@article{rathkanthiwar_reddy_quinones_loveless_kamiyama_bagheri_khachariya_eldred_moody_mita_et al._2023, title={Anderson transition in compositionally graded p-AlGaN}, volume={134}, ISSN={["1089-7550"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0176419}, DOI={10.1063/5.0176419}, abstractNote={Mg-doped, graded AlGaN films showed the formation of an impurity band and high, temperature-invariant p-conductivity even for doping levels well below the Mott transition. However, compensating point defects disrupted the impurity band, resulting in an Anderson transition from the impurity band to valence band conduction and a more than tenfold reduction in room-temperature conductivity. This is the first demonstration of Anderson-like localization in AlGaN films.}, number={19}, journal={JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS}, author={Rathkanthiwar, Shashwat and Reddy, Pramod and Quinones, Cristyan E. and Loveless, James and Kamiyama, Masahiro and Bagheri, Pegah and Khachariya, Dolar and Eldred, Tim and Moody, Baxter and Mita, Seiji and et al.}, year={2023}, month={Nov} } @article{quinones_khachariya_bagheri_reddy_mita_kirste_rathkanthiwar_tweedie_pavlidis_kohn_et al._2023, title={Demonstration of near-ideal Schottky contacts to Si-doped AlN}, volume={123}, ISSN={["1077-3118"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0174524}, DOI={10.1063/5.0174524}, abstractNote={Near-ideal behavior in Schottky contacts to Si-doped AlN was observed as evidenced by a low ideality factor of 1.5 at room temperature. A temperature-independent Schottky barrier height of 1.9 eV was extracted from temperature-dependent I–V measurements. An activation energy of ∼300 meV was observed in the series resistance, which corresponded to the ionization energy of the deep Si donor state. Both Ohmic and Schottky contacts were stable up to 650 °C, with around four orders of magnitude rectification at this elevated temperature. These results demonstrate the potential of AlN as a platform for power devices capable of operating in extreme environments.}, number={17}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS}, author={Quinones, C. E. and Khachariya, D. and Bagheri, P. and Reddy, P. and Mita, S. and Kirste, R. and Rathkanthiwar, S. and Tweedie, J. and Pavlidis, S. and Kohn, E. and et al.}, year={2023}, month={Oct} } @article{bagheri_quinones-garcia_khachariya_loveless_guan_rathkanthiwar_reddy_kirste_mita_tweedie_et al._2023, title={High conductivity in Ge-doped AlN achieved by a non-equilibrium process}, volume={122}, ISSN={["1077-3118"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0146439}, DOI={10.1063/5.0146439}, abstractNote={Highly conductive Ge-doped AlN with conductivity of 0.3 (Ω cm)−1 and electron concentration of 2 × 1018 cm−3 was realized via a non-equilibrium process comprising ion implantation and annealing at a moderate thermal budget. Similar to a previously demonstrated shallow donor state in Si-implanted AlN, Ge implantation also showed a shallow donor behavior in AlN with an ionization energy ∼80 meV. Ge showed a 3× higher conductivity than its Si counterpart for a similar doping level. Photoluminescence spectroscopy indicated that higher conductivity for Ge-doped AlN was achieved primarily due to lower compensation. This is the highest n-type conductivity reported for AlN doped with Ge to date and demonstration of technologically useful conductivity in Ge-doped AlN.}, number={14}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS}, author={Bagheri, Pegah and Quinones-Garcia, Cristyan and Khachariya, Dolar and Loveless, James and Guan, Yan and Rathkanthiwar, Shashwat and Reddy, Pramod and Kirste, Ronny and Mita, Seiji and Tweedie, James and et al.}, year={2023}, month={Apr} } @article{rathkanthiwar_reddy_moody_quinones-garcia_bagheri_khachariya_dalmau_mita_kirste_collazo_et al._2023, title={High p-conductivity in AlGaN enabled by polarization field engineering}, volume={122}, ISSN={["1077-3118"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0143427}, DOI={10.1063/5.0143427}, abstractNote={High p-conductivity (0.7 Ω−1 cm−1) was achieved in high-Al content AlGaN via Mg doping and compositional grading. A clear transition between the valence band and impurity band conduction mechanisms was observed. The transition temperature depended strongly on the compositional gradient and to some degree on the Mg doping level. A model is proposed to explain the role of the polarization field in enhancing the conductivity in Mg-doped graded AlGaN films and the transition between the two conduction types. This study offers a viable path to technologically useful p-conductivity in AlGaN.}, number={15}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS}, author={Rathkanthiwar, Shashwat and Reddy, Pramod and Moody, Baxter and Quinones-Garcia, Cristyan and Bagheri, Pegah and Khachariya, Dolar and Dalmau, Rafael and Mita, Seiji and Kirste, Ronny and Collazo, Ramon and et al.}, year={2023}, month={Apr} } @article{wang_kirste_mita_washiyama_mecouch_reddy_collazo_sitar_2022, title={

The role of Ga supersaturation on facet formation in the epitaxial lateral overgrowth of GaN

}, volume={120}, ISSN={["1077-3118"]}, DOI={10.1063/5.0077628}, abstractNote={In this paper, facet formation of (0001) {112¯0} {112¯2} facets during epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELO) of GaN is investigated for different Ga vapor supersaturations. The ELO was conducted via metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on patterned GaN/sapphire templates with SiO2 masks aligned along the ⟨11¯00⟩ direction of GaN. Scanning electron microscopy was used to characterize the cross section shapes of the ELO GaN islands. A correlation of supersaturation, facet formation, and the shape of the ELO GaN islands is found. It is shown that {112¯2} facets are favored under high Ga vapor supersaturation, while {112¯0} facets are favored under low Ga vapor supersaturation. A qualitative model based on Wulff construction and density functional theory calculation is proposed to illustrate the mechanism of the facet formation of the ELO GaN islands.}, number={3}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS}, author={Wang, Ke and Kirste, Ronny and Mita, Seiji and Washiyama, Shun and Mecouch, Will and Reddy, Pramod and Collazo, Ramon and Sitar, Zlatko}, year={2022}, month={Jan} } @article{rathkanthiwar_graziano_tweedie_mita_kirste_collazo_sitar_2022, title={Crystallographic Tilt in Aluminum Gallium Nitride Epilayers Grown on Miscut Aluminum Nitride Substrates}, volume={10}, ISSN={["1862-6270"]}, DOI={10.1002/pssr.202200323}, abstractNote={Heteroepitaxial crystallographic tilt has been investigated as a possible strain‐relief mechanism in Al‐rich (Al>50%) AlGaN heteroepitaxial layers grown on single‐crystal (0001) AlN substrates with varying miscuts from 0.05° to 4.30°. The magnitude of the elastic lattice deformation‐induced tilt increases monotonically with the miscut angle, tightly following the Nagai tilt model. Although tilt angles as high as 0.1° are recorded, reciprocal space mapping (RSM) broadening and wafer bow measurements do not show any significant changes as a function of the heteroepitaxial tilt angle. While crystallographic tilting has been shown to be effective in controlling strain in some other heteroepitaxial systems, it does not provide any appreciable strain relief of the compressive strain in AlGaN/AlN heteroepitaxy.