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Metal-Modulated Growth of Cubic, Red-Emitting InGaN Layers and Self-Assembled InGaN/GaN Quantum Wells by Molecular
Silas A Jentsch1, Mario F Zscherp1, Vitalii Lider2
1Institute of Experimental Physics I and Center for Materials Research, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 16, D-35392 Giessen, Germany.
ACS Applied Electronic Materials
|March 17, 2025
Summary
We developed a metal-modulated epitaxy method for high-quality cubic Indium Gallium Nitride (InGaN) quantum wells. This approach enables tunable emission from 540 to 670 nm for advanced optoelectronics.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Semiconductor Physics
Background:
- Cubic Indium Gallium Nitride (InGaN) alloys are crucial for next-generation optoelectronics due to their wide spectral coverage and lack of internal fields.
- High-quality epitaxial growth of cubic InGaN/Gallium Nitride (GaN) quantum wells (QWs) is essential, particularly for red light emission, but faces challenges in achieving the metastable cubic phase.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an efficient method for growing phase-pure cubic InGaN/GaN quantum wells with controlled properties.
- To overcome the limitations of traditional molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) requiring different growth temperatures and metal fluxes for InGaN and GaN.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a metal-modulated growth approach in molecular beam epitaxy (MBE).
- Adjusted shutter duration times for Gallium (Ga) and Indium (In) to control the growth of self-assembled, phase-pure cubic InGaN/GaN multi quantum wells (MQWs) or homogeneous c-InGaN layers.
- Employed X-ray diffraction (XRD), time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) for material characterization.
Main Results:
- Achieved smooth surfaces and sharp interfaces with tunable QW thickness (6-16 nm) and barrier thickness (4-10 nm).
- Confirmed >99% phase purity of cubic layers using XRD.
- Demonstrated room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) emission from 540 to 670 nm, with emission energy shifts up to 400 meV attributed to quantum confinement and strain.
Conclusions:
- The metal-modulated MBE approach enables efficient, high-quality growth of cubic InGaN/GaN MQWs without complex setups or lengthy process times.
- This method significantly advances the development of optoelectronic devices requiring precise control over cubic InGaN properties and emission wavelengths.
