),while its UV photon responsivity exceeds 450 A/W(50 V)at the peak wavelength of 232 nm with illumination intensity of 0.21 m W/cm^(2)and the UV/VIS rejection ratio(R232 nm/R380 nm)exceeds 4×10^(4).Furthermore,the devices demonstrate ultrafast transient characteristics for DUV signals,with fast-rising and fast-falling times of 80 ns and 420 ns,respectively.This excellent temporal dynamic behavior can be attributed to indium doping can adjust the electronic structure of Ga_(2)O_(3)alloys to enhance the performance of InGaO solar-blind detectors.Additionally,a two-dimensional DUV scanning image is captured using the InGaO photodetector as a sensor in an imaging system.Our results pave the way for future applications of two-dimensional array DUV photodetectors based on the large-scale InGaO heteroepitaxially grown alloy wide bandgap semiconductor films.

Growth and characterization ofβ-Ga_(2)O_(3)thin films grown on off-angled Al_(2)O_(3)substrates by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

Beta-gallium oxide(β-Ga_(2)O_(3))thin films were deposited on c-plane(0001)sapphire substrates with different mis-cut angles along<>by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition(MOCVD).The structural properties and surface morphology of as-grownβ-Ga_(2)O_(3)thin films were investigated in detail.It was found that by using thin buffer layer and mis-cut substrate technology,the full width at half maximum(FWHM)of the()diffraction peak of theβ-Ga_(2)O_(3)film is decreased from 2°on c-plane(0001)Al_(2)O_(3)substrate to 0.64°on an 8°off-angled c-plane(0001)Al_(2)O_(3)substrate.The surface root-mean-square(RMS)roughness can also be improved greatly and the value is 1.27 nm for 8°off-angled c-plane(0001)Al_(2)O_(3)substrate.Room temper-ature photoluminescence(PL)was observed,which was attributed to the self-trapped excitons formed by oxygen and gallium vacancies in the film.The ultraviolet-blue PL intensity related with oxygen and gallium vacancies is decreased with the increas-ing mis-cut angle,which is in agreement with the improved crystal quality measured by high resolution X-ray diffraction(HR-XRD).The present results provide a route for growing high qualityβ-Ga_(2)O_(3)film on Al_(2)O_(3)substrate.

Thermal characterization of GaN heteroepitaxies using ultraviolet transient thermoreflectance

Thermal transport properties of GaN heteroepitaxial structures are of critical importance for the thermal management of high-power GaN electronic and optoelectronic devices. Ultraviolet(UV) lasers are employed to directly heat and sense the GaN epilayers in the transient thermoreflectance(TTR) measurement, obtaining important thermal transport properties in different GaN heterostructures, which include a diamond thin film heat spreader grown on GaN. The UV TTR technique enables rapid and non-contact thermal characterization for GaN wafers.

Microstructural Properties of Single Crystalline PbTe Thin Films Grown on BaF2（111） by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

Single crystal PbTe thin films have been grown on BaF2 （111） by using solid source molecular beam epitaxy. The studies of evolution of the surface morphology with the increasing growth temperature from 375 to 525℃ by AFM show that PbTe epilayers exhibit smooth surface morphologies with atomic layer scale roughness and are crack free. It is found that for PbTe grown at 475℃, the morphology is dominated by triangles and the rms roughness is 3.987nm. Compared to the rms roughnesses of 0.432nm and 0.759nm for the samples grown at 375 and 525℃ respectively, the surface of the PbTe layer grown at 475℃ is much rougher. This roughening transition is due to the interaction between the elastic relaxation and the plastic relaxation during the strain relaxation process. In contrast to the result of the morphology that the PbTe epitaxial layer grown at 375℃ has most smooth surface, as observed from the line width of x-ray diffraction curves at higher growth temperature improves the crystal quality of the single-crystalline Pb Te layer.

SiC based Si/SiC heterojunction and its rectifying characteristics

The Si on SiC heterojunction is still poorly understood, although it has a number of potential applications in electronic and optoelectronic devices, for example, light-activated SiC power switches where Si may play the role of an light absorbing layer. This paper reports on Si films heteroepitaxially grown on the Si face of （0001） n-type 6H-SiC substrates and the use of B2H6 as a dopant for p-Si grown at temperatures in a range of 700-950℃. X-ray diffraction （XRD） analysis and transmission electron microscopy （TEM） tests have demonstrated that the samples prepared at the temperatures ranged from 850℃ to 900℃ are characterized as monocrystalline silicon. The rocking XRD curves show a well symmetry with FWHM of 0.4339° Omega. Twin crystals and stacking faults observed in the epitaxial layers might be responsible for widening of the rocking curves. Dependence of the crystal structure and surface topography on growth temperature is discussed based on the experimental results. The energy band structure and rectifying characteristics of the Si/SiC heterojunctions are also preliminarily tested.