}, journal={PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI-RAPID RESEARCH LETTERS}, author={Rathkanthiwar, Shashwat and Graziano, Milena B. and Tweedie, James and Mita, Seiji and Kirste, Ronny and Collazo, Ramon and Sitar, Zlatko}, year={2022}, month={Oct} } @article{bagheri_klump_washiyama_breckenridge_kim_guan_khachariya_quinones-garcia_sarkar_rathkanthiwar_et al._2022, title={Doping and compensation in heavily Mg doped Al-rich AlGaN films}, volume={120}, ISSN={["1077-3118"]}, DOI={10.1063/5.0082992}, abstractNote={Record low resistivities of 10 and 30 Ω cm and room-temperature free hole concentrations as high as 3 × 1018 cm−3 were achieved in bulk doping of Mg in Al0.6Ga0.4N films grown on AlN single crystalline wafer and sapphire. The highly conductive films exhibited a low ionization energy of 50 meV and impurity band conduction. Both high Mg concentration (>2 × 1019 cm−3) and low compensation were required to achieve impurity band conduction and high p-type conductivity. The formation of VN-related compensators was actively suppressed by chemical potential control during the deposition process. This work overcomes previous limitations in p-type aluminum gallium nitride (p-AlGaN) and offers a technologically viable solution to high p-conductivity in AlGaN and AlN.}, number={8}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS}, author={Bagheri, Pegah and Klump, Andrew and Washiyama, Shun and Breckenridge, M. Hayden and Kim, Ji Hyun and Guan, Yan and Khachariya, Dolar and Quinones-Garcia, Cristyan and Sarkar, Biplab and Rathkanthiwar, Shashwat and et al.}, year={2022}, month={Feb} } @article{szymanski_khachariya_eldred_bagheri_washiyama_chang_pavlidis_kirste_reddy_kohn_et al._2022, title={GaN lateral polar junction arrays with 3D control of doping by supersaturation modulated growth: A path toward III-nitride superjunctions}, volume={131}, ISSN={["1089-7550"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0076044}, DOI={10.1063/5.0076044}, abstractNote={We demonstrate a pathway employing crystal polarity controlled asymmetric impurity incorporation in the wide bandgap nitride material system to enable 3D doping control during the crystal growth process. The pathway involves polarity specific supersaturation modulated growth of lateral polar structures of alternating Ga- and N-polar GaN domains. A STEM technique of integrated differential phase contrast is used to image the atomic structure of the different polar domains and their single atomic plane boundaries. As a demonstration, 1 μm wide alternating Ga- and N-polar GaN domains exhibiting charge balanced and periodic domains for superjunction technology were grown. The challenges in characterizing the resulting 3D doping profile were addressed with atom probe tomography with atomic scale compositional resolution corroborating capacitance measurements and secondary-ion mass spectroscopy analysis.}, number={1}, journal={JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS}, author={Szymanski, Dennis and Khachariya, Dolar and Eldred, Tim B. and Bagheri, Pegah and Washiyama, Shun and Chang, Alexander and Pavlidis, Spyridon and Kirste, Ronny and Reddy, Pramod and Kohn, Erhard and et al.}, year={2022}, month={Jan} } @article{bagheri_quinones-garcia_khachariya_rathkanthiwar_reddy_kirste_mita_tweedie_collazo_sitar_2022, title={High electron mobility in AlN:Si by point and extended defect management}, volume={132}, ISSN={["1089-7550"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0124589}, DOI={10.1063/5.0124589}, abstractNote={High room temperature n-type mobility, exceeding 300 cm2/Vs, was demonstrated in Si-doped AlN. Dislocations and CN−1 were identified as the main compensators for AlN grown on sapphire and AlN single crystalline substrates, respectively, limiting the lower doping limit and mobility. Once the dislocation density was reduced by the growth on AlN wafers, C-related compensation could be reduced by controlling the process supersaturation and Fermi level during growth. While the growth on sapphire substrates supported only high doping ([Si] > 5 × 1018 cm−3) and low mobility (∼20 cm2/Vs), growth on AlN with proper compensation management enabled controlled doping at two orders of magnitude lower dopant concentrations. This work is of crucial technological importance because it enables the growth of drift layers for AlN-based power devices.}, number={18}, journal={JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS}, author={Bagheri, Pegah and Quinones-Garcia, Cristyan and Khachariya, Dolar and Rathkanthiwar, Shashwat and Reddy, Pramod and Kirste, Ronny and Mita, Seiji and Tweedie, James and Collazo, Ramon and Sitar, Zlatko}, year={2022}, month={Nov} } @article{reddy_mecouch_breckenridge_khachariya_bagheri_kim_guan_mita_moody_tweedie_et al._2022, title={Large-Area, Solar-Blind, Sub-250 nm Detection AlGaN Avalanche Photodiodes Grown on AlN Substrates}, volume={3}, ISSN={["1862-6270"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1002/pssr.202100619}, DOI={10.1002/pssr.202100619}, abstractNote={Herein, Al‐rich AlGaN‐based avalanche photodiodes (APDs) grown on single crystal AlN substrates high ultraviolet‐C sensitivity for λ < 200 nm are fabricated, while exhibiting blindness to λ > 250 nm. A maximum quantum efficiency of 68% and peak gain of 320 000 are estimated resulting in a figure of merit of ≈220 000 in devices with ϕ = 100 μm. As expected, a decrease in gain with increase in device size is observed and a gain of ≈20 000 is estimated in devices with ϕ = 400 μm. Overall, two orders of magnitude higher performance are observed in APDs on single crystal AlN substrates compared to those on sapphire.}, journal={PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI-RAPID RESEARCH LETTERS}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Reddy, Pramod and Mecouch, Will and Breckenridge, M. Hayden and Khachariya, Dolar and Bagheri, Pegah and Kim, Ji Hyun and Guan, Yan and Mita, Seiji and Moody, Baxter and Tweedie, James and et al.}, year={2022}, month={Mar} } @article{rathkanthiwar_szymanski_khachariya_bagheri_kim_mita_reddy_kohn_pavlidis_kirste_et al._2022, title={Low resistivity, p-type, N-Polar GaN achieved by chemical potential control}, volume={15}, ISSN={["1882-0786"]}, DOI={10.35848/1882-0786/ac8273}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={8}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS EXPRESS}, author={Rathkanthiwar, Shashwat and Szymanski, Dennis and Khachariya, Dolar and Bagheri, Pegah and Kim, Ji Hyun and Mita, Seiji and Reddy, Pramod and Kohn, Erhard and Pavlidis, Spyridon and Kirste, Ronny and et al.}, year={2022}, month={Aug} } @article{jadhav_bagheri_klump_khachariya_mita_reddy_rathkanthiwar_kirste_collazo_sitar_et al._2022, title={On electrical analysis of Al-rich p-AlGaN films for III-nitride UV light emitters}, volume={37}, ISSN={["1361-6641"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6641/ac3710}, DOI={10.1088/1361-6641/ac3710}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={1}, journal={SEMICONDUCTOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY}, publisher={IOP Publishing}, author={Jadhav, Aakash and Bagheri, Pegah and Klump, Andrew and Khachariya, Dolar and Mita, Seiji and Reddy, Pramod and Rathkanthiwar, Shashwat and Kirste, Ronny and Collazo, Ramon and Sitar, Zlatko and et al.