Analysis of SAW properties in ZnO/AlxGa1-xN/c-Al2O3 structures.

Piezoelectric thin films on high acoustic velocity nonpiezoelectric substrates, such as ZnO, AlN, or GaN deposited on diamond or sapphire substrates, are attractive for high frequency and low-loss surface acoustic wave devices. In this work, ZnO films are deposited on AlxGa1-xN/c-Al2O3 (0 < or = chi < or = 1) substrates using the radio frequency (RF) sputtering technique. In comparison with a single AlxGa1-xN layer deposited on c-Al2O3 with the same total film thickness, a ZnO/AlxGa1-xN/c-Al2O3 multilayer structure provides several advantages, including higher order wave modes with higher velocity and larger electromechanical coupling coefficient (K2). The surface acoustic wave (SAW) velocities and coupling coefficients of the ZnO/AlxGa1-xN/c-Al2O3 structure are tailored as a function of the Al mole percentage in AlxGa1-xN films, and as a function of the ZnO (h1) to AlxGa1-xN (h2) thickness ratio. It is found that a wide thickness-frequency product (hf) region in which coupling is close to its maximum value, K(2)max, can be obtained. The K(2)max of the second order wave mode (h1 = h2) is estimated to be 4.3% for ZnO/GaN/c-Al2O3, and 3.8% for ZnO/AlN/c-Al2O3. The bandwidth of second and third order wave modes, in which the coupling coefficient is within +/- 0.3% of K(2)max, is calculated to be 820 hf for ZnO/GaN/c-Al2O3, and 3620 hf for ZnO/AlN/c-Al2O3. Thus, the hf region in which the coupling coefficient is close to the maximum value broadens with increasing Al content, while K(2)max decreases slightly. When the thickness ratio of AlN to ZnO increases, the K(2)max and hf bandwidth of the second and third higher wave modes increases. The SAW test devices are fabricated and tested. The theoretical and experimental results of velocity dispersion in the ZnO/AlxGa1-xN/c-Al2O3 structures are found to be well matched.     

GaN/ZnO复合体的制备及光催化性能

首先用聚乙烯吡咯烷酮(PVP)作为表面活性剂, 硝酸镓[Ga(NO₃)₃]作为镓源, 采用溶胶-凝胶法制备了GaN粉末。然后通过固相法将GaN粉末和ZnO粉末按不同配比机械混合, 制备成GaN/ZnO复合体。采用X射线粉末衍射(XRD)、扫描电镜(SEM)、X射线能谱 (EDS)、高分辨透射电子显微镜(HRTEM)和发致光谱(PL)表征GaN/ZnO复合体的微结构、形貌、成分和发光特性, 并将其作为催化剂进行降解亚甲基蓝水溶液的光催化性能测试。结果表明: GaN/ZnO复合体对比未经复合的GaN和ZnO粉末, 光催化性能有明显的增强。基于一级动力学方程分析, 当GaN/ZnO复合体中GaN粉末和ZnO粉末含量配比为1: 2时, 光催化性能达到最佳, 其速率常数k值为0.11 min^-1。     

用于蓝宝石材料加工的新型超精密抛光技术及复合抛光技术研究进展

超精密抛光是一种降低表面粗糙度,获得高表面质量和表面完整性的加工技术.蓝宝石作为典型的难加工硬脆材料,传统抛光方法存在表面会产生崩碎、划痕等损伤,表面质量难以得到保证以及加工效率低等问题.本文综述了应用于蓝宝石材料的磁流变抛光、水合抛光、化学机械抛光和激光抛光等技术的原理与特点及其研究现状,并分析了各抛光技术的优缺点;从表面质量、磨料与磨液、效率与成本等方面对各抛光技术进行比较;介绍了复合抛光技术在蓝宝石材料中的应用;最后重点展望了蓝宝石材料超精密抛光技术的下一步研究.     

