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(La and Ga)-doped tin monoxide (stannous oxide, tin (II) oxide, SnO) thin films were grown by plasma-assisted and suboxide molecular beam epitaxy with dopant concentrations ranging from $\approx5\times10^{18}$cm$^{-3}$ to $2\times10^{21}$cm$^{-3}$. In this concentration range, the incorporation of Ga into SnO was limited by the formation of secondary phases observed at $1.2\times10^{21}$cm$^{-3}$ Ga, while the incorporation of La showed a lower solubility limit. Transport measurements on the doped samples reveal that Ga acts as an acceptor and La as a compensating donor. While Ga doping led to an increase of the hole concentration from $1\times10^{18}$cm$^{-3}-1\times10^{19}$cm$^{-3}$ for unintentionally (UID) SnO up to $5\times10^{19}$cm$^{-3}$, La-concentrations well in excess of the UID acceptor concentration resulted in semi-insulating films without detectable $n$-type conductivity. Ab-initio calculations qualitatively agree with our dopant assignment of Ga and La, and further predict In$_\text{Sn}$ to act as an acceptor as well as Al$_\text{Sn}$ and B$_\text{Sn}$ as donor. These results show the possibilities of controlling the hole concentration in $p$-type SnO, which can be useful for a range of optoelectronic and gas-sensing applications., 6 pages, 5 figures

An accurate knowledge of lattice parameters of Sc xAl1− xN is essential for understanding the elastic and piezoelectric properties of this compound as well as for the ability to engineer its strain state in heterostructures. Using high-resolution x-ray diffractometry, we determine the lattice parameters of 100-nm-thick undoped Sc xAl1− xN layers grown on GaN(0001) templates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The Sc content x of the layers is measured independently by both x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and it ranges from 0 to 0.25. The in-plane lattice parameter of the layers linearly increases with increasing x, while their out-of-plane lattice parameter remains constant. Layers with [Formula: see text] are found to be lattice matched to GaN, resulting in a smooth surface and a structural perfection equivalent to that of the GaN underlayer. In addition, a two-dimensional electron gas is induced at the Sc xAl1− xN/GaN heterointerface, with the highest sheet electron density and mobility observed for lattice-matched conditions.

Journal of synchrotron radiation 27(5), 1200 - 1208 (2020). doi:10.1107/S1600577520009789, Nanoprobe X-ray diffraction (nXRD) using focused synchrotron radiation is a powerful technique to study the structural properties of individual semiconductor nanowires. However, when performing the experiment under ambient conditions, the required high X-ray dose and prolonged exposure times can lead to radiation damage. To unveil the origin of radiation damage, a comparison is made of nXRD experiments carried out on individual semiconductor nanowires in their as-grown geometry both under ambient conditions and under He atmosphere at the microfocus station of the P08 beamline at the third-generation source PETRA III. Using an incident X-ray beam energy of 9 keV and photon flux of 10$^{10}$ s$^{−1}$, the axial lattice parameter and tilt of individual GaAs/In$_{0.2}$Ga$_{0.8}$As/GaAs core–shell nanowires were monitored by continuously recording reciprocal-space maps of the 111 Bragg reflection at a fixed spatial position over several hours. In addition, the emission properties of the (In,Ga)As quantum well, the atomic composition of the exposed nanowires and the nanowire morphology were studied by cathodoluminescence spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy, respectively, both prior to and after nXRD exposure. Nanowires exposed under ambient conditions show severe optical and morphological damage, which was reduced for nanowires exposed under He atmosphere. The observed damage can be largely attributed to an oxidation process from X-ray-induced ozone reactions in air. Due to the lower heat-transfer coefficient compared with GaAs, this oxide shell limits the heat transfer through the nanowire side facets, which is considered as the main channel of heat dissipation for nanowires in the as-grown geometry., Published by Wiley-Blackwell, [S.l.]

The oxidation-related issues in controlling Si doping from the Si source material in oxide molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) are addressed by using its solid suboxide, SiO, as an alternative source material in a conventional effusion cell. Line-of-sight quadrupole mass spectrometry of the direct SiO-flux ([Formula: see text]) from the source at different temperatures ( TSiO) confirmed SiO molecules to sublime with an activation energy of 3.3 eV. The TSiO-dependent [Formula: see text] was measured in vacuum before and after subjecting the source material to an O2-background of [Formula: see text] (typical oxide MBE regime). The absence of a significant [Formula: see text] difference indicates negligible source oxidation in molecular O2. Mounted in an oxygen plasma-assisted MBE, Si-doped β-Ga2O3 layers were grown using this source. The [Formula: see text] at the substrate was evaluated [from 2.9 × 109 cm−2 s−1 ( TSiO = 700 °C) to 5.5 × 1013 cm−2 s−1 ( TSiO = 1000 °C)] and Si-concentration in the β-Ga2O3 layers measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry highlighting unprecedented control of continuous Si-doping for oxide MBE, i.e., [Formula: see text] from 4 × 1017 cm−3 ( TSiO = 700 °C) up to 1.7 × 1020 cm−3 ( TSiO = 900 °C). For a homoepitaxial β-Ga2O3 layer, a Hall charge carrier concentration of 3 × 1019 cm−3 in line with the provided [Formula: see text] (TSiO = 800 °C) is demonstrated. No SiO-incorporation difference was found between β-Ga2O3(010) layers homoepitaxially grown at 750 °C and β-Ga2O3(−201) heteroepitaxial layers grown at 550 °C on c-plane sapphire. However, the presence of activated oxygen (plasma) resulted in partial source oxidation and related decrease in doping concentration (particularly at TSiO < 800 °C), which has been tentatively explained with a simple model. Degassing the source at 1100 °C reverted this oxidation. Concepts to reduce source oxidation during MBE-growth are referenced.