}, year={2022}, month={Jan} } @article{rathkanthiwar_bagheri_khachariya_mita_pavlidis_reddy_kirste_tweedie_sitar_collazo_2022, title={Point-defect management in homoepitaxially grown Si-doped GaN by MOCVD for vertical power devices}, volume={15}, ISSN={["1882-0786"]}, DOI={10.35848/1882-0786/ac6566}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={5}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS EXPRESS}, author={Rathkanthiwar, Shashwat and Bagheri, Pegah and Khachariya, Dolar and Mita, Seiji and Pavlidis, Spyridon and Reddy, Pramod and Kirste, Ronny and Tweedie, James and Sitar, Zlatko and Collazo, Ramon}, year={2022}, month={May} } @article{rathkanthiwar_dycus_mita_kirste_tweedie_collazo_sitar_2022, title={Pseudomorphic growth of thick Al0.6Ga0.4N epilayers on AlN substrates}, volume={120}, ISSN={["1077-3118"]}, DOI={10.1063/5.0092937}, abstractNote={We report on the absence of strain relaxation mechanism in Al0.6Ga0.4N epilayers grown on (0001) AlN substrates for thickness as large as 3.5 μm, three-orders of magnitude beyond the Matthews–Blakeslee critical thickness for the formation of misfit dislocations (MDs). A steady-state compressive stress of 3–4 GPa was observed throughout the AlGaN growth leading to a large lattice bow (a radius of curvature of 0.5 m−1) for the thickest sample. Despite the large lattice mismatch-induced strain energy, the epilayers exhibited a smooth and crack-free surface morphology. These results point to the presence of a large barrier for nucleation of MDs in Al-rich AlGaN epilayers. Compositionally graded AlGaN layers were investigated as potential strain relief layers by the intentional introduction of MDs. While the graded layers abetted MD formation, the inadequate length of these MDs correlated with insignificant strain relaxation. This study emphasizes the importance of developing strain management strategies for the implementation of the single-crystal AlN substrate platform for III-nitride deep-UV optoelectronics and power electronics.}, number={20}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS}, author={Rathkanthiwar, Shashwat and Dycus, J. Houston and Mita, Seiji and Kirste, Ronny and Tweedie, James and Collazo, Ramon and Sitar, Zlatko}, year={2022}, month={May} } @article{khachariya_mita_reddy_dangi_dycus_bagheri_breckenridge_sengupta_rathkanthiwar_kirste_et al._2022, title={Record >10 MV/cm mesa breakdown fields in Al0.85Ga0.15N/Al0.6Ga0.4N high electron mobility transistors on native AlN substrates}, volume={120}, ISSN={["1077-3118"]}, DOI={10.1063/5.0083966}, abstractNote={The ultra-wide bandgap of Al-rich AlGaN is expected to support a significantly larger breakdown field compared to GaN, but the reported performance thus far has been limited by the use of foreign substrates. In this Letter, the material and electrical properties of Al0.85Ga0.15N/Al0.6Ga0.4N high electron mobility transistors (HEMT) grown on a 2-in. single crystal AlN substrate are investigated, and it is demonstrated that native AlN substrates unlock the potential for Al-rich AlGaN to sustain large fields in such devices. We further study how Ohmic contacts made directly to a Si-doped channel layer reduce the knee voltage and increase the output current density. High-quality AlGaN growth is confirmed via scanning transmission electron microscopy, which also reveals the absence of metal penetration at the Ohmic contact interface and is in contrast to established GaN HEMT technology. Two-terminal mesa breakdown characteristics with 1.3 μm separation possess a record-high breakdown field strength of ∼11.5 MV/cm for an undoped Al0.6Ga0.4N-channel layer. The breakdown voltages for three-terminal devices measured with gate-drain distances of 4 and 9 μm are 850 and 1500 V, respectively.}, number={17}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS}, author={Khachariya, Dolar and Mita, Seiji and Reddy, Pramod and Dangi, Saroj and Dycus, J. Houston and Bagheri, Pegah and Breckenridge, M. Hayden and Sengupta, Rohan and Rathkanthiwar, Shashwat and Kirste, Ronny and et al.}, year={2022}, month={Apr} } @article{comstock_biliroglu_seyitliyev_mcconnell_vetter_reddy_kirste_szymanski_sitar_collazo_et al._2022, title={Spintronic Terahertz Emission in Ultrawide Bandgap Semiconductor/Ferromagnet Heterostructures}, volume={10}, ISSN={["2195-1071"]}, DOI={10.1002/adom.202201535}, abstractNote={Abstract}, journal={ADVANCED OPTICAL MATERIALS}, author={Comstock, Andrew and Biliroglu, Melike and Seyitliyev, Dovletgeldi and McConnell, Aeron and Vetter, Eric and Reddy, Pramod and Kirste, Ronny and Szymanski, Dennis and Sitar, Zlatko and Collazo, Ramon and et al.}, year={2022}, month={Oct} } @article{szymanski_wang_kaess_kirste_mita_reddy_sitar_collazo_2022, title={Systematic oxygen impurity reduction in smooth N-polar GaN by chemical potential control}, volume={37}, ISSN={["1361-6641"]}, DOI={10.1088/1361-6641/ac3638}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={1}, journal={SEMICONDUCTOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY}, author={Szymanski, Dennis and Wang, Ke and Kaess, Felix and Kirste, Ronny and Mita, Seiji and Reddy, Pramod and Sitar, Zlatko and Collazo, Ramon}, year={2022}, month={Jan} } @article{hyun kim_bagheri_kirste_reddy_collazo_sitar_2022, title={Tracking of Point Defects in the Full Compositional Range of AlGaN via Photoluminescence Spectroscopy}, volume={12}, ISSN={["1862-6319"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1002/pssa.202200390}, DOI={10.1002/pssa.202200390}, abstractNote={A comprehensive energy map as a function of AlGaN composition over the whole alloy range is presented for commonly observed point defects in nominally intrinsic, n‐, and p‐doped material. The map covers intentional and unintentional impurities (CN, MgIII), vacancies (VIII, VN), passivating complexes (H), and self‐compensating complexes. The tracking of these defects is crucial to understand their impact on optical and electrical properties as well as for their mitigation.}, journal={PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI A-APPLICATIONS AND MATERIALS SCIENCE}, author={Hyun Kim, Ji and Bagheri, Pegah and Kirste, Ronny and Reddy, Pramod and Collazo, Ramon and Sitar, Zlatko}, year={2022}, month={Dec} } @article{khachariya_stein_mecouch_breckenridge_rathkanthiwar_mita_moody_reddy_tweedie_kirste_et al._2022, title={Vertical GaN junction barrier Schottky diodes with near-ideal performance using Mg implantation activated by ultra-high-pressure annealing}, volume={15}, ISSN={["1882-0786"]}, DOI={10.35848/1882-0786/ac8f81}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={10}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS EXPRESS}, author={Khachariya, Dolar and Stein, Shane and Mecouch, Will and Breckenridge, M. Hayden and Rathkanthiwar, Shashwat and Mita, Seiji and Moody, Baxter and Reddy, Pramod and Tweedie, James and Kirste, Ronny and et al.}, year={2022}, month={Oct} } @article{bagheri_kim_washiyama_reddy_klump_kirste_mita_collazo_sitar_2021, title={A pathway to highly conducting Ge-doped AlGaN}, volume={130}, ISSN={["1089-7550"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0071791}, DOI={10.1063/5.0071791}, abstractNote={Ge doping in AlGaN was studied over a wide dopant concentration range. For high Ge concentrations, the formation of VIII–nGeIII was determined to be the main point defect limiting the conductivity. It was shown that the complex formation could be suppressed by controlling chemical potentials during growth, leading to a higher maximum achievable carrier concentration and selective stabilization of a certain complex type. Chemical potential of the growth species was varied by changing the V/III ratio and growth temperature. Free carrier concentrations as high as 4 × 1019 cm−3 were achieved in Al0.4Ga0.6N:Ge grown on sapphire substrates under “metal-rich” conditions. The ability to control the onset of self-compensation and to stabilize a certain charge state of the compensating defect is of great technological importance for application of AlGaN in various devices.