用于蓝宝石材料加工的新型超精密抛光技术及复合抛光技术研究进展

超精密抛光是一种降低表面粗糙度,获得高表面质量和表面完整性的加工技术。蓝宝石作为典型的难加工硬脆材料,传统抛光方法存在表面会产生崩碎、划痕等损伤,表面质量难以得到保证以及加工效率低等问题。本文综述了应用于蓝宝石材料的磁流变抛光、水合抛光、化学机械抛光和激光抛光等技术的原理与特点及其研究现状,并分析了各抛光技术的优缺点;从表面质量、磨料与磨液、效率与成本等方面对各抛光技术进行比较;介绍了复合抛光技术在蓝宝石材料中的应用;最后重点展望了蓝宝石材料超精密抛光技术的下一步研究。     

Thermal healing of the sub-surface damage layer in sapphire

The sub-surface damage layer formed by mechanical polishing of sapphire is known to reduce the mechanical strength of the processed sapphire and to degrade the performance of sapphire based components. Thermal annealing is one of the methods to eliminate the sub-surface damage layer. This study focuses on the mechanism of thermal healing by studying its effect on surface topography of a- and c-plane surfaces, on the residual stresses in surface layers and on the thickness of the sub-surface damage layer. An atomically flat surface was developed on thermally annealed c-plane surfaces while a faceted roof-top topography was formed on a-plane surfaces. The annealing resulted in an improved crystallographic perfection close to the sample surface as was indicated by a noticeable decrease in X-ray rocking curve peak width. Etching experiments and surface roughness measurements using white light interferometry with sub-nanometer resolution on specimens annealed to different extents indicate that the sub-surface damage layer of the optically polished sapphire is less than 3 μm thick and it is totally healed after thermal treatment at 1450 °C for 72 h.     

单晶金刚石机械研磨结合化学辅助机械抛光组合加工工艺

单晶金刚石因具有最高的硬度和最低的摩擦系数常被用来制备超精密刀具,而表面粗糙度是影响刀具寿命的重要指标.提出采用机械研磨结合化学辅助机械抛光的组合工艺抛光单晶金刚石.实验优化并确定的加工工艺如下:先用5μm和2μm金刚石粉研磨单晶金刚石表面,然后采用化学机械的方法去除机械研磨带来的损伤.用该工艺抛光单晶金刚石,表面粗糙度Ra可达0.8 nm(测量区域70μm×53μm).表面拉曼光谱分析表明化学机械抛光的表面只有1 332 cm-1拉曼峰.     

Improved optical and electrical characteristics of free-standing GaN substrates by chemical polishing utilizing photo-electrochemical method

The optical and electrical properties of GaN(0001) surfaces treated by a novel chemical polishing method are described. Scanning microscopic photoluminescence images reveal that the polished GaN surface shows improved luminescence properties compared to the untreated surface. Current-voltage measurements of Schottky barriers formed using the GaN substrates show that the polished GaN surface has a lower reverse leakage current, and that the barrier height and ideality factor are improved after the polishing treatment.     

Fabrication of the selective-growth ZnO nanorods with a hole-array pattern on a p-type GaN:Mg layer through a chemical bath deposition process

ZnO nanorod arrays were effectively selective-grown on a p-type GaN:Mg layer through chemical bath deposition (CBD) at a low temperature hydrothermal synthesis (85 °C) with a ZnO seed layer. The 5 μm-diameter hole-array patterns of the ZnO seed layer were grown on a p-type GaN:Mg layer in aqueous solution with a mercury lamp illumination. The diameter and the height of ZnO nanorods were measured as the values of 500 nm and 3 μm, respectively. The growth orientation, surface morphology, and aspect ratio of the ZnO nanorods can be controlled and formed on the hole-array patterned ZnO seed layer. The peak wavelength of the photoluminescence spectrum was measured at 384 nm.     

Chemical/mechanical polishing of diamond films assisted by molten mixture of LiNO3 and KNO3

Chemical/mechanical polishing can be used to polish the rough surface of diamond films prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). In this paper, a mixture of oxidizing agents (LiNO₃ + KNO₃) has been introduced to improve the material removal rate and the surface roughness in chemical/mechanical polishing because of its lower melting point. It had been shown that by using this mixture the surface roughness R_a (arithmetic average roughness) could be reduced from 8-17 to 0.4 μm in 3 h of polishing, and the material removal rate can reach 1.7-2.3 mg/cm²/h at the temperature of 623 K. Pure aluminium is compared with cast iron as the contact disk material in the polishing. Although the material removal rate of aluminiumdisk is lower than that of cast iron, it can eliminate the carbon contamination from the contact disk to the surface of diamond films, and facilitate the analysis of the status of diamond in the chemical/mechanical polishing. The surface character and material removal rate of diamond films under different polishing pressure and rotating speed have also been studied. Graphite and amorphous carbon were detected on the surface of polished diamond films by Raman spectroscopy. It has been found that the oxidization and graphitization combined with mechanical cracking account for the high material removal rate in chemical/mechanical polishing of diamond films.     