By employing a mixed SnO$_2$+Sn source, we demonstrate suboxide molecular beam epitaxy growth of phase-pure single crystalline metastable SnO(001) thin films at a growth rate of ~1.0nm/min without the need for additional oxygen. These films grow epitaxially across a wide substrate temperature range from 150 to 450{\deg}C. Hence, we present an alternative pathway to overcome the limitations of high Sn or SnO$_2$ cell temperatures and narrow growth windows encountered in previous MBE growth of metastable SnO. In-situ laser reflectometry and line-of-sight quadrupole mass spectrometry were used to investigate the rate of SnO desorption as a function of substrate temperature. While SnO ad-molecules desorption at Ts = 450{\deg}C was growth-rate limiting,the SnO films did not desorb at this temperature after growth in vacuum. The SnO (001) thin films are transparent and unintentionally p-type doped, with hole concentrations and mobilities in the range of 0.9 to 6.0x10$^{18}$cm$^{-3}$ and 2.0 to 5.5 cm$^2$/V.s, respectively. These p-type SnO films obtained at low temperatures are promising for back-end-of-line (BEOL) compatible applications and for integration with n-type oxides in p-n heterojunction and field-effect transistors, Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures

Several of the key issues of planar (Al,Ga)N-based deep-ultraviolet light emitting diodes could potentially be overcome by utilizing nanowire heterostructures, exhibiting high structural perfection and improved light extraction. Here, we study the spontaneous emission of GaN/(Al,Ga)N nanowire ensembles grown on Si(111) by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The nanowires contain single GaN quantum disks embedded in long (Al,Ga)N nanowire segments essential for efficient light extraction. These quantum disks are found to exhibit intense emission at unexpectedly high energies, namely, significantly above the GaN bandgap, and almost independent of the disk thickness. An in-depth investigation of the actual structure and composition of the nanowires reveals a spontaneously formed Al gradient both along and across the nanowire, resulting in a complex core/shell structure with an Al deficient core and an Al rich shell with continuously varying Al content along the entire length of the (Al,Ga)N segment. This compositional change along the nanowire growth axis induces a polarization doping of the shell that results in a degenerate electron gas in the disk, thus screening the built-in electric fields. The high carrier density not only results in the unexpectedly high transition energies, but also in radiative lifetimes depending only weakly on temperature, leading to a comparatively high internal quantum efficiency of the GaN quantum disks up to room temperature., This document is the unedited Author's version of a Submitted Work that was subsequently accepted for publication in Nano Letters (2019), copyright (C) American Chemical Society after peer review. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.9b01521, the supporting information is available (free of charge) under the same link

We demonstrate the top-down fabrication of ordered arrays of GaN nanowires by selective area sublimation of pre-patterned GaN(0001) layers grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy on Al$_{2}$O$_{3}$. Arrays with nanowire diameters and spacings ranging from 50 to 90 nm and 0.1 to 0.7 $\mu$m, respectively, are simultaneously produced under identical conditions. The sublimation process, carried out under high vacuum conditions, is analyzed \emph{in situ} by reflection high-energy electron diffraction and line-of-sight quadrupole mass spectromety. During the sublimation process, the GaN(0001) surface vanishes, giving way to the formation of semi-polar $\lbrace1\bar{1}03\rbrace$ facets which decompose congruently following an Arrhenius temperature dependence with an activation energy of ($3.54 \pm 0.07$) eV and an exponential prefactor of $1.58\times10^{31}$ atoms cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$. The analysis of the samples by low-temperature cathodoluminescence spectroscopy reveals that, in contrast to dry etching, the sublimation process does not introduce nonradiative recombination centers at the nanowire sidewalls. This technique is suitable for the top-down fabrication of a variety of ordered nanostructures, and could possibly be extended to other material systems with similar crystallographic properties such as ZnO., Comment: This is the accepted manuscript version of an article that appeared in Nanoscale Advances. The CC BY-NC 3.0 license applies, see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

ZnTe/CdSe/(Zn,Mg)Te core/double-shell nanowires are grown by molecular beam epitaxy by employing the vapor-liquid-solid growth mechanism assisted with gold catalysts. A photoluminescence study of these structures reveals the presence of an optical emission in the near infrared. We assign this emission to the spatially indirect exciton recombination at the ZnTe/CdSe type II interface. This conclusion is confirmed by the observation of a significant blue-shift of the emission energy with an increasing excitation fluence induced by the electron-hole separation at the interface. Cathodoluminescence measurements reveal that the optical emission in the near infrared originates from nanowires and not from two dimensional residual deposits between them. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the emission energy in the near infrared depends on the average CdSe shell thickness and the average Mg concentration within the (Zn,Mg)Te shell. The main mechanism responsible for these changes is associated with the strain induced by the (Zn,Mg)Te shell in the entire core/shell nanowire heterostructure., Comment: 7 pages

