GaSb/GaAs异质结热光伏电池材料的MBE生长

利用分子束外延方法(MBE)在GaAs (001)衬底上外延生长了GaSb薄膜,并对GaSb薄膜进行了高温退火研究,利用高分辨透射电子显微镜(HRTEM)、原子力显微镜(AFM)、Hall效应(Hall Effect)和低温光荧光谱(LTPL)等手段对薄膜的晶体质量、电学性质和光学性质进行了研究.发现直接生长的GaSb膜表面平整,空穴迁移率较高.研究发现30 s、650℃的快速热退火可消除位错等缺陷,显著提高GaSb薄膜的光学质量.     

利用Al/AlAs中间层调控GaAs在Si(111)上外延生长的研究

为了实现Ⅲ-V器件在硅基平台上单片集成,近年来Ⅲ-V半导体在硅衬底上的异质外延得到了广泛研究。由于Ⅲ-V半导体与Si之间大的晶格失配以及晶格结构不同,在Si上生长的Ⅲ-V半导体中存在较多的失配位错及反相畴,对器件性能造成严重影响。而Si(111)表面的双原子台阶可以避免Ⅲ-V异质外延过程中形成反相畴。本文利用分子束外延技术通过Al/AlAs作为中间层首次在Si(111)衬底上外延生长了GaAs(111)薄膜。通过一系列对比实验验证了Al/AlAs中间层的插入对GaAs薄膜质量的调控作用,并在此基础上通过低温-高温两步法优化了GaAs的生长条件。结果表明Al/AlAs插层可以为GaAs外延生长提供模板,并在一定程度上释放GaAs与Si之间的失配应力,从而使GaAs薄膜的晶体质量得到提高。以上工作为Ⅲ-V半导体在硅上的生长提供了新思路。     

两步法溅射中缓冲层厚度对Ge薄膜质量的影响

采用低温缓冲层技术制备Ge薄膜,利用AFM和Raman光谱研究缓冲层厚度对低温Ge缓冲层残余应变弛豫的影响.实验结果显示:随着缓冲层厚度的增加,残余应变弛豫度增大.在30 nm厚的低温Ge缓冲层上生长800nm厚的Ge外延层.Ge薄膜具有良好的结晶性,表面粗糙度RMS为2.06 nm.     

在Si和GaAs衬底上分子束外延CdTe的晶格应变

本文利用高分辨率多重晶多重反射X射线衍射技术对分子束外延CdTe(211)B/ Si(211)与CdTe(211)B/GaAs(211)B材料的CdTe外延薄膜进行了倒易点二维扫描,并通过获得的倒易点二维图,对CdTe缓冲层的应力和应变状况进行了分析.研究显示,对于一定厚度的CdTe外延薄膜,在从生长温度280℃降至室温20℃的过程中,由于和衬底存在热膨胀系数的差异,将在外延薄膜中产生热应力,使外延薄膜发生应变,并且这种应变取代了失配应变,在晶格畸变中占据主导地位.对于Si衬底,热应变表现为张应力;对于GaAs衬底,热应变表现为压应力.该研究结果对于进一步优化在大失配的异质衬底上外延同Hg1-xCdxTe材料晶格匹配的Cd1-yZnyTe材料的Zn组分具有指导意义.     

Si(111)外延GaN的表面形貌及形成机理研究

用高温AlN作缓冲层在Si(111)上外延生长出GaN薄膜.通过对薄膜表面扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和高分辨率双晶X射线衍射(DCXRD)的分析,确定缓冲层对外延层形貌的影响,分析解释了表面形貌中凹坑的形成及缓冲层生长温度对凹坑的影响.结果表明:温度的高低通过影响缓冲层初始成核密度和成核尺寸来影响外延层表面形貌.     