Ion-beam-defect processes in group-III nitrides and ZnO

Recently, there has been much interest in wide band-gap wurtzite semiconductors such as group-III nitrides (GaN, AlGaN, and InGaN) and ZnO. Ion-beam-defect processes are considerably more complex in these wurtzite semiconductors than in the case of both elemental and group-III-V cubic semiconductors. This brief review focuses on our recent studies of the following aspects of ion-beam-defect processes: (i) effects of implanted species and the density of collision cascades, (ii) the nature of ion-beam-produced planar defects in GaN, (iii) defect production in GaN by swift heavy ions, (iv) blistering of H-implanted GaN, (v) electrical isolation of GaN and ZnO, (vi) the effect of Al and In content on defect processes in III-nitrides, and (vii) structural damage in ZnO with an intriguing effect of the formation of an anomalous defect peak. Emphasis is given to unusual ion-beam-defect processes and to the physical mechanisms underlying them.     

Processing of nanocrystalline diamond thin films for thermal management of wide-bandgap semiconductor power electronics

High current densities in wide-bandgap semiconductor electronics operating at high power levels results in significant self-heating of devices, which necessitates the development thermal management technologies to effectively dissipate the generated heat. This paper lays the foundation for the development of such technology by ascertaining process conditions for depositing nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) on AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) with no visible damage to device metallization. NCD deposition is carried out on Si and GaN HEMTs with Au/Ni metallization. Raman spectroscopy, optical and scanning electron microscopy are used to evaluate the quality of the deposited NCD films. Si device metallization is used as a test bed for developing process conditions for NCD deposition on AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. Results indicate that no visible damage occurs to the device metallization for deposition conditions below 290 °C for Si devices and below 320 °C for the AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. Possible mechanisms for metallization damage above the deposition temperature are enumerated. Electrical testing of the AlGaN/GaN HEMTs indicates that it is indeed possible to deposit NCD on GaN-based devices with no significant degradation in device performance.     

Analysis of GaN etching damage by capacitively coupled RF Ar plasma exposure

GaN etching damage by capacitively-coupled RF Ar plasma exposure is significantly dependent on gas pressure and exposure time. At a low gas pressure (10 mTorr), the N/Ga ratio decreases by the physical etching effect with increasing exposure time, while the GaN surface morphology is smooth. At a high gas pressure (50 mTorr), there are other effects such as UV radiation, by which the GaN surface morphology becomes rough as the exposure time increases from ∼ 60 min.     

Catalyst-free ZnO nanowires grown on a-plane GaN

ZnO nanowires were grown on a-plane GaN templates by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) without employing a catalyst. The a-plane GaN templates were pre-deposited on an r-plane sapphire substrate by metal-organic CVD. The resulting ZnO nanowires grow in angles off- related to the GaN basal plane. X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra showed that the ZnO layer was grown with a heteroepitaxial relationship of (110)_ZnO||(110)_GaN. Photoluminescence spectra measured at 17 K exhibited near-band-edge emission at 372 nm with a full width at half maximum of 10 nm. The growth mechanism on a-GaN was the Volmer-Weber (VW) mode and differed from the Stranski-Krastanow (SK) mode observed for growth on c-GaN. This difference results from the higher interfacial free-energy on the a-plane between ZnO and GaN than that on the c-plane orientation.     

Recent advances in ZnO materials and devices

Wurtzitic ZnO is a wide-bandgap (3.437 eV at 2 K) semiconductor which has many applications, such as piezoelectric transducers, varistors, phosphors, and transparent conducting films. Most of these applications require only polycrystalline material; however, recent successes in producing large-area single crystals have opened up the possibility of producing blue and UV light emitters, and high-temperature, high-power transistors. The main advantages of ZnO as a light emitter are its large exciton binding energy (60 meV), and the existence of well-developed bulk and epitaxial growth processes; for electronic applications, its attractiveness lies in having high breakdown strength and high saturation velocity. Optical UV lasing, at both low and high temperatures, has already been demonstrated, although efficient electrical lasing must await the further development of good, p-type material. ZnO is also much more resistant to radiation damage than are other common semiconductor materials, such as Si, GaAs, CdS, and even GaN; thus, it should be useful for space applications.     