The influence of Ga incorporation into cubic In$_2$O$_3$ on the electronic and vibrational properties is discussed for (In$_{1-x}$,Ga$_x$)$_2$O$_3$ alloy films grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Using spectroscopic ellipsometry, a linear dependence of the absorption onset on the Ga content $x$ is found with a blueshift of up to 150 meV for $x = 0.1$. Consistently, the fundamental band gap exhibits a blueshift as determined by hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The dependence of the absorption onset and the effective electron mass on the electron concentration is derived from the infrared dielectric functions for a Sn doped alloy film. The influence of alloying on phonon modes is analyzed on the basis of Raman spectroscopic measurements. The frequencies of several phonon modes are identified as sensitive measures for the spectroscopic determination of the Ga content.

GaN nanowire (NW) arrays are investigated with the main focus on their uniformity, which is a key requirement for the performance of photonic crystals. The NWs are fabricated by two established top-down approaches which are directly compared and critically discussed in terms of their individual merits and drawbacks. A statistical analysis of NW arrays with a nominal NW spacing of 200 nm and NW diameters of 30–70 nm yields distributions of the spacing (diameter) peaking around their nominal values within standard deviations of 2–6 (3–4) nm, a circularity of 0.88–0.89 and a yield of 99.9%.

We analyse the morphological, structural and luminescence properties of self-assembled ZnO nanowires grown by chemical vapour transport on Si(001). The examination of nanowire ensembles by scanning electron microscopy reveals that a non-negligible fraction of nanowires merge together forming coalesced aggregates during growth. We show that the coalescence degree can be unambiguously quantified by a statistical analysis of the cross-sectional shape of the nanowires. The examination of the structural properties by X-ray diffraction evidences that the nanowires crystallize in the wurtzite phase, elongate along the c-axis, and are randomly oriented in plane. The luminescence of the ZnO nanowires, investigated by photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence spectroscopies, is characterized by two bands, the nearband-edge emission and the characteristic defect-related green luminescence of ZnO. The cross-correlation of scanning electron micrographs and monochromatic cathodoluminescence intensity maps reveals that: (i) coalescence joints act as a source of non-radiative recombination, and (ii) the luminescence of ZnO nanowires is inhomogeneously distributed at the single nanowire level. Specifically, the near-band-edge emission arises from the nanowire cores, while the defect-related green luminescence originates from the volume close to the nanowire sidewalls. Two-dimensional simulations of the optical guided modes supported by ZnO nanowires allow us to exclude waveguiding effects as the underlying reason for the luminescence inhomogeneities. We thus attribute this observation to the formation of a core-shell structure in which the shell is characterized by a high concentration of green-emitting radiative point defects with respect to the core.

International audience; In this paper, we describe the design and characterization of 400 nm long (88 periods) Al x Ga1−x N/AlN (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1) quantum dot superlattices deposited on self-assembled GaN nanowires for application in electron-pumped ultraviolet sources. The optical performance of GaN/AlN superlattices on nanowires is compared with the emission of planar GaN/AlN superlattices with the same periodicity and thickness grown on bulk GaN substrates along the N-polar and metal-polar crystallographic axes. The nanowire samples are less sensitive to nonradiative recombination than planar layers, attaining internal quantum efficiencies (IQE) in excess of 60% at room temperature even under low injection conditions. The IQE remains stable for higher excitation power densities, up to 50 kW cm−2. We demonstrate that the nanowire superlattice is long enough to collect the electron–hole pairs generated by an electron beam with an acceleration voltage V A = 5 kV. At such V A, the light emitted from the nanowire ensemble does not show any sign of quenching under constant electron beam excitation (tested for an excitation power density around 8 kW cm−2 over the scale of minutes). Varying the dot/barrier thickness ratio and the Al content in the dots, the nanowire peak emission can be tuned in the range from 340 to 258 nm.

Nanotechnology 31(21), 1-7 (2020). doi:10.1088/1361-6528/ab7590, We report on the direct correlation between the structural and optical properties of single, as-grown core-multi-shell GaAs/In$_{0.15}$Ga$_{0.85}$As/GaAs/AlAs/GaAs nanowires. Fabricated by molecular beam epitaxy on a pre-patterned Si(111) substrate, on a row of well separated nucleation sites, it was possible to access individual nanowires in the as-grown geometry. The polytype distribution along the growth axis of the nanowires was revealed by synchrotron-based nanoprobe x-ray diffraction techniques monitoring the axial 111 Bragg reflection. For the same nanowires, the spatially-resolved emission properties were obtained by cathodoluminescence hyperspectral linescans in a scanning electron microscope. Correlating both measurements, we reveal a blueshift of the shell quantum well emission energy combined with an increased emission intensity for segments exhibiting a mixed structure of alternating wurtzite and zincblende stacking compared with the pure crystal polytypes. The presence of this mixed structure was independently confirmed by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy., Published by IOP Publ., Bristol

