Atom probe tomography characterisation of a laser diode structure grown by molecular beam epitaxy
- Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ (United Kingdom)
- Sharp Laboratories of Europe Limited, Edmund Halley Road, Oxford Science Park, Oxford, OX4 4GB (United Kingdom)
- Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PH (United Kingdom)
Atom probe tomography (APT) has been used to achieve three-dimensional characterization of a III-nitride laser diode (LD) structure grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Four APT data sets have been obtained, with fields of view up to 400 nm in depth and 120 nm in diameter. These data sets contain material from the InGaN quantum well (QW) active region, as well as the surrounding p- and n-doped waveguide and cladding layers, enabling comprehensive study of the structure and composition of the LD structure. Two regions of the same sample, with different average indium contents (18% and 16%) in the QW region, were studied. The APT data are shown to provide easy access to the p-type dopant levels, and the composition of a thin AlGaN barrier layer. Next, the distribution of indium within the InGaN QW was analyzed, to assess any possible inhomogeneity of the distribution of indium (''indium clustering''). No evidence for a statistically significant deviation from a random distribution was found, indicating that these MBE-grown InGaN QWs do not require indium clusters for carrier localization. However, the APT data show steps in the QW interfaces, leading to well-width fluctuations, which may act to localize carriers. Additionally, the unexpected presence of a small amount (x = 0.005) of indium in a layer grown intentionally as GaN was revealed. Finally, the same statistical method applied to the QW was used to show that the indium distribution within a thick InGaN waveguide layer in the n-doped region did not show any deviation from randomness.
- OSTI ID:
- 22036820
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 111, Issue 5; Other Information: (c) 2012 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
CHARGE CARRIERS
CRYSTAL GROWTH
DOPED MATERIALS
FLUCTUATIONS
GALLIUM NITRIDES
INDIUM COMPOUNDS
INTERFACES
LAYERS
MOLECULAR BEAM EPITAXY
QUANTUM WELLS
RANDOMNESS
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS