UVB-emitting InAlGaN multiple quantum well synthesized using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy

W. Kong; A. T. Roberts; W. Y. Jiao; J. Fournelle; T. H. Kim; M. Losurdo; H. O. Everitt; A. S. Brown

doi:10.1063/1.4973637

AIP Advances (Mar 2017)

UVB-emitting InAlGaN multiple quantum well synthesized using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy

W. Kong,
A. T. Roberts,
W. Y. Jiao,
J. Fournelle,
T. H. Kim,
M. Losurdo,
H. O. Everitt,
A. S. Brown

Affiliations

W. Kong: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA
A. T. Roberts: Charles Bowden Laboratory, Army Aviation & Missile RD&E Center, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama 35898, USA
W. Y. Jiao: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA
J. Fournelle: Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
T. H. Kim: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA
M. Losurdo: CNR-NANOTEC, Istituto di Nanotecnologia, via Orabona, 4-70126 Bari, Italy
H. O. Everitt: Charles Bowden Laboratory, Army Aviation & Missile RD&E Center, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama 35898, USA
A. S. Brown: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4973637
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 7, no. 3
pp. 035109 – 035109-7

Abstract

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A high Al-content (y > 0.4) multi-quantum-well (MQW) structure with a quaternary InxAlyGa(1-x-y)N active layer was synthesized using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The MQW structure exhibits strong carrier confinement and room temperature ultraviolet-B (UVB) photoluminescence an order of magnitude stronger than that of a reference InxAlyGa(1-x-y)N thin film with comparable composition and thickness. The samples were characterized using spectroscopic ellipsometry, atomic force microscopy, and high-resolution X-ray diffraction. Numerical simulations suggest that the UVB emission efficiency is limited by dislocation-related non-radiative recombination centers in the MQW and at the MQW - buffer interface. Emission efficiency can be significantly improved by reducing the dislocation density from 109cm−2 to 107cm−2 and by optimizing the width and depth of the quantum wells.

Published in AIP Advances

ISSN: 2158-3226 (Online)
Publisher: AIP Publishing LLC
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Science: Physics
Website: http://aipadvances.aip.org/

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