Understanding the interplay between the structure, composition and opto-electronic properties of semiconductor nano-objects requires combining transmission electron microscopy (TEM) based techniques with electrical and optical measurements on the very same specimen. Recent developments in TEM technologies allow not only the identification and in-situ electrical characterization of a particular object, but also the direct visualization of its modification in-situ by techniques such as Joule heating. Over the past years, we have carried out a number of studies in these fields that are reviewed in this contribution. In particular, we discuss here i) correlated studies where the same unique object is characterized electro-optically and by TEM, ii) in-situ Joule heating studies where a solid-state metal-semiconductor reaction is monitored in the TEM, and iii) in-situ biasing studies to better understand the electrical properties of contacted single nanowires. In addition, we provide detailed fabrication steps for the silicon nitride membranes crucial to these correlated and in-situ measurements., Comment: This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of a topical review published in Nanotechnology. IOP Publishing Ltd. is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it. The Version of Record is available online at https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6528/ab99f0

One of the major challenges in the growth of quantum well and quantum dot heterostructures is the realization of atomically sharp interfaces. Nanowires provide a new opportunity to engineer the band structure as they facilitate the controlled switching of the crystal structure between the zinc-blende (ZB) and wurtzite (WZ) phases. Such a crystal phase switching results in the formation of crystal phase quantum wells (CPQWs) and quantum dots (CPQDs). For GaP CPQWs, the inherent electric fields due to the discontinuity of the spontaneous polarization at the WZ/ZB junctions lead to the confinement of both types of charge carriers at the opposite interfaces of the WZ/ZB/WZ structure. This confinement leads to a novel type of transition across a ZB flat plate barrier. Here, we show digital tuning of the visible emission of WZ/ZB/WZ CPQWs in a GaP nanowire by changing the thickness of the ZB barrier. The energy spacing between the sharp emission lines is uniform and is defined by the addition of single ZB monolayers. The controlled growth of identical quantum wells with atomically flat interfaces at predefined positions featuring digitally tunable discrete emission energies may provide a new route to further advance entangled photons in solid state quantum systems.

Cyclic voltammetry measurements are carried out in neutral phosphate-buffered electrolyte using n-type Ga-polar GaN thin-film photoelectrodes with and without cobalt phosphate (Co-Pi) modification. Without Co-Pi, the variation of the photocurrent with the bias potential exhibits a two-step behavior and under chopped illumination spikes occur at low bias potential. Thus in this regime surface recombination is dominant. Co-Pi modification suppresses surface recombination and significantly increases the photocurrent, especially for low bias potentials. At the same time, stability tests reveal that Co-Pi does not protect GaN against photocorrosion. Experiments using H2O2 imply that this photocorrosion is a reductive process and probably related to the presence of charged surface defects.

The semiconducting oxide $\ensuremath{\beta}$-gallium oxide ($\ensuremath{\beta}\ensuremath{-}{\mathrm{Ga}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$) possesses a monoclinic unit cell, whose low symmetry generally leads to anisotropic physical properties. For example, its electrical conductivity is generally described by a polar symmetrical tensor of second rank consisting of four independent components. Using van der Pauw measurements in a well-defined square geometry on differently oriented high-quality bulk samples and the comparison to finite-element simulations, we precisely determine the ratio of all elements of the $\ensuremath{\beta}\ensuremath{-}{\mathrm{Ga}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ three-dimensional electrical conductivity tensor. Despite the strong structural anisotropy, a weakly anisotropic conductivity at and above room temperature was found. In the ${a}^{*}bc$ coordinate system, the diagonal elements deviate from each other by no more than 6%. Based on these results and the off-diagonal element being $\ensuremath{\approx}5%$ of the diagonal ones, the direction of highest conductivity is rotated ${(59\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}15)}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$ from the $c$ direction towards the ${a}^{*}$ direction with a conductivity of $(1.12\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.09)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}$ that in the perpendicular direction of lowest conductivity. Analysis of the temperature dependence of the anisotropy and mobility of differently doped samples allows us to compare the anisotropy for dominant phonon scattering to that for dominant ionized-impurity scattering. For both scattering mechanisms, the conductivities along the $a$ and $b$ direction agree within 2%. In contrast, the conductivity along the $c$ direction amounts to $0.96\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}$ that along the $b$ direction for dominant phonon scattering, and up to $1.12\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}$ for ionized-impurity scattering. The transport anisotropies are determined to be larger than the theoretically predicted effective mass anisotropy, suggesting slightly anisotropic scattering mechanisms. We demonstrate that significantly higher anisotropies can be caused by oriented, extended structural defects in the form of low-angle grain boundaries, for which we determined energy barriers of up to 93 meV.