}, number={20}, journal={JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS}, author={Bagheri, Pegah and Kim, Ji Hyun and Washiyama, Shun and Reddy, Pramod and Klump, Andrew and Kirste, Ronny and Mita, Seiji and Collazo, Ramon and Sitar, Zlatko}, year={2021}, month={Nov} } @article{breckenridge_bagheri_guo_sarkar_khachariya_pavlidis_tweedie_kirste_mita_reddy_et al._2021, title={High n-type conductivity and carrier concentration in Si-implanted homoepitaxial AlN}, volume={118}, ISSN={["1077-3118"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0042857}, DOI={10.1063/5.0042857}, abstractNote={We demonstrate Si-implanted AlN with high conductivity (>1 Ω−1 cm−1) and high carrier concentration (5 × 1018 cm−3). This was enabled by Si implantation into AlN with a low threading dislocation density (TDD) (<103 cm−2), a non-equilibrium damage recovery and dopant activation annealing process, and in situ suppression of self-compensation during the annealing. Low TDD and active suppression of VAl-nSiAl complexes via defect quasi Fermi level control enabled low compensation, while low-temperature, non-equilibrium annealing maintained the desired shallow donor state with an ionization energy of ∼70 meV. The realized n-type conductivity and carrier concentration are over one order of magnitude higher than that reported thus far and present a major technological breakthrough in doping of AlN.}, number={11}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS}, author={Breckenridge, M. Hayden and Bagheri, Pegah and Guo, Qiang and Sarkar, Biplab and Khachariya, Dolar and Pavlidis, Spyridon and Tweedie, James and Kirste, Ronny and Mita, Seiji and Reddy, Pramod and et al.}, year={2021}, month={Mar} } @article{bagheri_reddy_mita_szymanski_kim_guan_khachariya_klump_pavlidis_kirste_et al._2021, title={On the Ge shallow-to-deep level transition in Al-rich AlGaN}, volume={130}, ISSN={["1089-7550"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0059037}, DOI={10.1063/5.0059037}, abstractNote={Contrary to the arsenides where donors undergo stable DX transition, we find that Ge in AlGaN does not suffer from the DX transition; instead, it undergoes a shallow donor (30 meV) to deep donor (150 meV) transition at ∼50% Al content in the alloy. This finding is of profound technological importance as it removes fundamental doping limitations in AlGaN and AlN imposed by the presumed DX−1 acceptor state. The charge state of Ge below and above the transition was determined by co-doping with Si, which remains a shallow donor in AlGaN for up to 80% Al. It was found that Ge occupied a donor state with a (0/+) thermodynamic transition for AlGaN alloys below and above the transition. Ge as a shallow donor was completely ionized at room temperature; however, the ionization of the deep donor required elevated temperatures, commensurate with its higher ionization energy. This behavior is not unique to Ge; preliminary findings show that Si and O in AlGaN may behave similarly.}, number={5}, journal={JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS}, author={Bagheri, Pegah and Reddy, Pramod and Mita, Seiji and Szymanski, Dennis and Kim, Ji Hyun and Guan, Yan and Khachariya, Dolar and Klump, Andrew and Pavlidis, Spyridon and Kirste, Ronny and et al.}, year={2021}, month={Aug} } @article{washiyama_mirrielees_bagheri_baker_kim_guo_kirste_guan_breckenridge_klump_et al._2021, title={Self-compensation in heavily Ge doped AlGaN: A comparison to Si doping}, volume={118}, ISSN={["1077-3118"]}, DOI={10.1063/5.0035957}, abstractNote={Self-compensation in Ge- and Si-doped Al0.3Ga0.7N has been investigated in terms of the formation of III vacancy and donor-vacancy complexes. Both Ge- and Si-doped AlGaN layers showed a compensation knee behavior with impurity compensation (low doping regime), compensation plateau (medium doping regime), and self-compensation (high doping regime). A maximum free carrier concentration of 4–5 × 1019 cm−3 was obtained by Ge doping, whereas Si doping resulted in only half of that value, ∼2 × 1019 cm−3. A DFT calculation with the grand canonical thermodynamics model was developed to support the hypothesis that the difference in self-compensation arises from the difference in the formation energies of the VIII-n•donor complexes relative to their onsite configurations. The model suggested that the VIII-2•donor and VIII-3•donor complexes were responsible for self-compensation for both Ge- and Si-doped AlGaN. However, a lower free carrier concentration in Si-doped samples was due to a high VIII-3•Si concentration, resulting from a lower energy of formation of VIII-3•Si.}, number={4}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS}, author={Washiyama, Shun and Mirrielees, Kelsey J. and Bagheri, Pegah and Baker, Jonathon N. and Kim, Ji-Hyun and Guo, Qiang and Kirste, Ronny and Guan, Yan and Breckenridge, M. Hayden and Klump, Andrew J. and et al.}, year={2021}, month={Jan} } @article{kirste_sarkar_reddy_guo_collazo_sitar_2021, title={Status of the growth and fabrication of AlGaN-based UV laser diodes for near and mid-UV wavelength}, volume={12}, ISSN={["2044-5326"]}, DOI={10.1557/s43578-021-00443-8}, abstractNote={In this article, the development of mid-UV laser diodes based on the AlGaN materials system is reviewed. The targeted wavelength for these lasers covers the range from 200 to 350 nm. After introducing UV laser diodes and explaining their applications, the challenges in growth, design, and fabrication are discussed. In addition, recent results from optically and electrically injected UV laser diodes are presented. Finally, we will discuss possible pathways to improve performance and give an outlook on the expected development of UV laser diodes in the near future. Graphical abstract}, journal={JOURNAL OF MATERIALS RESEARCH}, author={Kirste, Ronny and Sarkar, Biplab and Reddy, Pramod and Guo, Qiang and Collazo, Ramon and Sitar, Zlatko}, year={2021}, month={Dec} } @article{gacevic_grandal_guo_kirste_varela_sitar_sanchez garcia_2021, title={Structural and optical properties of self-assembled AlN nanowires grown on SiO2/Si substrates by molecular beam epitaxy}, volume={32}, ISSN={["1361-6528"]}, DOI={10.1088/1361-6528/abe2c7}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={19}, journal={NANOTECHNOLOGY}, author={Gacevic, Z. and Grandal, J. and Guo, Q. and Kirste, R. and Varela, M. and Sitar, Z. and Sanchez Garcia, M. A.}, year={2021}, month={May} } @article{reddy_khachariya_mecouch_breckenridge_bagheri_guan_kim_pavlidis_kirste_mita_et al._2021, title={Study on avalanche breakdown and Poole-Frenkel emission in Al-rich AlGaN grown on single crystal AlN}, volume={119}, ISSN={["1077-3118"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0062831}, DOI={10.1063/5.0062831}, abstractNote={We demonstrate that theoretical breakdown fields can be realized in practically dislocation free Al-rich AlGaN p-n junctions grown on AlN single crystal substrates. Furthermore, we also demonstrate a leakage current density in AlGaN that is independent of the device area, indicating a bulk leakage phenomenon and not surface or mesa-edge related. Accordingly, we identified the Poole–Frenkel emission from two types of point-defect traps in AlGaN as the primary source of reverse leakage before breakdown. Mg-doped AlGaN exhibited leakage currents due to a shallow trap at ∼0.16 eV in contrast with leakage currents observed in Si-doped AlGaN due to a deep trap at ∼1.8 eV.}, number={18}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS}, author={Reddy, Pramod and Khachariya, Dolar and Mecouch, Will and Breckenridge, M. Hayden and Bagheri, Pegah and Guan, Yan and Kim, Ji Hyun and Pavlidis, Spyridon and Kirste, Ronny and Mita, Seiji and et al.