衬底温度对共蒸发制备GaSb多晶薄膜性质的影响

采用共蒸发的方法在玻璃衬底上制备出GaSb多晶薄膜材料.研究了薄膜生长速率与衬底温度、Ga源温度和Sb源温度的关系.通过XRD、UV-Vis、Hall效应和AFM等测试方法,研究了衬底温度对于GaSb薄膜的结构特性、光电性质以及表面形貌的影响.GaSb多晶薄膜具有(111)择优取向,薄膜的吸收系数达到105 cm-1,晶粒尺寸随衬底温度升高逐渐增大;衬底温度为540℃时,薄膜的迁移率达到127 cm2/V·s,空穴浓度为3×1017 cm-3.GaSb薄膜的表面粗糙度随温度增加而增加.     

碳化温度对异质外延3C-SiC薄膜结晶质量及表面形貌的影响

本文以Si(100)为衬底,利用水平式常压冷壁化学气相沉积(APCVD)系统在不同温度(1100～1250℃)下制备的“缓冲层”上生长了3C-SiC薄膜.结果表明,薄膜为外延生长的单一3C-SiC多型,薄膜表面呈现“镶嵌”结构特征,Si/3C-SiC界面平整无孔洞.碳化温度对薄膜的结晶质量和表面粗糙度有显著的影响,当碳化温度低于或高于1200℃时,薄膜的结晶质量有所降低,且随着碳化温度的升高,薄膜表面粗糙度呈现增大的趋势.当在1200℃下制备的“缓冲层”上生长薄膜时,可以获得最优质量的3C-SiC外延膜,其(200)晶面摇摆曲线半峰宽约为0.34°,表面粗糙度约为5.2nm.     

在Si(100)上以AlN作过渡层低温外延生长ZnO薄膜

采用脉冲激光沉积(PLD)方法在Si(100)上成功生长了高度c轴取向的AlN薄膜,并以此为衬底,实现了ZnO薄膜的低温准外延生长.通过X射线衍射(XRD)、原子力显微镜(AFM)以及荧光分光光度计表征ZnO薄膜的结构、表面形貌和发光性能.结果表明,ZnO薄膜能在AlN过渡层上沿c轴准外延生长,采用AlN过渡层后,其荧光强度也有大幅提高.     

无位错Te-GaSb(100)单晶抛光衬底的晶格完整性

采用液封直拉(LEC)法批量生长的直径2英寸(1英寸=2.54 cm)n型Te-GaSb(100)单晶的位错腐蚀坑密度(EPD)通常低于300 cm^-2,达到无位错水平。本文利用X射线摇摆曲线以及倒易空间图(RSM)对这种GaSb单晶抛光衬底的晶格完整性和亚表面损伤情况进行了分析表征,结果表明经过工艺条件优化的化学机械抛光处理,GaSb单晶衬底表面达到原子级光滑,不存在亚表面损伤层。利用分子束外延在这种衬底上可稳定生长出高质量的Ⅱ类超晶格外延材料并呈现出优异的红外探测性能。在此基础上,对CaSb衬底材料的物性、生长制备和衬底加工条件之间的内在关系进行了综合分析。     

MOCVD生长InxGa1-Xn薄膜的表征

本文利用MOCVD方法在(0001)取向的蓝宝石衬底上实现了不同生工艺条件下的InxGa-xN薄膜的制备,并通过XRD、SEM、AFM等测量分析方法系统研究了生长工艺参数对InxGa1-xN薄膜的组分和性质的影响.InxGa1-xN薄膜的制备包括蓝宝石衬底表面上GaN缓冲层的生长以及缓冲层上InxGa1-xN薄膜的沉积两个过程.通过对所制备InxGa1-xN薄膜的XRD、SEM、AFM分析发现,调节生长温度和TMGa的流量可以有效控制InxGa1-xN薄膜中In的组分,并且随着生长温度的升高,InxGa1-xN薄膜的表面缺陷减少.     