To understand the behavior of a semiconductor device, you need to know how the material's $e\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}x\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}c\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}i\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}t\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}o\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}n\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}s$ (weakly bound electron-hole pairs) behave. The exciton diffusion length in GaN is often determined from the size of dark areas around dislocation outcroppings in cathodoluminescence maps. The present work shows that, contrary to common belief, the spatial extent of these areas is only weakly affected by diffusion, being set primarily by exciton dissociation in the piezoelectric field around the dislocation. In contrast, the local band-gap variation in the dislocation's strain field $d\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}o\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}e\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}s$ depend sensitively on exciton diffusion length, and hence enables its experimental determination.

We demonstrate the self-assembled formation of AlN nanowires by molecular beam epitaxy on sputtered TiN films on sapphire. This choice of substrate allows growth at an exceptionally high temperature of 1180 {\deg}C. In contrast to previous reports, the nanowires are well separated and do not suffer from pronounced coalescence. This achievement is explained by sufficient Al adatom diffusion on the substrate and the nanowire sidewalls. The high crystalline quality of the nanowires is evidenced by the observation of near band edge emission in the cathodoluminescence spectrum. The key factor for the low nanowire coalescence is the TiN film, which spectroscopic ellipsometry and Raman spectroscopy indicate to be stoichiometric. Its metallic nature will be beneficial for optoelectronic devices employing these nanowires as the basis for (Al,Ga)N/AlN heterostructures emitting in the deep ultraviolet spectral range.

Core-shell GaAs-based nanowires monolithically integrated on Si constitute a promising class of nanostructures that could enable light emitters for fast inter- and intrachip optical connections. We introduce and fabricate a novel coaxial GaAs/(In,Ga)As dot-in-a-well nanowire heterostructure to reach spontaneous emission in the Si transparent region, which is crucial for applications in Si photonics. Specifically, we achieve room temperature emission at 1.27 $\mu$m in the telecommunication O band. The presence of quantum dots in the heterostructure is evidenced by a structural analysis based on scanning transmission electron microscopy. The spontaneous emission of these nanowire structures is investigated by cathodoluminescence and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Thermal redistribution of charge carriers to larger quantum dots explains the long wavelength emission achieved at room temperature. Finally, in order to demonstrate the feasibility of the presented nanowire heterostructures as electrically driven light emitters monolithically integrated on Si, a light emitting diode is fabricated exhibiting room-temperature electroluminescence at 1.26 $\mu$m., Comment: This document is the unedited Author's version of a Submitted Work that was subsequently accepted for publication in ACS Applied Nano Materials (2019), copyright (C) American Chemical Society after peer review. To access the final edited and published work see this https://doi.org/10.1021/acsanm.9b01866, the supporting information is available (free of charge) under the same link

III-V semiconductor nanowires exhibit unique features for application in novel optoelectronic devices. Due to their large surface-to-volume ratio, the realization of heterostructures beyond the capabilities of planar growth, that can still be integrated in Si-based electronics, becomes possible. Furthermore, polytypism was observed e.g. in GaAs nanowires such that different crystal phases coexist in the same nanowire. As different crystal phases have different electronic properties, this feature can be exploited to form crystal-phase heterostructures with atomically flat interfaces and only very small elastic deformation. We will discuss the specifics of electronic-structure simulations in such nanowires and present recent example studies.

This paper assesses the effects of Ge-doping on the structural and optical (band-to-band and intersubband (ISB)) properties of GaN/AlGaN multi-quantum wells (QWs) designed to display ISB absorption in the short-wave, mid- and far-infrared ranges (SWIR, MIR, and FIR, respectively). The standard c-plane crystallographic orientation is considered for wells absorbing in the SWIR and MIR spectral regions, whereas the FIR structures are grown along the nonpolar m-axis. In all cases, we compare the characteristics of Ge-doped and Si-doped samples with the same design and various doping levels. The use of Ge appears to improve the mosaicity of the highly lattice-mismatched GaN/AlN heterostructures. However, when reducing the lattice mismatch, the mosaicity is rather determined by the substrate and does not show any dependence on the dopant nature or concentration. From the optical point of view, by increasing the dopant density, we observe a blueshift of the photoluminescence in polar samples due to the screening of the internal electric field by free carriers. In the ISB absorption, on the other hand, there is a systematic improvement of the linewidth when using Ge as a dopant for high doping levels, whatever the spectral region under consideration (i.e. different QW size, barrier composition and crystallographic orientation)., This is the accepted manuscript version of an article that appeared in Semiconductor Science and Technology. The CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 license applies, see https://creativecommons.org/licences/by-nc-nd/3.0