}, year={2021}, month={Nov} } @article{kim_bagheri_washiyama_klump_kirste_mita_reddy_collazo_sitar_2021, title={Temperature dependence of electronic bands in Al/GaN by utilization of invariant deep defect transition energies}, volume={119}, ISSN={["1077-3118"]}, DOI={10.1063/5.0055409}, abstractNote={We show experimentally that deep point defect levels in GaN, AlN, and AlGaN are constant with respect to the vacuum level and can be used as invariant internal energy references. This offered a convenient and quick way to assess band shifts and impurity levels as a function of temperature via photoluminescence. For AlGaN, we determined that the band shift in the temperature range of 3–600 K occurred primarily in the valence band and that the lowering of the conduction band edge was comparatively small. The valence band shift (as a fraction of the Varshni bandgap shift) in AlGaN varies from ∼70% in AlN to ∼90% in GaN.}, number={2}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS}, author={Kim, Ji Hyun and Bagheri, Pegah and Washiyama, Shun and Klump, Andrew and Kirste, Ronny and Mita, Seiji and Reddy, Pramod and Collazo, Ramon and Sitar, Zlatko}, year={2021}, month={Jul} } @article{gleco_reddy_kirste_collazo_lajeunesse_ivanisevic_2020, title={Modulating the Stress Response of E. coli at GaN Interfaces Using Surface Charge, Surface Chemistry, and Genetic Mutations}, volume={3}, ISSN={["2576-6422"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1021/acsabm.0c01007}, DOI={10.1021/acsabm.0c01007}, abstractNote={The surface properties of inorganic materials can be used to modulate the response of microorganisms at the interface. We used the persistent photoconductivity properties of chemically treated gallium nitride substrates to evaluate the stress response of wild-type, ΔfliC, and ΔcsgG mutant E. coli exposed to charged surfaces. Substrate surface characterization and biological assays were used to correlate the physiological response to substrate surface charge. The physiological response was evaluated by measuring the intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Ca2+ cations using fluorescent probes. We evaluated the response 1, 2, and 3 h after a short exposure to the surfaces to determine generational effects of the initial exposure on the physiology of the bacteria. In general, the ROS levels 1 h after exposure were not different. However, there were differences in Ca2+ levels in E. coli 1 h after the initial exposure to charged GaN surfaces, primarily in the wild-type E. coli. The differences in Ca2+ levels depended on the substrate surface chemistry and genetic mutation that suggests the involvement of multiple factors for modulating the interactions of bacteria at interfaces.}, number={10}, journal={ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS}, publisher={American Chemical Society (ACS)}, author={Gleco, Sara and Reddy, Pramod and Kirste, Ronny and Collazo, Ramon and LaJeunesse, Dennis and Ivanisevic, Albena}, year={2020}, month={Oct}, pages={7211–7218} } @article{amano_collazo_santi_einfeldt_funato_glaab_hagedorn_hirano_hirayama_ishii_et al._2020, title={The 2020 UV emitter roadmap}, volume={53}, ISSN={["1361-6463"]}, DOI={10.1088/1361-6463/aba64c}, abstractNote={Solid state UV emitters have many advantages over conventional UV sources. The (Al,In,Ga)N material system is best suited to produce LEDs and laser diodes from 400 nm down to 210 nm—due to its large and tuneable direct band gap, n- and p-doping capability up to the largest bandgap material AlN and a growth and fabrication technology compatible with the current visible InGaN-based LED production. However AlGaN based UV-emitters still suffer from numerous challenges compared to their visible counterparts that become most obvious by consideration of their light output power, operation voltage and long term stability. Most of these challenges are related to the large bandgap of the materials. However, the development since the first realization of UV electroluminescence in the 1970s shows that an improvement in understanding and technology allows the performance of UV emitters to be pushed far beyond the current state. One example is the very recent realization of edge emitting laser diodes emitting in the UVC at 271.8 nm and in the UVB spectral range at 298 nm. This roadmap summarizes the current state of the art for the most important aspects of UV emitters, their challenges and provides an outlook for future developments.}, number={50}, journal={JOURNAL OF PHYSICS D-APPLIED PHYSICS}, author={Amano, Hiroshi and Collazo, Ramon and Santi, Carlo De and Einfeldt, Sven and Funato, Mitsuru and Glaab, Johannes and Hagedorn, Sylvia and Hirano, Akira and Hirayama, Hideki and Ishii, Ryota and et al.}, year={2020}, month={Dec} } @article{alden_troha_kirste_mita_guo_hoffmann_zgonik_collazo_sitar_2019, title={Quasi-phase-matched second harmonic generation of UV light using AlN waveguides}, volume={114}, ISSN={["1077-3118"]}, DOI={10.1063/1.5087058}, abstractNote={As an alternative to electrically injected diodes, UV light emission can be obtained via second harmonic generation (SHG). In weakly birefringent materials such as aluminum nitride (AlN), the phase matching of the driving and second harmonic waves can be achieved by the quasi-phase-matching (QPM) technique, where the polarity of the material is periodically changed commensurate with the coherence wavelength. QPM also allows the use of the highest nonlinear susceptibility, and therefore, higher conversion efficiencies are possible. In this work, the QPM SHG of UV light in AlN lateral polar structure-based waveguides is demonstrated. The peak intensity of the frequency doubled laser light was measured at 344 nm and 472 nm wavelengths, in agreement with dispersion-based theoretical predictions. These results confirm the potential of III-nitride-based lateral polar structures for quasi-phase-matched nonlinear optics and for frequency doubling media for UV light generation.}, number={10}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS}, author={Alden, Dorian and Troha, Tinkara and Kirste, Ronny and Mita, Seiji and Guo, Qiang and Hoffmann, Axel and Zgonik, Marko and Collazo, Ramon and Sitar, Zlatko}, year={2019}, month={Mar} } @article{graziano_bryan_bryan_kirste_tweedie_collazo_sitar_2019, title={Structural characteristics of m-plane AlN substrates and homoepitaxial films}, volume={507}, ISSN={["1873-5002"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2018.07.012}, abstractNote={Homoepitaxial non-polar AlN films were realized on m-plane (101-0)-oriented AlN single crystals by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The microstructural properties of m-plane AlN substrates and homoepitaxial films were assessed by means of atomic force microscopy and high resolution x-ray diffraction characterization. Results indicated that both m-plane AlN substrates and films possessed exceptional structural quality, with some anisotropic mosaic distributions due to the quasi-bulk nature of the non-polar single crystals. An increase in the MOCVD growth temperature was noted to minimize the degree of inherited mosaic anisotropy without altering the m-plane AlN film growth rate, indicating that high temperature growth is critical to produce optimal film crystallinity. A dramatic change in the film surface morphology from heavily faceted “slate-like” features to monolayer steps was observed as the growth temperature was increased. The “slate-like” surface morphology produced low intensity cross-streaks in symmetric (101-0) reciprocal space maps, tilted about 18° away from the (101-0) crystal truncation rod. The orientation of these diffuse streaks corresponds to the physical alignment of the slates with respect to the substrate surface normal. X-ray line scans and defect-selective reciprocal space mapping confirmed that these low intensity streaks are solely dependent on this peculiar surface structure produced at low MOCVD growth temperatures and unrelated to basal plane stacking faults or other extended defects. All observations confirm that high quality III-nitride epitaxial structures on m-plane AlN substrates are attainable with controllable MOCVD growth processes, as demanded for future high performing AlN-based non-polar devices.