Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Inhomogeneous distribution of defect-related emission in Si-doped AlGaN epitaxial layers with different Al content and Si concentration

Journal Article · · Journal of Applied Physics
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4864020· OSTI ID:22278136
; ;  [1]; ;  [2]
  1. Department of Material Science and Engineering, Yamaguchi University, 2-16-1 Tokiwadai, Ube, Yamaguchi 755-8611 (Japan)
  2. Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Mie University, 1577 Kurimamachiya, Tsu, Mie 514-8507 (Japan)
The spatial distribution of luminescence in Si-doped AlGaN epitaxial layers that differ in Al content and Si concentration has been studied by cathodoluminescence (CL) mapping in combination with scanning electron microscopy. The density of surface hillocks increased with decreasing Al content and with increasing Si concentration. The mechanisms giving rise to those hillocks are likely different. The hillocks induced surface roughening, and the compositional fluctuation and local donor-acceptor-pair (DAP) emission at hillock edges in AlGaN epitaxial layers were enhanced irrespective of the origin of the hillocks. The intensity of local DAP emission was related to Si concentration, as well as to hillock density. CL observation revealed that DAP emission areas were present inside the samples and were likely related to dislocations concentrated at hillock edges. Possible candidates for acceptors in the observed DAP emission that are closely related in terms of both Si concentration and hillock edges with large deformations are a V{sub III}-Si{sub III} complex and Si{sub N}, which are unfavorable in ordinary III-nitrides.
OSTI ID:
22278136
Journal Information:
Journal of Applied Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 115; ISSN JAPIAU; ISSN 0021-8979
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English