Lattice and Energy Band Engineering in AlInGaN/Ga Heterostructures

Author(s)

M. Asif Khan
J. W. Yang
Grigory Simin, University of South Carolina - ColumbiaFollow
R. Gaska
M. S. Shur
Hans-Conrad zur Loye
G. Tamulaitis
A. Zukauskas
David J. Smith
D. Chandrasekhar
R. Bicknell-Tassius

Document Type

Article

Abstract

We report on structural, optical, and electrical properties of Al_xIn_yGa_1−x−yNGaNheterostructures grown on sapphire and 6H–SiC substrates. Our results demonstrate that incorporation of In reduces the lattice mismatch, Δa, between AlInGaN and GaN, and that an In to Al ratio of close to 1:5 results in nearly strain-free heterostructures. The observed reduction in band gap,ΔE_g, determined from photoluminescence measurements, is more than 1.5 times higher than estimated from the linear dependencies of Δa and ΔE_g on the In molar fraction. The incorporation of In and resulting changes in the built-in strain in AlInGaN/GaN heterostructures strongly affect the transport properties of the two-dimensional electron gas at the heterointerface. The obtained results demonstrate the potential of strain energy band engineering for GaN-based electronic applications.

Publication Info

Published in Applied Physics Letters, Volume 76, Issue 9, 2000, pages 1161-1163.

Rights

©Applied Physics Letters 2000, American Institute of Physics (AIP).

Khan, M. A., Yang, J. W., Simin, G., Gaska, R., Shur, M. S., Loye, H-C., Tamulaitis, G., Zukauskas, A., Smith, D. J., Chandrasekhar, D., & Bicknell-Tassius, R. (28 February 2000). Lattice and Energy Band Engineering in AlInGaN/Ga Heterostructures. Applied Physics Letters, 76 (9), 1161-1163. http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.125970