}, journal={JOURNAL OF CRYSTAL GROWTH}, author={Graziano, Milena Bobea and Bryan, Isaac and Bryan, Zachary and Kirste, Ronny and Tweedie, James and Collazo, Ramon and Sitar, Zlatko}, year={2019}, month={Feb}, pages={389–394} } @article{guo_kirste_mita_tweedie_reddy_washiyama_breckenridge_collazo_sitar_2019, title={The polarization field in Al-rich AlGaN multiple quantum wells}, volume={58}, ISSN={["1347-4065"]}, DOI={10.7567/1347-4065/ab07a9}, abstractNote={Abstract}, journal={JAPANESE JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS}, author={Guo, Qiang and Kirste, Ronny and Mita, Seiji and Tweedie, James and Reddy, Pramod and Washiyama, Shun and Breckenridge, M. Hayden and Collazo, Ramon and Sitar, Zlatko}, year={2019}, month={Jun} } @article{dycus_washiyama_eldred_guan_kirste_mita_sitar_collazo_lebeau_2019, title={The role of transient surface morphology on composition control in AlGaN layers and wells}, volume={114}, ISSN={["1077-3118"]}, DOI={10.1063/1.5063933}, abstractNote={The mechanisms governing “compositional pulling” during the growth of AlxGa1−xN wells are investigated. Gallium-rich AlxGa1−xN wells grown on high dislocation density AlN/sapphire templates exhibit asymmetric and diffuse composition profiles, while those grown on low dislocation density native AlN substrates do not. Furthermore, strain in all AlxGa1−xN wells is found to be pseudomorphic, ruling it out as the dominating driving force. Rather, the high threading dislocation density of the AlN template is considered to play the defining role. We propose that a transient surface morphology is introduced during dislocation mediated spiral growth, which, in conjunction with process supersaturation, determines the Ga incorporation. These findings provide insights into compositional pulling in high Ga content AlxGa1−xN grown on AlN and provide a route to grow thicker wells with very abrupt interfaces on native AlN substrates.}, number={3}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS}, author={Dycus, J. Houston and Washiyama, Shun and Eldred, Tim B. and Guan, Yan and Kirste, Ronny and Mita, Seiji and Sitar, Zlatko and Collazo, Ramon and LeBeau, James M.}, year={2019}, month={Jan} } @article{washiyama_reddy_kaess_kirste_mita_collazo_sitar_2018, title={A thermodynamic supersaturation model for the growth of aluminum gallium nitride by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition}, volume={124}, ISSN={["1089-7550"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5045058}, DOI={10.1063/1.5045058}, abstractNote={A thermodynamic supersaturation model for growth of AlGaN by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition was developed for experimentally accessible growth parameters. The derived non-linear relationships enabled us to estimate Ga and Al supersaturation during AlGaN growth for given growth conditions. Calculations revealed that the GaN phase was close to chemical equilibrium, while the Al supersaturation was as high as 1010 for typical growth conditions. Such a disparity in the supersaturation of reaction species plays a significant role in the stability of the growth of the resulting ternary alloy. The agreement between experiment and simulation suggests that the parasitic gas phase reactions between trimethylaluminum and NH3 were not significant at low NH3 flow rates/partial pressures, indicating that, under these conditions, the AlGaN growth was thermodynamically limited.}, number={11}, journal={JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS}, author={Washiyama, Shun and Reddy, Pramod and Kaess, Felix and Kirste, Ronny and Mita, Seiji and Collazo, Ramon and Sitar, Zlatko}, year={2018}, month={Sep} } @misc{snyder_reddy_kirste_collazo_ivanisevic_2018, title={Bulk and Surface Electronic Properties of Inorganic Materials: Tools to Guide Cellular Behavior}, volume={2}, ISSN={["2366-9608"]}, DOI={10.1002/smtd.201800016}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={9}, journal={SMALL METHODS}, author={Snyder, Patrick J. and Reddy, Pramod and Kirste, Ronny and Collazo, Ramon and Ivanisevic, Albena}, year={2018}, month={Sep} } @article{dycus_mirrielees_grimley_kirste_mita_sitar_collazo_irving_lebeau_2018, title={Structure of Ultrathin Native Oxides on III-Nitride Surfaces}, volume={10}, ISSN={["1944-8252"]}, DOI={10.1021/acsami.8b00845}, abstractNote={When pristine material surfaces are exposed to air, highly reactive broken bonds can promote the formation of surface oxides with structures and properties differing greatly from bulk. Determination of the oxide structure is often elusive through the use of indirect diffraction methods or techniques that probe only the outermost layer. As a result, surface oxides forming on widely used materials, such as group III-nitrides, have not been unambiguously resolved, even though critical properties can depend sensitively on their presence. In this study, aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy reveals directly, and with depth dependence, the structure of ultrathin native oxides that form on AlN and GaN surfaces. Through atomic resolution imaging and spectroscopy, we show that the oxide layers are comprised of tetrahedra-octahedra cation-oxygen units, in an arrangement similar to bulk θ-Al2O3 and β-Ga2O3. By applying density functional theory, we show that the observed structures are more stable than previously proposed surface oxide models. We place the impact of these observations in the context of key III-nitride growth, device issues, and the recent discovery of two-dimensional nitrides.}, number={13}, journal={ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES}, author={Dycus, J. Houston and Mirrielees, Kelsey J. and Grimley, Everett D. and Kirste, Ronny and Mita, Seiji and Sitar, Zlatko and Collazo, Ramon and Irving, Douglas L. and LeBeau, James M.}, year={2018}, month={Apr}, pages={10607–10611} } @article{rounds_sarkar_alden_guo_klump_hartmann_nagashima_kirste_franke_bickermann_et al._2018, title={The influence of point defects on the thermal conductivity of AlN crystals}, volume={123}, ISSN={["1089-7550"]}, DOI={10.1063/1.5028141}, abstractNote={The average bulk thermal conductivity of free-standing physical vapor transport and hydride vapor phase epitaxy single crystal AlN samples with different impurity concentrations is analyzed using the 3ω method in the temperature range of 30–325 K. AlN wafers grown by physical vapor transport show significant variation in thermal conductivity at room temperature with values ranging between 268 W/m K and 339 W/m K. AlN crystals grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy yield values between 298 W/m K and 341 W/m K at room temperature, suggesting that the same fundamental mechanisms limit the thermal conductivity of AlN grown by both techniques. All samples in this work show phonon resonance behavior resulting from incorporated point defects. Samples shown by optical analysis to contain carbon-silicon complexes exhibit higher thermal conductivity above 100 K. Phonon scattering by point defects is determined to be the main limiting factor for thermal conductivity of AlN within the investigated temperature range.