Epitaxial growth of ZnO thin films on Si substrates by PLD technique

Epitaxial ZnO thin films have been grown on Si(1 1 1) substrates at temperatures between 550 and 700 °C with an oxygen pressure of 60 Pa by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). A ZnO thin film deposited at 500 °C in no-oxygen ambient was used as a buffer layer for the ZnO growth. In situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) observations show that ZnO thin films directly deposited on Si are of a polycrystalline structure, and the crystallinity is deteriorated with an increase of substrate temperature as reflected by the evolution of RHEED patterns from the mixture of spots and rings to single rings. In contrast, the ZnO films grown on a homo-buffer layer exhibit aligned spotty patterns indicating an epitaxial growth. Among the ZnO thin films with a buffer layer, the film grown at 650 °C shows the best structural quality and the strongest ultraviolet (UV) emission with a full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 86 meV. It is found that the ZnO film with a buffer layer has better crystallinity than the film without the buffer layer at the same substrate temperature, while the film without the buffer layer shows a more intense UV emission. Possible reasons and preventive methods are suggested to obtain highly optical quality films.     

Arsenic-free GaAs substrate preparation and direct growth of GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum well without buffer layer

High-temperature treatment of GaAs substrate without As flux in a preparation chamber was investigated as a substrate surface cleaning method for molecular beam epitaxial (MBE) growth. Oxide gases such as CO and CO₂ were almost completely desorbed at a temperature above which Ga and As started to evaporate from the substrate. During the cleaning at a temperature as high as 575°C for 30 min, about 100 nm thick GaAs was evaporated from the substrate, but its surface maintained mirror-like smoothness and showed streak pattern with surface reconstruction pattern in the reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) observation. Direct growth of GaAs/Al GaAs quantum well (QW) structures was tried on such surfaces without introducing any buffer layers. The QW structure showed photoluminescence with both intensity and full width at half maximum comparable with those for the QW grown on the substrate cleaned by the conventional method with introducing a GaAs buffer layer.     

Growth of EuTe islands on SnTe by molecular beam epitaxy

Semiconductor magnetic quantum dots are very promising structures, with novel properties that find multiple applications in spintronic devices. EuTe is a wide gap semiconductor with NaCl structure, and strong magnetic moments S=7/2 at the half filled 4f⁷ electronic levels. On the other hand, SnTe is a narrow gap semiconductor with the same crystal structure and 4% lattice mismatch with EuTe. In this work, we investigate the molecular beam epitaxial growth of EuTe on SnTe after the critical thickness for island formation is surpassed, as a previous step to the growth of organized magnetic quantum dots. The topology and strain state of EuTe islands were studied as a function of growth temperature and EuTe nominal layer thickness. Reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) was used in-situ to monitor surface morphology and strain state. RHEED results were complemented and enriched with atomic force microscopy and grazing incidence X-ray diffraction measurements made at the XRD2 beamline of the Brazilian Synchrotron. EuTe islands of increasing height and diameter are obtained when the EuTe nominal thickness increases, with higher aspect ratio for the islands grown at lower temperatures. As the islands grow, a relaxation toward the EuTe bulk lattice parameter was observed. The relaxation process was partially reverted by the growth of the SnTe cap layer, vital to protect the EuTe islands from oxidation. A simple model is outlined to describe the distortions caused by the EuTe islands on the SnTe buffer and cap layers. The SnTe cap layers formed interesting plateau structures with easily controlled wall height, that could find applications as a template for future nanostructures growth.     

RHEED studies of the growth of Si(001) by gas source MBE from disilane

The growth of Si(001) from a gas source molecular beam epitaxy system (Si-GSMBE) using disilane (Si₂H₆) was investigated using reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED). The surface reconstructions occurring between 100 and 775°C were studied as a function of both substrate temperature and surface coverage. We report the first observation of (2x2) and c(4x4) reconstructions during growth at substrate temperatures near 645°C using Si₂H₆. All growth was found to be initiated by the formation of three-dimensional (3D) islands which coalesced at substrate temperatures above 600°C. The surface reconstruction was found to change from a disordered to an ordered (2x1)+(1x2) structure at 775°C via intermediate (2x2) and c(4x4) phases. Thereafter, growth was found to proceed in a 2D layer-by-layer fashion, as evidenced by the observation of RHEED intensity oscillations. This technique has been used, for the first time, to calibrate growth rates during Si-GSMBE. The intensity oscillations were measured as a function of both substrate temperature and incident beam flux. Strong and damped oscillations were observed between 610 and 680°C, in the two-dimensional growth regime. At higher temperatures, growth by step propagation dominated while at lower temperatures, growth became increasingly three-dimensional and consequently oscillations were weak or absent. Similarly, there was a minimum flux limit ( <0.16 SCCM), below which no oscillations were recorded.     

