Molecular beam epitaxy growth of AlGaN quantum wells on 6H-SiC substrates with high internal quantum efficiency

Zhang, Wei; Nikiforov, A. Yu.; Thomidis, C.; Woodward, J.; Sun, H.; Kao, Chen-Kai; Bhattarai, D.; Moldawer, A.; Zhou, L.; Smith, D. J.; Moustakas, T. D.

doi:doi:10.1116/1.3678208

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Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B / Volume 30 / Issue 2 / 28th North American Molecular Beam Epitaxy Conference

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J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 30, 02B119 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1116/1.3678208 (5 pages)

Molecular beam epitaxy growth of AlGaN quantum wells on 6H-SiC substrates with high internal quantum efficiency

Wei Zhang¹, A. Yu. Nikiforov¹, C. Thomidis¹, J. Woodward¹, H. Sun¹, Chen-Kai Kao¹, D. Bhattarai¹, A. Moldawer¹, L. Zhou², D. J. Smith², and T. D. Moustakas¹

¹MSE Division, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Photonics Center, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
²Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287

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(Published online 1 February 2012)

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The authors report the development of high internal quantum efficiency AlN/AlGaN/AlN double heterostructures and AlGaN/AlN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) grown on 6H-SiC and 4H-SiC substrates of various miscuts by plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy. The authors find that the luminescence spectra for identical MQWs show a single peak across the gap, with a wavelength that is redshifted by ∼20 nm as the excess Ga during growth of the wells increases. The internal quantum efficiency of the double heterostructures emitting at 250 nm is found to be 43%, and that of the multiple quantum wells emitting at 245 nm is 68%. These results suggest that AlGaN alloys on SiC substrates are capable of producing deep-ultraviolet emitters with high efficiency. The authors propose that these results can be accounted for by the introduction of lateral band structure potential fluctuations due to the changing of the growth mode from physical vapor phase epitaxy to liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) as the excess gallium increases. In this LPE mode the arriving active nitrogen species from the plasma source and aluminum atoms from the aluminum effusion cells dissolve in the excess liquid gallium and incorporate into the film from the liquid phase.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We acknowledge partial support by NASA under subcontract from Photon Systems Inc. (Contract No. NNX10CA80 C) and by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency CMUVT Program (PM: John Albrecht) under subcontract from Photon Systems Inc. (U.S. Army Cooperative Agreement No. W911NF-11-1-0034). We also acknowledge use of facilities in the John M. Cowley Center for High Resolution Electron Microscopy at Arizona State University.

Article Outline

INTRODUCTION
EXPERIMENTAL METHODS
1. Film growth
2. Characterization
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
1. Film structure and microstructure
2. Optical properties
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

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KEYWORDS and PACS

Keywords

aluminium compounds, gallium compounds, III-V semiconductors, liquid phase epitaxial growth, luminescence, molecular beam epitaxial growth, red shift, semiconductor heterojunctions, semiconductor quantum wells, silicon compounds, ultraviolet spectra, wide band gap semiconductors

PACS

81.15.Hi

Molecular, atomic, ion, and chemical beam epitaxy
81.15.Lm

Liquid phase epitaxy; deposition from liquid phases (melts, solutions, and surface layers on liquids)
68.65.Fg

Quantum wells
78.55.Cr

III-V semiconductors
81.05.Ea

III-V semiconductors
81.07.St

Quantum wells

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History

Received 20 September 2011
Accepted 1 January 2012
Published online 1 February 2012

Digital Object Identifier

http://dx.doi.org/10.1116/1.3678208

PUBLICATION DATA

ISSN

1071-1023 (print)

1520-8567 (online)

Publisher

American Vacuum Society

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