}, number={18}, journal={JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS}, author={Rounds, Robert and Sarkar, Biplab and Alden, Dorian and Guo, Qiang and Klump, Andrew and Hartmann, Carsten and Nagashima, Toru and Kirste, Ronny and Franke, Alexander and Bickermann, Matthias and et al.}, year={2018}, month={May} } @article{rounds_sarkar_sochacki_bockowski_imanishi_mori_kirste_collazo_sitar_2018, title={Thermal conductivity of GaN single crystals: Influence of impurities incorporated in different growth processes}, volume={124}, ISSN={["1089-7550"]}, DOI={10.1063/1.5047531}, abstractNote={The thermal conductivity of GaN crystals grown by different techniques is analyzed using the 3ω method in the temperature range of 30 K to 295 K. GaN wafers grown by the ammonothermal method show a significant variation in thermal conductivity at room temperature with values ranging between 164 W m−1 K−1 and 196 W m−1 K−1. GaN crystals produced with the sodium flux and hydride vapor phase epitaxy methods show results of 211 W m−1 K−1 and 224 W m−1 K−1, respectively, at room temperature. Analysis using secondary ion mass spectrometry indicates varying amounts of impurities between the respective crystals and explains the behavior of thermal conductivity trends in the samples. The observed difference between thermal conductivity curves suggests that scattering of phonons at point defects dominates the thermal conductivity of GaN within the investigated temperature range. Deviations of model curves from thermal conductivity measurements and disparities between modelled characteristic lengths and actual sample thicknesses indicate that phonon resonances are active in GaN.}, number={10}, journal={JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS}, author={Rounds, Robert and Sarkar, Biplab and Sochacki, Tomasz and Bockowski, Michal and Imanishi, Masayuki and Mori, Yusuke and Kirste, Ronny and Collazo, Ramon and Sitar, Zlatko}, year={2018}, month={Sep} } @article{rounds_sarkar_klump_hartmann_nagashima_kirste_franke_bickermann_kumagai_sitar_et al._2018, title={Thermal conductivity of single-crystalline AIN}, volume={11}, ISSN={["1882-0786"]}, DOI={10.7567/apex.11.071001}, abstractNote={The thermal conductivity of AlN single crystals grown by physical vapor transport (PVT) and hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) was measured in the range of 30 to 325 K by the 3ω method. The measured room-temperature thermal conductivity ranged from 268 to 374 W m−1 K−1. Higher thermal conductivity correlated with higher transparency at 265 nm and lower total impurity levels.}, number={7}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS EXPRESS}, author={Rounds, Robert and Sarkar, Biplab and Klump, Andrew and Hartmann, Carsten and Nagashima, Toru and Kirste, Ronny and Franke, Alexander and Bickermann, Matthias and Kumagai, Yoshinao and Sitar, Zlatko and et al.}, year={2018}, month={Jul} } @article{snyder_reddy_kirste_lajeunesse_collazo_ivanisevic_2018, title={Variably doped nanostructured gallium nitride surfaces can serve as biointerfaces for neurotypic PC12 cells and alter their behavior}, volume={8}, ISSN={["2046-2069"]}, DOI={10.1039/c8ra06836d}, abstractNote={Neurotypic PC12 cells behavior was studied on nanostructured GaN and rationalized with respect to surface charge, doping level, and chemical functionalization.}, number={64}, journal={RSC ADVANCES}, author={Snyder, Patrick J. and Reddy, Pramod and Kirste, Ronny and LaJeunesse, Dennis R. and Collazo, Ramon and Ivanisevic, Albena}, year={2018}, pages={36722–36730} } @article{sarkar_reddy_kaess_haidet_tweedie_mita_kirste_kohn_collazo_sitar_et al._2017, title={(Invited) Material Considerations for the Development of III-nitride Power Devices}, volume={80}, ISBN={["978-1-62332-476-6"]}, ISSN={["1938-6737"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85033580489&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1149/08007.0029ecst}, abstractNote={With advancement in growth of native III-nitride substrates, remarkable progress has been made to extend the functionality of GaN based power electronic devices. The low dislocation epitaxial films grown on native substrates outperforms the films grown on foreign substrates. However, several material considerations has to be incorporated in order to exploit the full potential of GaN and AlxGa1-xN (070%) in atomically thin MoS2 films (≤4 layers) for either narrowband incidence with arbitrarily prespecified wavelengths or broadband incidence like solar radiation. This is achieved by integrating the films with resonant photonic structures that are deterministically designed using a unique reverse design approach based on leaky mode coupling. The design starts with identifying the properties of leaky modes necessary for the targeted strong absorption, followed by searching for the geometrical features of nanostructures to support the desired modes. This process is very intuitive and only involves a minimal amount of computation, thanks to the straightforward correlations between optical functionality and leaky modes as well as between leaky modes and the geometrical feature of nanostructures. The result may provide useful guidance for the development of high-performance atomic-scale photonic devices, such as solar cells, modulators, photodetectors, and photocatalysts.}, number={8}, journal={ACS NANO}, author={Huang, Lujun and Li, Guoqing and Gurarslan, Alper and Yu, Yiling and Kirste, Ronny and Guo, Wei and Zhao, Junjie and Collazo, Ramon and Sitar, Zlatko and Parsons, Gregory N. and et al.}, year={2016}, month={Aug}, pages={7493–7499} } @article{rohrbaugh_hernandez-balderrama_kaess_kirste_collazo_ivanisevic_2016, title={HgNO3 sensitivity of AlGaN/GaN field effect transistors functionalized with phytochelating peptides}, volume={6}, ISSN={["2158-3226"]}, DOI={10.1063/1.4953806}, abstractNote={This study examined the conductance sensitivity of AlGaN/GaN field effect transistors in response to varying Hg/HNO3 solutions. FET surfaces were covalently functionalized with phytochelatin-5 peptides in order to detect Hg in solution. Results showed a resilience of peptide-AlGaN/GaN bonds in the presence of strong HNO3 aliquots, with significant degradation in FET ID signal. However, devices showed strong and varied response to Hg concentrations of 1, 10, 100, and 1000 ppm. The gathered statistically significant results indicate that peptide terminated AlGaN/GaN devices are capable of differentiating between Hg solutions and demonstrate device sensitivity.}, number={6}, journal={AIP ADVANCES}, author={Rohrbaugh, Nathaniel and Hernandez-Balderrama, Luis and Kaess, Felix and Kirste, Ronny and Collazo, Ramon and Ivanisevic, Albena}, year={2016}, month={Jun} } @article{snyder_kirste_collazoa_ivanisevic_2016, title={Nanoscale topography, semiconductor polarity and surface functionalization: additive and cooperative effects on PC12 cell behavior}, volume={6}, ISSN={["2046-2069"]}, DOI={10.1039/c6ra21936e}, abstractNote={This work compares the behavior of PC12 cells on planar and patterned III-nitride materials with nanostructured topographies.