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Title: Photoelectrochemical etching of epitaxial InGaN thin films: Self-limited kinetics and nanostructuring

Abstract

We report here the characteristics of photoelectrochemical (PEC) etching of epitaxial InGaN semiconductor thin films using narrowband lasers with linewidth less than ~1 nm. In the initial stages of PEC etching, when the thin film is flat, characteristic voltammogram shapes are observed. At low photo-excitation rates, voltammograms are S-shaped, indicating the onset of a voltage-independent rate-limiting process associated with electron-hole-pair creation and/or annihilation. At high photo-excitation rates, voltammograms are superlinear in shape, indicating, for the voltage ranges studied here, a voltage-dependent rate-limiting process associated with surface electrochemical oxidation. As PEC etching proceeds, the thin film becomes rough at the nanoscale, and ultimately evolves into an ensemble of nanoparticles. As a result, this change in InGaN film volume and morphology leads to a characteristic dependence of PEC etch rate on time: an incubation time, followed by a rise, then a peak, then a slow decay.

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1]
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  1. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). EFRC for Solid State Lighting Science (SSLS)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
OSTI Identifier:
1183105
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1246999
Report Number(s):
SAND-2014-17107J
Journal ID: ISSN 0013-4686; 537067
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC04-94AL85000
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Electrochimica Acta
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 162; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0013-4686
Publisher:
Elsevier
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; III-nitrides; wet chemical process; selective etching; photoelectrochemical etching; voltammetry; quantum dots bandgap selection

Citation Formats

Xiao, Xiaoyin, Fischer, Arthur J., Coltrin, Michael E., Lu, Ping, Koleske, Daniel D., Wang, George T., Polsky, Ronen, and Tsao, Jeffrey Y. Photoelectrochemical etching of epitaxial InGaN thin films: Self-limited kinetics and nanostructuring. United States: N. p., 2014. Web. doi:10.1016/j.electacta.2014.10.085.
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Xiao, Xiaoyin, Fischer, Arthur J., Coltrin, Michael E., Lu, Ping, Koleske, Daniel D., Wang, George T., Polsky, Ronen, & Tsao, Jeffrey Y. Photoelectrochemical etching of epitaxial InGaN thin films: Self-limited kinetics and nanostructuring. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2014.10.085
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Xiao, Xiaoyin, Fischer, Arthur J., Coltrin, Michael E., Lu, Ping, Koleske, Daniel D., Wang, George T., Polsky, Ronen, and Tsao, Jeffrey Y. Wed . "Photoelectrochemical etching of epitaxial InGaN thin films: Self-limited kinetics and nanostructuring". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2014.10.085. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1183105.
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@article{osti_1183105,
title = {Photoelectrochemical etching of epitaxial InGaN thin films: Self-limited kinetics and nanostructuring},
author = {Xiao, Xiaoyin and Fischer, Arthur J. and Coltrin, Michael E. and Lu, Ping and Koleske, Daniel D. and Wang, George T. and Polsky, Ronen and Tsao, Jeffrey Y.},
abstractNote = {We report here the characteristics of photoelectrochemical (PEC) etching of epitaxial InGaN semiconductor thin films using narrowband lasers with linewidth less than ~1 nm. In the initial stages of PEC etching, when the thin film is flat, characteristic voltammogram shapes are observed. At low photo-excitation rates, voltammograms are S-shaped, indicating the onset of a voltage-independent rate-limiting process associated with electron-hole-pair creation and/or annihilation. At high photo-excitation rates, voltammograms are superlinear in shape, indicating, for the voltage ranges studied here, a voltage-dependent rate-limiting process associated with surface electrochemical oxidation. As PEC etching proceeds, the thin film becomes rough at the nanoscale, and ultimately evolves into an ensemble of nanoparticles. As a result, this change in InGaN film volume and morphology leads to a characteristic dependence of PEC etch rate on time: an incubation time, followed by a rise, then a peak, then a slow decay.},
doi = {10.1016/j.electacta.2014.10.085},
journal = {Electrochimica Acta},
number = C,
volume = 162,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Oct 22 00:00:00 EDT 2014},
month = {Wed Oct 22 00:00:00 EDT 2014}
}
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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2014.10.085
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    Impact of VUV photons on SiO 2 and organosilicate low-k dielectrics: General behavior, practical applications, and atomic models
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    Single photon emission from top-down etched III-nitride quantum dots
    journal, January 2020

    III-nitride photonic crystal emitters by selective photoelectrochemical etching of heterogeneous quantum well structures
    journal, January 2018

    • Anderson, P. Duke; Fischer, Arthur J.; Koleske, Daniel D.
    • Optical Materials Express, Vol. 8, Issue 11
    • DOI: 10.1364/ome.8.003543
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