Morphology transition in a heteroepitaxial system: Co/Cu(111)

The initial stages of multilayer Co thin film grown on Cu(111) surface were simulated by means of kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) method, where the realistic growth model and physical parameters were presented. The effects of edge diffusion along the islands and mass transport between interlayers were included in the simulation model. Emphasis was placed on revealing the transition of growth morphology in heteroepitaxial Co/Cu(111) system with the changing of surface temperature. The simulation results show that the dendritic islands form at low temperature (T=210 K), while compact islands grow at room temperature (RT). The Volmer-Webber (three-dimensional, 3D) growth mode is presented due to the relative higher Ehrlich-Schwoebel (ES) barrier. Our simulation results are in good agreement with the real scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) experiments.

THE INFLUENCE OF ISLAND-INDUCED STRAIN ON THE Si SURFACE MORPHOLOGY IN Ge-Si MULTILAYERS: A TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY STUDY

Growth and ordering of coherently strained Ge-rich islands in Ge/Si single layer and multilayer systems and the influence of island arrangements on the evolutio n of the surface morphology of Si cap layers during deposition by low-pressure c hemical vapour deposition(LPCVD) on Si(001) substrates at 700℃ have been invest igated by TEM of cross-section and plan-view specimens. At distances between the Ge layers of 35-50nm, vertical order of GeSi islands is observed for Ge-Si bila yer systems and for Ge-Si multilayer systems consisting of 5 layer pairs whereas lateral ordering parallel to <100> substrate directions is observed for the lat ter case only. In agreement with earlier results the vertical ordering in the mu ltilayer system can be understood as result of the elastic interaction between i sland nuclei forming in the layers with close islands in a buried layer below. T he lateral ordering along <100> may be attributed to the anisotropy of the elast ic interaction. Characteristic for all Si surfaces are the spatial correlation b etween the presence of island-induced lattice strain and the appearance of array s of larger square-shaped pyramids with distinct faceting and facet edges along <110>. The results reflect the importance of the control of growth parameters an d of the island-induced strain state for the evolution of the Si top layer surfa ce morphology during LPCVD growth.

TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY INVESTIGATIONS OF LOW-PRESSURE CVD GROWTH AND STRAIN RELAXATION OF Ge ISLANDS ON Si(110)

Shapes, dimensions, arrangements and the microstructure of self-assembled island s fabricated by low-pressure chemical vapour deposition (LPCVD) of Ge at 700℃ o nto Si(110) substrates have been investigated for different nominal Ge coverage by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of plan-view and cross-section specime ns and have been compared with photoluminescence (PL) measurements of Si-capped layer samples. The transition from the 2-dimensional layer to the 3-dimensional island growth mode takes place for a Ge deposition of nominally less than 2 mono layers. Upon this transition, many coherent islands and few larger islands with extended defects are observed. The coherent islands possess a dome-like shape an d lateral sizes up to 130nm. Photoluminescence spectra show island-related peaks whose energy positions are shifted towards lower energy with higher Ge coverage .

Photoluminescence characteristics of GaN：Si

Both the electrical and optical properties are studied of the GaN：Si films with carrier concentrations ranging from 10^17cm^-3 to 10^19cm^-3.rhe results indicate that the increase in slope of carrier concentration starts to slow down when the flow rate of SiH4 is larger than 6.38μmol/min, which is attributed to the amphoteric character of Si. At the same time, the photoluminescence results show that the FWHM of UV is widened,which can be interpreted quantitatively with a semi-classic model. Furthermore, the intensity ratio between the yellow and the UV luminescences reduces monotonically with Si dopants increasing.

