Using both faces of polar semiconductor wafers for functional devices

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Semiconductor Physics

Background:

• Gallium nitride (GaN), a wide-bandgap semiconductor, exhibits broken inversion symmetry, resulting in significant electronic polarization.
• This polarization causes distinct physical and chemical properties on the surfaces perpendicular to the polar axis.
• Traditionally, the cation (gallium) face has been used for photonic devices, while the anion (nitrogen) face shows potential for electronic devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and demonstrate the concept of dualtronics.
• To show the feasibility of fabricating photonic and electronic devices on opposite faces of the same GaN wafer.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing the inherent polarization properties of gallium nitride (GaN).
• Developing fabrication techniques to leverage the distinct surface properties of the cation and anion faces.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated the successful fabrication of photonic devices on the cation face.
• Successfully fabricated electronic devices on the anion face of the same GaN wafer.
• Established the viability of dualtronics for creating integrated devices.

Conclusions:

• Dualtronics enables the use of both faces of polar semiconductor wafers in a single structure.
• This approach allows for the integration of electronic, photonic, and acoustic functionalities on opposite wafer faces.
• Dualtronics significantly enhances the capabilities of GaN-based semiconductor devices.