Development of epitaxial AlxSc1-xN for artificially structured metal/semiconductor superlattice metamaterials

Sands, Timothy D.; Stach, Eric A.; Saha, Bivas; Saber, Sammy; Naik, Gururaj V.; Boltasseva, Alexandra; Kvam, Eric P.

doi:10.1002/pssb.201451314

Development of epitaxial Al_xSc_1-xN for artificially structured metal/semiconductor superlattice metamaterials

Journal Article · Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 2015 · Physica Status Solidi B. Basic Solid State Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/pssb.201451314· OSTI ID:1193238

Sands, Timothy D. ^[1]; Stach, Eric A. ^[2]; Saha, Bivas ^[1]; Saber, Sammy ^[1]; Naik, Gururaj V. ^[1]; Boltasseva, Alexandra ^[1]; Kvam, Eric P. ^[1]

Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (United States)
Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (United States); Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)

Epitaxial nitride rocksalt metal/semiconductor superlattices are emerging as a novel class of artificially structured materials that have generated significant interest in recent years for their potential application in plasmonic and thermoelectric devices. Though most nitride metals are rocksalt, nitride semiconductors in general have hexagonal crystal structure. We report rocksalt aluminum scandium nitride (Al,Sc)N alloys as the semiconducting component in epitaxial rocksalt metal/semiconductor superlattices. The Al_xSc_1-xN alloys when deposited directly on MgO substrates are stabilized in a homogeneous rocksalt (single) phase when x < 0.51. Employing 20 nm TiN as a seed layer on MgO substrates, the homogeneity range for stabilizing the rocksalt phase has been extended to x < 0.82 for a 120 nm film. The rocksalt Al_xSc_1-xN alloys show moderate direct bandgap bowing with a bowing parameter, B = 1.41 ± 0.19 eV. The direct bandgap of metastable rocksalt AlN is extrapolated to be 4.70 ± 0.20 eV. The tunable lattice parameter, bandgap, dielectric permittivity, and electronic properties of rocksalt Al_xSc_1-xN alloys enable high quality epitaxial rocksalt metal/Al_xSc_1-xN superlattices with a wide range of accessible metamaterials properties.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22)

OSTI ID:: 1193238

Report Number(s):: BNL--108169-2015-JA; KC040302

Journal Information:: Physica Status Solidi B. Basic Solid State Physics, Journal Name: Physica Status Solidi B. Basic Solid State Physics Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 252; ISSN 0370-1972

Publisher:: Wiley-BlackwellCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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