GaN-based power devices have been intensively investigated for high power switching applications as well as high power microwave applications. Particularly, high breakdown voltage and high saturation velocity of GaN-based heterostructures facilitate reduction in on-state loss and switching loss compared to currently dominant Si-based power devices. Moreover, normally-off GaN-based power field-effect transistors (FETs) offer their inherent safety, reduced power consumption, and diverse circuit functionality with normally-on ones. Recently, we developed a zero-bias Cl-based dry etching process to thin AlGaN barrier with a minimal damage for enhancement-mode AlGaN/GaN FETs. However, it has been difficult to control gate-recess process for normally-off GaN-based FETs due to strong polarization effects. Namely, 1 nm under- or over-etchings near the critical AlGaN barrier thickness where the channel is pinch-off result in a negative threshold voltage (V_T) or a degraded transconductance (G_m), respectively. In this work, we report a methodology to control our Cl-based gate-recess for both positive V_T and high G_m,MAX by relating electrical properties of the gate-recessed area before gate metallization to V_T and G_m in AlGaN/GaN FETs.

Gate-recessed AlGaN/GaN FETs were fabricated through fast etching with BCl₃ and slow etching with Cl₂/N₂/10%-O₂ to thin AlGaN barrier. The slow etching runs under inductively-coupled plasma mode only to minimize the damage. For monitoring purpose, resistance at 0 V (R_0V) and drain-to-source current (I_D,SAT) at 10 V between source and drain contacts were measured before gate metallization to correlate with V_T and G_m after gate metal deposition.

Carrier delocalization in InGaN/GaN multi-quantum wells (MQW) contained within green light-emitting diodes (LEDs) has been proposed as a contributor to LED efficiency droop. By contrast, interface roughness and fluctuations in composition within the MQWs may act to localize and confine carriers¹. In this study, InGaN/GaN MQWs were grown on both (0001)GaN layers and on In_xGa_1-xN buffer layer with graded In mole frations from 0 to 10%. Both heterostructures were grown on chemomechanically polished (0001)GaN substrates. Calculations using temperature-dependent photoluminescence spectra revealed a four-fold increase in the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) in the latter structure. A LEAP 4000X HR^TM pulsed UV laser (355 nm at 200 kHz) atom probe tomograph was used to investigate the elemental and spatial characteristics of the interface of the In_xGa_1-xN/GaN MQWs. To establish consistent atom probe operation parameters for reliable comparison among different samples, a systematic study was conducted to optimize the evaporation rate and laser energy. The concentration profile of In_xGa_1-xN/GaN MQW showed slightly varied In fraction among different QWs, ranging from x=0.21 to x=0.27, while the XRD results showed an average In fraction in all QWs of x=0.25. Furthermore, based on isoconcentration surface analysis and proximity histograms the upper surfaces of InGaN QWs appear to be more diffuse than the lower surfaces. These results indicate surface roughening of the InGaN layer. A detailed comparison of the two structures will be presented and the ability of 3-D atom probe tomography for such an analysis and the impact of the results on next generation LED technologies will be discussed.