Reflection high-energy electron diffraction intensity oscillations during growth of (Al,Ga)As on GaAs(111)A

We have made a reflection high-energy diffraction (RHEED) intensity oscillation study of the growth of (Al,Ga)As on GaAs and (Al,Ga)As (111)A surfaces. The RHEED intensity oscillations during growth of (Al,Ga)As are dependent on both growth temperature and As₄:Ga flux ratio. In addition, the oscillation period decreases as the Al fraction in the (Al,Ga)As is increased. Changes in the oscillation period during growth of the first few monolayers of both GaAs on (Al,Ga)As and (Al,Ga)As on GaAs may indicate the intermixing of Al and Ga near the heterointerface.     

Epitaxial growth in the (111)Ag/Cu and (111)Au/Cu systems

The initial stages of epitaxial growth in the (111)Ag/Cu and (111)Au/Cu systems were investigated using UHV-RHEED and TEM on the same specimens. Flat, monocrystalline (111)Cu substrates, 1100 Å thick, were formed in situ in the RHEED system on (111)NaCl/mica bilayers. The latter consisted of air-cleaved mica on which 150 Å of NaCl was vacuum-evaporated to form a (111)NaCl monocrystalline film. The NaCl layer allowed easy removal in water of the subsequently deposited bilayer metal film. RHEED showed that these Cu films grew with extremely flat surfaces at 400°C and 10 Å/sec deposition rates. They were then annealed at 500°C for 15 min to reduce their dislocation content and finally used as substrates for subsequent deposition of thin Ag or Au superlayers. The average Ag and Au superlayer thicknesses were varied from fractions of an Angstrom to approximately 20 Å. It was shown that despite the elongated streaks in the RHEED patterns, film growth occurred by an island mechanism, the islands having flat top surfaces. In the initial growth processes, the islands merely thickened. After a few average monolayers were deposited, the islands began to widen, often by means of much thinner islands, finally coalescing into a continuous film. The Au overgrowths became continuous in the 6–11 Å thickness range. In the case of Ag, there still were some open areas in the overgrowth at 20 Å. In both cases the continuous regions of the Ag and Au overgrowths consisted of sharply delineated thick and thin areas that gave rise to steps on the otherwise flat surface.     

Molecular beam epitaxial growth and thermodynamic analysis of InGaAs and InAlAs lattice matched to InP

Reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) intensity oscillations have been used to detect the onset of metal droplet formation on the surface of InAs, InGaAs and InAlAs during molecular beam epitaxy. The growth conditions which produce such droplets are shown to be in good agreement with predictions based on thermodynamic arguments.     

The effect of ZnO buffer layer on structural and optical properties of ZnO nanorods

A low‐temperature synthetic route was used to prepare oriented arrays of ZnO nanorods on ITO conducting glass substrate coated with buffer layer of ZnO seeds in an aqueous solution. The corresponding growth behavior and optical properties of ZnO nanorod arrays were studied. It was found that the nature of the buffer layer had effect on the microstructures and optical properties of the resultant ZnO nanorod arrays. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) results showed the nanorods were preferentially grown along (002) direction, but the diameter of the nanorods prepared with the buffer layer was much smaller than the without one, which can be clearly seen from the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results. And it also found that the buffer layer was not only enhanced the density of overall coverage but also beneficial to grown the oriented arrays. Photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) results indicated that the all the samples had the better optical behaviors. By computation, the relative PL intensity ratio of ultraviolet emission (I_UV) to deep level emission (I_DLE) of ZnO nanorods grown with the pure substrate was much higher than that of the sample with the buffer layer. The defects on the surface increased with the size reduction of nanorods caused by the buffer layer may be the main reason for it. And the small shift in the UV emission was caused by the rapid reduction in crystal size and compressive stress from Raman spectra results. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)