While the properties of wurtzite GaAs have been extensively studied during the past decade, little is known about the influence of the crystal polytype on ternary (In,Ga)As quantum well structures. We address this question with a unique combination of correlated, spatially-resolved measurement techniques on core-shell nanowires that contain extended segments of both the zincblende and wurtzite polytypes. Cathodoluminescence hyperspectral imaging reveals a blueshift of the quantum well emission energy by $75\pm15$ meV in the wurtzite polytype segment. Nanoprobe x-ray diffraction and atom probe tomography enable $\mathbf{k}\cdot\mathbf{p}$ calculations for the specific sample geometry to reveal two comparable contributions to this shift. First, there is a 30% drop in In mole fraction going from the zincblende to the wurtzite segment. Second, the quantum well is under compressive strain, which has a much stronger impact on the hole ground state in the wurtzite than in the zincblende segment. Our results highlight the role of the crystal structure in tuning the emission of (In,Ga)As quantum wells and pave the way to exploit the possibilities of three-dimensional bandgap engineering in core-shell nanowire heterostructures. At the same time, we have demonstrated an advanced characterization toolkit for the investigation of semiconductor nanostructures., This document is the unedited Author's version of a Submitted Work that was subsequently accepted for publication in Nano Letters (2019), copyright (C) American Chemical Society after peer review. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.9b01241, the supporting information is available (free of charge) under the same link

We study the luminescence of unintentionally doped and Si-doped In$_x$Ga$_{1-x}$N nanowires with a low In content (x, This document is the unedited Author's version of a Submitted Work that was subsequently accepted for publication in Nano Letters (2016), copyright (C) American Chemical Society after peer review. To access the final edited and published work see http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.5b03748

Correction to Absence of Quantum-Confined Stark Effect in GaN Quantum Disks Embedded in (Al,Ga)N Nanowires Grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

We present a systematic study of top-down processed GaN/AlN heterostructures for intersubband optoelectronic applications. Samples containing quantum well superlattices that display either near- or mid-infrared intersubband absorption were etched into nano- and micropillar arrays in an inductively coupled plasma. We investigate the influence of this process on the structure and strain-state, on the interband emission and on the intersubband absorption. Notably, for pillar spacings significantly smaller ($\leq1/3$) than the intersubband wavelength, the magnitude of the intersubband absorption is not reduced even when 90\% of the material is etched away and a similar linewidth is obtained. The same holds for the interband emission. In contrast, for pillar spacings on the order of the intersubband absorption wavelength, the intersubband absorption is masked by refraction effects and photonic crystal modes. The presented results are a first step towards micro- and nanostructured group-III nitride devices relying on intersubband transitions.

We report on luminescent centers contained in a few-layer-thick hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) film grown on Ni by molecular beam epitaxy. After transfer to a SiO$_2$/Si substrate, sharp lines are observed in photo- and cathodoluminescence spectra in both the ultraviolet and the visible range. Spatially resolved measurements reveal that the luminescent centers responsible for these lines are localized within microscopic multi-layer islands that form at the nucleation centers of the h-BN film. The comparison of their energy, polarization and phonon replica emission with previous theoretical predictions suggest that the N$_\mathrm{B}$V$_\mathrm{N}$ anti-site could be one of the light emitters present in our sample. Moreover, we have also observed evidences of other kinds of centers that could be associated to defects containing carbon or oxygen. The characterized luminescent defects could have potential applications as quantum light sources.

We present an innovative approach to integrate arrays of isolated, strain-free GaN crystals on patterned Si substrates. First, micrometer-sized pillars are patterned onto Si(0 0 1) substrates. Subsequently, 2.5 μm Si substrates are deposited by low-energy plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, forming crystals mostly bounded by {1 1 1}, {1 1 3}, and {15 3 23} facets. Plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy is then used for GaN deposition. GaN crystals with slanted {0 0 0 1} facets having a root-mean-square surface roughness of 0.7 nm are obtained for a deposited material thickness of >3 μm. Microphotoluminescence measurements performed at room and cryogenic temperature show no yellow luminescence and a neutral donor-bound A exciton transition at 3.471 eV (10 K) with a full width at half-maximum of 10 meV. Microphotoluminescence and micro-Raman spectra reveal that GaN grown on Si pillars is strain-free. Our results indicate that the shape of GaN crystals can be tuned by the pattern periodicity and that a reduction of threading dislocations is achieved in their top part.

Intersubband optoelectronic devices rely on transitions between quantum-confined electron levels in semiconductor heterostructures, which enables infrared (IR) photodetection in the 1-30 $\mu$m wavelength window with picosecond response times. Incorporating nanowires as active media could enable an independent control over the electrical cross-section of the device and the optical absorption cross-section. Furthermore, the three-dimensional carrier confinement in nanowire heterostructures opens new possibilities to tune the carrier relaxation time. However, the generation of structural defects and the surface sensitivity of GaAs nanowires have so far hindered the fabrication of nanowire intersubband devices. Here, we report the first demonstration of intersubband photodetection in a nanowire, using GaN nanowires containing a GaN/AlN superlattice absorbing at 1.55 $\mu$m. The combination of spectral photocurrent measurements with 8-band k$\cdot$p calculations of the electronic structure supports the interpretation of the result as intersubband photodetection in these extremely short-period superlattices. We observe a linear dependence of the photocurrent with the incident illumination power, which confirms the insensitivity of the intersubband process to surface states and highlights how architectures featuring large surface-to-volume ratios are suitable as intersubband photodetectors. Our analysis of the photocurrent characteristics points out routes for an improvement of the device performance. This first nanowire based intersubband photodetector represents a technological breakthrough that paves the way to a powerful device platform with potential for ultrafast, ultrasensitive photodetectors and highly-efficient quantum cascade emitters with improved thermal stability., Comment: This document is the unedited Author's version of a Submitted Work that was subsequently accepted for publication in Nano Letters (2017), copyright (C) American Chemical Society after peer review. To access the final edited and published work see http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b03414 , the supporting information is available (free of charge) under the same link