Simulation of multilayer Cu/Pd（100） heteroepitaxial growth by pulse laser deposition

The heteroepitaxial growth of multilayer Cu/Pd（100） thin film via pulse laser deposition （PLD） at room temperature is simulated by using kinetic Monte Carlo （KMC） method with realistic physical parameters. The effects of mass transport between interlayers, edge diffusion of adatoms along the islands and instantaneous deposition are considered in the simulation model, Emphasis is placed on revealing the details of multilayer Cu/Pd（100） thin film growth and estimating the Ehrlich-Schwoebel （ES） barrier. It is shown that the instantaneous deposition in the PLD growth gives rise to the layer-by-layer growth mode, persisting up to about 9 monolayers （ML） of Cu/Pd（100）. The ES barriers of 0.08 ± 0.01 eV is estimated by comparing the KMC simulation results with the real scanning tunnelling microscopy （STM） measurements,

Crystal Perfection in GaP Films Heteroepitaxially Grown on GaAs by Low-pressure Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition

The crystal perfection in GaP epitaxial layers was stuided by the use of double crystal X ray diffraction,backscattering spectrometry and Raman scattering techniques.GaP films grown on GaAs by low pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition were used as the samples.By means of the morphology and the full width at half maximum of X ray diffraction peak for the GaP epilayers,the growth temperature and Ⅴ/Ⅲ ratio were optimized.In addition,the residual stress and strain of a GaP epilayer were calculated,based on Raman scattering measurement.

High Resolution X-Ray Diffraction Analyses of (La,Sr)MnO₃/ZnO/Sapphire(0001) Double Heteroepitaxial Films

The epitaxial relationships of lattices and crystalline qualities of LSMO/ZnO/sapphire double-hetero systems were thoroughly analyzed using X-ray diffraction techniques with a modern high resolution XRD system. It was revealed that the epitaxial growth of the LSMO (110) phase was promoted under higher temperature accompanying the suppression of other competitive growth of the LSMO (001) and (111) phases. Supplying the plasma oxygen accelerated the suppression of the LSMO (111) phase. The complex epitaxial orientational relationships in these three growth modes were revealed from the precise analyses with the high resolution out-of-plane XRD and the in-plane XRD measurements, pole figure measurements, and reciprocal space mappings measurements, as [112ˉ](111)LSMO//[11ˉ00](0001)ZnO//[112ˉ0](0001)Sap, [110ˉ](111LSMO)//[11ˉ00](0001)Zno//[112ˉ0](0001)Sap, and [110](001)LSMO//[11ˉ00](0001)Zno//[112ˉ0](0001)Sap. The validity of this model for the epitaxial orientational relationships in LSMO/ZnO/sapphire double heteroepitaxial layers was confirmed identically with the data ana- lyses of the out-of-plane wide-range Reciprocal Space Mapping using the 2-dimensional X-ray detector.

Interfacial stress characterization of GaN epitaxial layer with sapphire substrate by confocal Raman spectroscopy

As an important wide-bandgap semiconductor,gallium nitride(GaN)has attracted considerable attention.This paper describes the use of confocal Raman spectroscopy to characterize undoped GaN,n-type GaN,and p-type GaN through depth profiling using 405-,532-,and 638-nm wavelength lasers.The Raman signal intensity of the sapphire substrate at different focal depths is studied to analyze the depth resolution.Based on the shift of the E2 H mode of the GaN epitaxial layer,the interfacial stress for different types of GaN is characterized and calculated.The results show that the maximum interfacial stress appears approximately at the junction of the GaN and the sapphire substrate.Local interfacial stress analysis between the GaN epitaxial layer and the substrate will be very helpful in furthering the applications of GaN devices.

Multi-wafer 3C—SiC heteroepitaxial growth on Si(100) substrates

Epitaxial growth of semiconductor films in multiple-wafer mode is under vigorous development in order to improve yield output to meet the industry increasing demands. Here we report on results of the heteroepitaxial growth of multi- wafer 3C-SiC films on Si（100） substrates by employing a home-made horizontal hot wall low pressure chemical vapour deposition （HWLPCVD） system which was designed to be have a high-throughput, multi-wafer （3×2-inch） capacity. 3C-SiC film properties of the intra-wafer and the wafer-to-wafer including crystalline morphologies, structures and electronics are characterized systematically. The undoped and the moderate NH3 doped n-type 3C-SiC films with specular surface are grown in the HWLPCVD, thereafter uniformities of intra-wafer thickness and sheet resistance of the 3C-SiC films are obtained to be 6%-7% and 6.7%~8%, respectively, and within a run, the deviations of wafer-to- wafer thickness and sheet resistance are tess than 1% and 0.8%, respectively.