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A master's thesis from Aalborg University
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Characterization of GaN thin films and growth by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy

Authors

;

Term

4. term

Publication year

2016

Submitted on

Pages

152

Abstract

Denne afhandling undersøger tynde film af galliumnitrid (GaN), et halvledermateriale. Den gennemgår grundprincipperne i fotoluminescens (PL) spektroskopi, Raman-spektroskopi og Hall-målinger og forklarer, hvordan disse metoder afdækker optiske, vibrations- og elektriske egenskaber. Metoderne anvendes på GaN, herunder en beregning af det elektroniske bånddiagram for wurtzit-krystalstrukturen. Afhandlingen beskriver desuden grundlaget for vækst af GaN ved plasma-assisteret molekylestråle-epitaksi (PAMBE), forskellige vækstskemaer og hvordan disse kan optimeres for bedre filmkvalitet. Flere GaN-prøver blev dyrket med PAMBE og, sammen med sammenligningsprøver fremstillet ved metalorganisk kemisk dampdeponering (MOCVD), karakteriseret med hensyn til overflade samt elektriske og optiske egenskaber. Styrker og begrænsninger ved de enkelte karakteriseringsmetoder diskuteres i relation til GaN, og afhandlingen argumenterer for, at samspil mellem flere metoder er nødvendigt for en præcis og pålidelig beskrivelse af prøver.

This thesis examines thin films of gallium nitride (GaN), a semiconductor material. It introduces the basic principles of photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and Hall measurements, and explains how these tools reveal optical, vibrational, and electrical properties. The methods are applied to GaN, including a calculation of the electronic band structure for the wurtzite crystal form. The work also outlines the fundamentals of plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE) growth of GaN, describes different growth schemes, and how they can be tuned to improve film quality. Several GaN films were grown by PAMBE and, together with comparison samples made by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), were characterized for surface, electrical, and optical properties. The strengths and limits of each characterization technique are discussed in the context of GaN, and the thesis argues that combining multiple methods is essential to obtain an accurate and reliable description of a sample.

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