类石墨烯单层结构ZnO和GaN的压电特性对比研究

本研究采用基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理计算了类石墨烯单层结构ZnO(g-ZnO) 和GaN(g-GaN)的力学、电学和压电性质, 重点研究了施加应变后原子坐标弛豫与否的Clamped-ion和Relaxed-ion两种模式的弹性刚度系数和压电张量。结果表明单层g-ZnO和g-GaN均具有半导体属性和较好的弹性。单层g-ZnO和g-GaN的压电系数分别约为9.4和2.2 pm·V^-1, 预测这类单层材料在极薄器件中可能具有压电效应, 且g-ZnO的压电性能更好。因此, 类石墨烯单层ZnO有望用于压力传感器、制动器、换能器及能量收集器等纳米尺度器件。     

ZnO/GaN heterostructure for LED applications

White electroluminescence (EL) from ZnO/GaN structures fabricated by pulsed laser deposition of Zn:In onto GaN:Mg/GaN structures MOCVD-grown on Al₂O₃ substrates has been observed. The white light is produced by superposition of two strongest emission lines, narrow blue and broad yellow, peaked at 440 and 550 nm, respectively. The intensity ratio of different EL lines from ZnO/GaN/Al₂O₃ structures depends on the ZnO film quality and drive current. The white EL is due to the high density of structural defects at the n-ZnO/p-GaN interface. A band diagram of the n-ZnO/p-GaN/n-GaN is constructed and a qualitative explanation of the EL is given. Conditions of ZnO deposition strongly affects the properties of the recombination emission and predetermines the EL spectrum of the LED structure if it does not have high quantum efficiency (more than 1%) such as in commercial LEDs.     

Effect of GaN doping on ZnO films by pulsed laser deposition

The present study reveals the codoping of Ga and N into ZnO films on sapphire substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) with GaN doped ZnO targets. The glow discharge mass spectroscopy (GDMS) spectra confirm the presence of Ga and N in the doped films. The XRD measurements show that for GaN concentration up to 0.8 mol%, the full width at half maximum (FWHM) is almost unchanged thereby maintaining the crystallinity of the films, while for 1 mol% the FWHM increases. The PL spectra only show the strong near band edge (NBE) emission, whereas the deep level emissions are almost undetectable, indicating that they have been considerably suppressed. Our Hall measurements indicate that all the GaN doped ZnO films are of n-type. However, as the GaN concentration is greater than 0.6 mol%, the film shows a decrease in the carrier concentration, suggesting that N acceptors are not sufficient to compensate the native donor defects.     

Growth of continuous GaN films on ZnO buffer layer by chemical vapor deposition for ultraviolet photodetector

In this work, c-axis-oriented continuous GaN films have been synthesized by the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method using ZnO material as the intermediate buffer layer. The GaN films with different growth temperatures exhibit high crystal quality and small surface roughness due to the same crystal structure and low lattice mismatches rate between GaN and ZnO materials. Meanwhile, the UV photodetector based on the CVD-grown GaN film exhibits a relatively high responsivity, fast rise and decay time, and good thermal stability. Our work provides a simple and promising CVD method to fabricate continuous GaN film for electronic and optoelectronic devices.

     

Preparation of large area free-standing GaN substrates by HVPE using mechanical polishing liftoff method

In this study, 30×30 mm² free-standing GaN substrates were fabricated from 400–450 μm thick GaN films grown on (0001) sapphire by hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE). The thick films were separated from the substrate by mechanical polishing liftoff method, using a diamond slurry. After liftoff, the bow is only slight or absent in the resulting free-standing GaN wafers.     

Improved growth of GaN layers on ultra thin silicon nitride/Si (1 1 1) by RF-MBE

High-quality GaN epilayers were grown on Si (1 1 1) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy using a new growth process sequence which involved a substrate nitridation at low temperatures, annealing at high temperatures, followed by nitridation at high temperatures, deposition of a low-temperature buffer layer, and a high-temperature overgrowth. The material quality of the GaN films was also investigated as a function of nitridation time and temperature. Crystallinity and surface roughness of GaN was found to improve when the Si substrate was treated under the new growth process sequence. Micro-Raman and photoluminescence (PL) measurement results indicate that the GaN film grown by the new process sequence has less tensile stress and optically good. The surface and interface structures of an ultra thin silicon nitride film grown on the Si surface are investigated by core-level photoelectron spectroscopy and it clearly indicates that the quality of silicon nitride notably affects the properties of GaN growth.