We observe that the growth rate of Ga_{2}O_{3} in plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy can be drastically enhanced by an additional In supply. This enhancement is shown to result from a catalytic effect, namely, the rapid formation of In_{2}O_{3}, immediately followed by a transformation of In_{2}O_{3} to Ga_{2}O_{3} due to an In-Ga interatomic exchange. We derive a simple model that quantitatively describes this process as well as its consequences on the formation rate of Ga_{2}O_{3}. Moreover, we demonstrate that the catalytic action of In_{2}O_{3} allows the synthesis of the metastable hexagonal phase of Ga_{2}O_{3}. Since the Ga_{2}O_{3}(0001)/In_{2}O_{3}(111) interface is closely lattice matched, this novel growth mode opens a new path for the fabrication of sesquioxide heterostructures.

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We present a study of GaN single-nanowire ultraviolet photodetectors with an embedded GaN/AlN superlattice. The heterostructure dimensions and doping profile were designed in such a way that the application of positive or negative bias leads to an enhancement of the collection of photogenerated carriers from the GaN/AlN superlattice or from the GaN base, respectively, as confirmed by electron beam-induced current measurements. The devices display enhanced response in the ultraviolet A ($\approx$ 330-360 nm) / B ($\approx$ 280-330 nm) spectral windows under positive/negative bias. The result is explained by correlation of the photocurrent measurements with scanning transmission electron microscopy observations of the same single nanowire, and semi-classical simulations of the strain and band structure in one and three dimensions., This document is the unedited Author's version of a Submitted Work that was subsequently accepted for publication in Nano Letters (2017), copyright (C) American Chemical Society after peer review. To access the final edited and published work see http://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b01118

We investigated the photoelectrochemical properties of both n- and p-type (In,Ga)N nanowires (NWs) for water splitting by in situ electrochemical mass spectroscopy (EMS). All NWs were prepared by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Under illumination, the n-(In,Ga)N NWs exhibited an anodic photocurrent, however, no O2 but only N2 evolution was detected by EMS, indicating that the photocurrent was related to photocorrosion rather than water oxidation. In contrast, the p-(In,Ga)N NWs showed a cathodic photocurrent under illumination which was correlated with the evolution of H2. After photodeposition of Pt on such NWs, the photocurrent density was significantly enhanced to 5 mA/cm(2) at a potential of -0.5 V/NHE under visible light irradiation of ∼40 mW/cm(2). Also, incident photon-to-current conversion efficiencies of around 40% were obtained at -0.45 V/NHE across the entire visible spectral region. The stability of the NW photocathodes for at least 60 min was verified by EMS. These results suggest that p-(In,Ga)N NWs are a promising basis for solar hydrogen production.

Arrays of dislocation free uniform Ga-polar GaN columns have been realized on patterned SiOx/GaN/sapphire templates by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy using a continuous growth mode. The key parameters and the physical principles of growth of Ga-polar GaN three-dimensional columns are identified, and their potential for manipulating the growth process is discussed. High aspect ratio columns have been achieved using silane during the growth, leading to n-type columns. The vertical growth rate increases with increasing silane flow. In a core–shell columnar LED structure, the shells of InGaN/GaN multi quantum wells and p-GaN have been realized on a core of n-doped GaN column. Cathodoluminescence gives insight into the inner structure of these core–shell LED structures.

Electron irradiation of GaN nanowires in a scanning electron microscope strongly reduces their luminous efficiency as shown by cathodoluminescence imaging and spectroscopy. We demonstrate that this luminescence quenching originates from a combination of charge trapping at already existing surface states and the formation of new surface states induced by the adsorption of C on the nanowire sidewalls. The interplay of these effects leads to a complex temporal evolution of the quenching, which strongly depends on the incident electron dose per area. Time-resolved photoluminescence measurements on electron-irradiated samples reveal that the carbonaceous adlayer affects both the nonradiative and the radiative recombination dynamics., Comment: This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article accepted for publication/published in Nanotechnology. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it. The Version of Record is available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0957-4484/27/45/455706

Growing $I\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}I\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}I-V$ semiconductor alloys like GaN along different crystal directions, to yield either ``Ga-polar'' or ``N-polar'' structures, can have a profound effect on optoelectronic device properties---in particular, green emission from LEDs. For example, the authors find that N-polar (In,Ga)N/GaN quantum wells do not exhibit any detectable luminescence, in striking contrast to their Ga-polar counterparts. This is due to a high density of nonradiative defects at the interfaces between wells and barriers. These results point away from N-polar systems for further development of long-wavelength LEDs.