1. J. Hader, J. V. Moloney and S. W. Koch, Appl. Phys. Lett. 96 (22), 221106 (2010).

While GaN is a widely-used material in optoelectronic devices, localized surface-related electrical properties are not well-understood. These properties affect the operational performance and lifetimes of GaN-based devices. Here, several atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques were used to characterize the Ga-polar, +c [0001], and N-polar, -c [0001bar], surfaces of free-standing bulk GaN. Samples were prepared by either a chemical-mechanical polish (CMP) or mechanical polish (MP) of HVPE-grown GaN. AFM data showed that the Ga-polar surfaces (MP and CMP) were uniformly flat with rms roughness of less than 1 nm over a 5x5 micron image. In contrast, the N-polar surfaces were significantly rougher (~5 nm rms) with scratch-like features (100 nm wide, microns long), where the CMP treatment resulted in the presence of surface protrusions (~100 nm dia.) in proximity of the scratches. We then examined the local electrical properties using conducting AFM (C-AFM) to map surface conductivity and to obtain I-V spectra. C-AFM images at forward-bias (<6V) showed small contrast variations for all samples except the N-polar CMP surface. In that case, we observed less conducting behavior on the protrusions as compared to the surrounding surface. Local I-V data also revealed a higher forward-bias, turn-on voltage for the N-polar vs. Ga-polar samples. To investigate the local surface charging behavior, we used a two-step technique. First, a metallized AFM tip was used to locally charge the surface by applying a DC voltage, and then the resulting change in surface potential was monitored as a function of time with scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM). These surface charging data showed a smaller change in surface potential for the N- vs. Ga-polar samples, which appears to be consistent with the lower onset of conduction for the N-polar orientation. Finally, we measureed the photo-induced changes in surface potential under UV light exposure (100W Hg lamp), otherwise known as the surface photovoltage effect (SPV). The N-polar samples had a smaller SPV compared to Ga-polar, which indicates a smaller amount of band bending at the surface. Additionally, N-polar GaN restored to dark-state conditions at a much faster rate, regardless of CMP or MP treatment. In summary, we observed differences in morphology and electrical behavior for the two polar, c-plane GaN surfaces, as well as differences in behavior due to CMP and MP treatments. These data suggest a less pronounced surface charging behavior on N-polar vs. Ga-polar GaN.

Organic Photovoltaics (OPVs) have attracted increasing interest as a lightweight, low-cost and easy to process replacement for inorganic solar cells. Moreover, the morphology of the OPV active layer is crucial to its performance, where a bicontinuous, interconnected, phase-separated morphology of pure electron donor and acceptor phases is currently believed to be optimal. In this work, we use neutron scattering to investigate the morphology of a model OPV conjugated polymer bulk heterojunction, poly[3-hexylthiophene] (P3HT) and surface-functionalized fullerene 1-(3-methyloxycarbonyl) propy(1-phenyl [6,6]) C₆₁ (PCBM). These results show that P3HT and PCBM form a homogeneous structure containing crystalline P3HT and an amorphous P3HT/PCBM matrix, up to ca. 20 vol% PCBM. At 50 vol% PCBM, the samples exhibit a complex structure containing at least P3HT crystals, PCBM crystals, and a homogeneous mixture of the two. The 20 vol% PCBM samples exhibit behavior consistent with the onset of phase separation after 6 hours of thermal annealing at 150 °C, but appears to be miscible at shorter annealing times. This suggests that the miscibility limit of PCBM in P3HT is near 20%. Moreover, for the 50 vol% PCBM sample, the interface roughens under thermal annealing possibly owing to the growth of PCBM crystals. These observations suggest a different morphology than is commonly presented in the literature for optimal bulk heterojunctions. We propose a novel ‘rivers and streams’ morphology to describe this system, which is consistent with these scattering results and previously reported photovoltaic functionality of P3HT/PCBM bulk heterojunctions.

Electronic functionalization of complex fibrous systems is of interest for developing new hybrid electronic systems geared toward integrating biological detection and energy harvesting devices in textile materials. Reliable methods to evaluate the electrical properties of these textiles are necessary for future device design and performance improvement. This work investigates conformal, nanoscale coatings of zinc oxide and tungsten produced by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on natural and synthetic fibers structures, resulting in novel hybrid-based electronic structures. A modified 4-probe test method is introduced to evaluate the effective conductivity of these coatings. An applied normal force orthogonal to the current and field direction improves the fiber/fiber contact, resulting in consistent evaluation of the effective conductivity of the coatings across fiber systems and is a unique method of evaluating the mechanical behavior of these coated fiber structures. Optimization of the coatings has resulted in conductivity values as high as 40 S cm^-1 for zinc oxide coatings (~75 nm) on polypropylene and cotton fiber, as well as 1150 S cm^-1 for ALD tungsten (~50 nm) on quartz fiber matrices. Device application of these coated fiber matrices are benefited by their “all-fiber” structure, with characteristic high porosity and surface area. For example, a textile-based flow-through metal-insulator-metal capacitors fabricated from tungsten-coated quartz fibers is shown as an application in liquid chemical sensing. The mechanisms related to electron transport in a surface-coated textile fabric and implications on device fabrication and improvement will be discussed.