There have been recent research advances in AlGaN-based self-assembled nanowires (NWs) as building blocks for ultraviolet (UV) optoelectronics grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. We review the basic growth kinetics on various foundry-compatible-metal/silicon-based substrates and the epistructure design for UV devices. We highlight the use of diffusion-barrier-metal thin film on silicon substrate as a solution to enhance device performance. NWs offer the opportunity to mitigate the detrimental quantum-confined Stark effect (QCSE), which lowers the recombination rate thereby reducing the device efficiency. On the other hand, the polarization-induced doping from the graded composition along NWs can be advantageous for eluding the inefficient doping in AlGaN-based UV devices. Sidewall surface states and the associate passivation treatment, as well as the use of ultrafast electron-microscopy characterization, are crucial investigations in shedding light on device performance under the influence of surface dangling bonds. For investigating the electrical performance of individual NWs and NWs light-emitting diode as a single entity, recent reports based on conductive atomic force microscopy measurements provide fast-prototyping in-process pass-fail evaluation and a means of improving growth for high-performance devices. Stress tests of NWs devices, crucial for reliable operation, are also discussed. Beyond applications in LEDs, an AlGaN-based NWs solar-blind photodetector demonstrated leveraging on the dislocation-free active region, reduced QCSE, enhanced light absorption, and tunable-composition features. The review opens pathways and offers insights for practical realization of AlGaN-based axial NWs devices on scalable and low-cost silicon substrates.
The MOCVD growths and device characteristics of 500-nm emitting InGaN quantum well (QW) light-emitting diodes
(LEDs) with the insertion of thin (~1 nm) AlInN barrier layers were investigated for efficiency droop suppression.
Preliminary device characteristics of InGaN QW LEDs with thin AlInN barrier layers were also presented.
Thermoelectric properties of AlInN alloys, grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE), with In-contents (x)
from 11 % up to 21.34% were characterized and analyzed at room temperature. The thermoelectric figure of merit (Z*T)
values of the n-Al1-xInxN alloys were measured as high as 0.391 up to 0.532 at T = 300 K. The use of high In-content (x
= 21.34%) AlInN alloys leads to significant reduction in thermal conductivity [κ = 1.62 W/(mK)] due to the increased
alloy scattering, however, the optimized thermoelectric material was obtained for AlInN alloy with In-content of 17%
attributed to its large power factor.
Metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) growths of linearly-shaped staggered InGaN quantum wells lightemitting
diodes are performed. The use of linearly-shaped staggered InGaN QWs leads to the shift of both electron and
hole wavefunction toward the center of the quantum well region with enhanced momentum matrix element, which
results in the enhancement of the spontaneous radiaitve recombination rate. The power-density-dependent
cathodoluminescence measurements for both conventional and linearly-shaped staggered InGaN QW show 2.5-3.5 times
increase in the integrated cathodoluminescence intensity by using the novel active region.
The challenges and approaches for high-efficiency InGaN quantum wells (QWs) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are
presented. The studies include designs, growths, and device characteristics of 1) InGaN-based QWs LEDs with
enhanced matrix element for realizing green-emitting LEDs with high internal quantum efficiency, and 2) InGaN QW
LEDs device structure with lattice-matched AlInN-barrier to suppress efficiency-droop in nitride LEDs. Other
approaches to improve the efficiency of the nitride LEDs will be discussed as follow: 1) surface plasmon LEDs, 2) new
growth approach for dislocation density reduction in GaN, and 3) novel approaches for light extraction efficiency
improvement of III-Nitride LEDs.
The thermal conductivity of high-quality narrow-bandgap (0.77eV) InN grown on GaN on sapphire substrate by pulsed-
MOVPE method was measured and analyzed. To accurately extract the thermal conductivities of GaN and InN films
grown on sapphire substrate, 2D multilayer thermal diffusion model and extended 3ω slope technique are employed. The
thermal conductivity of sapphire substrate measured is 41 W/(mK). The thermal conductivity of undoped GaN film is
measured as 108 W/(mK). High-quality pulsed-MOVPE grown InN film exhibits thermal conductivity of 126 W/(mK),
which is higher in comparison to the previously-reported value of porous InN ceramics 45 W/(mK), yet lower than the
theoretical value 176 W/(mK) based on phonon scattering.
Novel staggered InGaN quantum wells (QWs) and type-II InGaN-GaNAs QWs with improved momentum matrix
element lead to improved internal quantum efficiency for green-emitting light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Approaches for
enhancing internal quantum efficiency, light extraction efficiency, and efficiency-droop in nitride LEDs are discussed.
In this work, we analyze and optimize the GaN / AlN coupled quantum well design with and without polarization for
achieving intersubband transition wavelength at 1.55 μm to serve as quantum cascade lasers (QCL) active region. The
computations of the electron-LO phonon and electron-photon scattering rates were carried out to optimize the gain
media design for intersubband quantum well (QW) lasers. The AlN / GaN coupled QW structure leads to improved
design in optimizing the intersubband transition, in comparison to that of single stage GaN / AlN QW structure. The
comparison between polar and non-polar coupled QW results in different characteristics in various scattering rates,
which in turn leads to different intersubband gain.
Propagation matrix method was used to calculate the surface plasmon dispersion for metal on top of InGaN / GaN
quantum wells (QWs). Purcell enhancement factor related to the slope of the surface plasmon dispersion curve was
calculated for metal on top of InGaN / GaN QWs. The use of double-metallic Au / Ag layers coupled to InGaN QWs
results in wide-spectrum tuning of the Purcell peak enhancement of the spontaneous recombination rate for nitride lightemitting
diodes.
Staggered InGaN quantum wells (QWs) are analyzed as improved active media based on a 6-band k•p method taking
into account the valence band mixing, strain effect, and spontaneous and piezoelectric polarizations as well as the carrier
screening effect. The growths of staggered InGaN QW emitting at green regime were conducted by employing graded
temperature profile. The electroluminescence measurement shows a significant enhancement of the output power of the
staggered InGaN QW LED as compared to that of the conventional InGaN QW LED.
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