Several ten $\mu$m GaN have been deposited on a silicon substrate using a two-step hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) process. The substrates have been covered by AlN layers and GaN nanostructures grown by plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy. During the first low-temperature (low-T) HVPE step, stacking faults (SF) form, which show distinct luminescence lines and stripe-like features in cathodoluminescence images of the cross-section of the layers. These cathodoluminescence features allow for an insight into the growth process. During a second high-temperature (high-T) step, the SFs disappear, and the luminescence of this part of the GaN layer is dominated by the donor-bound exciton. For templates consisting of both a thin AlN buffer and GaN nanostructures, a silicon incorporation into the GaN grown by HVPE is not observed. Moreover, the growth mode of the (high-T) HVPE step depends on the specific structure of the AlN/GaN template, where in a first case, the epitaxy is dominated by the formation of slowly growing facets, while in a second case, the epitaxy proceeds directly along the c-axis., Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures

arXiv:1604.07978v2, We have characterized the photodetection capabilities of single GaN nanowires incorporating 20 periods of AlN/GaN:Ge axial heterostructures enveloped in an AlN shell. Transmission electron microscopy confirms the absence of an additional GaN shell around the heterostructures. In the absence of a surface conduction channel, the incorporation of the heterostructure leads to a decrease of the dark current and an increase of the photosensitivity. A significant dispersion in the magnitude of dark currents for different single nanowires is attributed to the coalescence of nanowires with displaced nanodisks, reducing the effective length of the heterostructure. A larger number of active nanodisks and AlN barriers in the current path results in lower dark current and higher photosensitivity and improves the sensitivity of the nanowire to variations in the illumination intensity (improved linearity). Additionally, we observe a persistence of the photocurrent, which is attributed to a change of the resistance of the overall structure, particularly the GaN stem and cap sections. As a consequence, the time response is rather independent of the dark current., Financial support from the EU ERC-SG “TeraGaN” (#278428) and ANR JCJC COSMOS (ANR-12-JS10-0002) is acknowledged. Furthermore, the groups in Grenoble and Giessen received traveling support from the DAAD/Campus France program Procope. P.H., J.S., and M.E. acknowledge financial support within the LOEWE program of excellence of the Federal State of Hessen (project initiative STORE-E). M.d.l.M. and J.A. acknowledge funding from Generalitat de Catalunya 2014 SGR 1638 and the Spanish MINECO MAT2014-51480-ERC (e-ATOM) and Severo Ochoa Excellence Program.

This paper assesses the effects of Si doping on the properties of nonpolar m-plane GaN/AlGaN quantum wells (QWs) designed for intersubband (ISB) absorption in the far-infrared spectral range. For doping levels up to 3 × 10(12) cm(-2), structural analysis reveals uniform QWs with abrupt interfaces and no epitaxially induced defects. Cathodoluminescence spectroscopy confirms the homogeneity of the multiple QWs along the growth direction. Increasing the doping density in the QWs from 1 × 10(11) cm(-2) to 3 × 10(12) cm(-2) induces a broadening of the photoluminescence as well as a reduction of the exciton localization energy in the alloy. Also, enhancement of the ISB absorption is observed, along with a blue shift and widening of the absorption peak. The magnitude of the ISB absorption saturates for doping levels around 1 × 10(12) cm(-2), and the blue shift and broadening increase less than theoretically predicted for the samples with higher doping levels. This is explained by the presence of free carriers in the excited electron level due to the increase of the Fermi level energy.

This paper assesses nonpolar m-oriented GaN:Si/Al(Ga)N heterostructures grown on free-standing GaN for intersubband optoelectronics in the short-wavelength, mid- and far-infrared ranges. Characterization results are compared with reference c-plane samples and interpreted by correlation with self-consistent Schrödinger–Poisson calculations. In the near- and mid-infrared regions, we demonstrate m-GaN/Al(Ga)N multi-quantum-wells exhibiting room-temperature intersubband absorption tunable in the range of 1.5–5.8 µm (827–214 meV), the long wavelength limit being set by the second order of the Reststrahlen band in the GaN substrates. Extending the study to the far-infrared region, low-temperature intersubband transitions in the 1.5–9 THz range (6.3–37.4 meV) are observed in larger m-plane GaN/AlGaN multi-quantum-wells, covering most of the 7–10 THz band forbidden to GaAs-based technologies.

Hexagonal GaN microcrystals of a size between 1 to 3 μm are obtained by the pendeoepitaxial overgrowth of a GaN nanowire template on Si(111). The GaN microcrystals are free of threading dislocation...

The nucleation and growth of InAs nanowires on bare Si(111) has been investigated by molecular beam epitaxy. Nontapered InAs nanowires with high aspect ratio were grown perpendicular to the substrate without the use of catalyst particles, surface oxide, or other substrate mask. The nucleation of InAs takes place in In-rich areas forming spontaneously on the substrate in the beginning of the growth process. As the nucleation proceeds, the local stoichiometry on the growth interface changes from In-rich to As-rich, and the growth continues in a vapor–solid mode. This transition to As-rich conditions is correlated with the evolution of nanowire morphology, that is, with the growth becoming strictly uniaxial and with well-defined vertical sidewalls forming. The diameter, the number density, and the axial growth rate of the nanowires were found to depend exclusively on the surface diffusivity of In adatoms on the substrate.