}, number={100}, journal={RSC ADVANCES}, author={Snyder, Patrick J. and Kirste, Ronny and Collazoa, Ramon and Ivanisevic, Albena}, year={2016}, pages={97873–97881} } @article{bain_kirste_johnson_ghashghaei_collazo_ivanisevic_2016, title={Neurotypic cell attachment and growth on III-nitride lateral polarity structures}, volume={58}, ISSN={["1873-0191"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.msec.2015.09.084}, abstractNote={III-nitride materials have recently received increasing levels of attention for their potential to successfully interface with, and sense biochemical interactions in biological systems. Expanding on available sensing schemes (including transistor-based devices,) a III-N lateral polarity structure capable of introducing quasi-phase matching through a periodic polarity grating presents a novel platform for second harmonic generation. This platform constitutes a non-linear optical phenomenon with exquisite sensitivity to the chemical state of a surface or interface. To characterize the response of a biological system to the nanostructured lateral polarity structures, we cultured neurotypic PC12 cells on AlGaN with varying ratios of Al:Ga - 0, 0.4, 0.6, and 1 - and on surfaces of varying pitch to the III-polar vs. N-polar grating - 5, 10, 20 and 50 μm. While some toxicity associated with increasing Al is observed, we documented and quantified trends in cell responses to the local material polarity and nanoscale roughness. The nitrogen-polar material has a significantly higher nanoscale roughness than III-polar regions, and a 80-200 nm step height difference between the III-polar and N-polar materials in the lateral polarity configuration generates adequate changes in topography to influence cell growth, improves cell adhesion and promotes cell migration along the direction of the features. As the designed material configuration is further explored for biochemical sensing, the lateral polarity scheme may provide a route in assessing the non-specific protein adsorption to this varying nano-topography that drives the subsequent cell response.}, journal={MATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING C-MATERIALS FOR BIOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS}, author={Bain, L. E. and Kirste, R. and Johnson, C. A. and Ghashghaei, H. T. and Collazo, R. and Ivanisevic, A.}, year={2016}, month={Jan}, pages={1194–1198} } @article{berg_franke_kirste_collazo_ivanisevic_2016, title={Photoluminescence changes of III-Nitride lateral polarity structures after chemical functionalization}, volume={3}, ISSN={["2053-1591"]}, DOI={10.1088/2053-1591/3/12/125906}, abstractNote={The photoluminescence changes of a III-Nitride semiconductor with various surface topographies were studied after chemical functionalization. AlxGa1−xN with a composition of 70% aluminum was used and the surfaces were functionalized with a fluorophore dye-terminated peptide using a linker molecule. The stability of the wafers in water was studied using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry prior to modifying the material. The leaching data demonstrated that the AlGaN material in highly stable in biological conditions over 7 d. The attachment of the dye to the wafer was investigated using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The PL spectrum showed a clear signature of the dye with a pronounced emission peak at approximately 260 nm, indicating a successful attachment to the surface.}, number={12}, journal={MATERIALS RESEARCH EXPRESS}, author={Berg, Nora G. and Franke, Alexander and Kirste, Ronny and Collazo, Ramon and Ivanisevic, Albena}, year={2016}, month={Dec} } @article{mohn_stolyarchuk_markurt_kirste_hoffmann_collazo_courville_di felice_sitar_vennegues_et al._2016, title={Polarity Control in Group-III Nitrides beyond Pragmatism}, volume={5}, ISSN={["2331-7019"]}, DOI={10.1103/physrevapplied.5.054004}, abstractNote={$P\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}o\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}l\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}a\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}r\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}i\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}t\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}y$ $e\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}n\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}g\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}i\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}n\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}e\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}e\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}r\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}i\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}n\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}g$ for applications in electronics and nonlinear optics requires the reliable, controllable growth of uniformly polar layers of a compound semiconductor on a nonpolar substrate. So far, this has been developed on a purely empirical basis. The authors use transmission electron microscopy and density-functional theory to see how exchange of aluminum, oxygen, and nitrogen within a sapphire substrate mediates the polarity of an epitaxial film of group-III nitride. Their results shed new light on familiar concepts like substrate nitridation and low-temperature buffers, and may further help to understand polarity control in oxides and other materials.}, number={5}, journal={PHYSICAL REVIEW APPLIED}, author={Mohn, Stefan and Stolyarchuk, Natalia and Markurt, Toni and Kirste, Ronny and Hoffmann, Marc P. and Collazo, Ramon and Courville, Aimeric and Di Felice, Rosa and Sitar, Zlatko and Vennegues, Philippe and et al.}, year={2016}, month={May} } @article{franke_hoffmann_hernandez-balderrama_kaess_bryan_washiyama_bobea_tweedie_kirste_gerhold_et al._2016, title={Strain engineered high reflectivity DBRs in the deep UV}, volume={9748}, ISSN={["1996-756X"]}, DOI={10.1117/12.2211700}, abstractNote={The maximum achievable reflectivity of current III-nitride Bragg reflectors in the UV-C spectral range is limited due to plastic relaxation of thick multilayer structures. Cracking due to a large mismatch of the thermal expansion and lattice constants between AlxGa1-xN/AlyGa1-yN alloys of different composition and the substrate at the heterointerface is the common failure mode. Strain engineering and strain relaxation concepts by the growth on a strain reduced Al0.85Ga0.15N template and the implementation of low temperature interlayers is demonstrated. A significant enhancement of the maximum reflectivity above 97% at a resonance wavelength of 270 nm due to an increase of the critical thickness of our AlN/Al0.65Ga0.35N DBRs to 1.45 μm (25.5 pairs) prove their potential. By comparing the growth of identical Bragg reflectors on different pseudo-templates, the accumulated mismatch strain energy in the DBR, not the dislocation density provided by the template/substrate, was identified to limit the critical thickness. To further enhance the reflectivity low temperature interlays were implemented into the DBR to partially relief the misfit strain. Relaxation is enabled by the nucleation of small surface domains facilitating misfit dislocation injection and glide. Detailed structural and optical investigations will be conducted to prove the influence of the LT-AlN interlayers on the strain state, structural integrity and reflectivity properties. Coherent growth and no structural and optical degradation of the Bragg mirror properties was observed proving the fully applicability of the relaxation concept to fabricate thick high reflectivity DBR and vertical cavity laser structures.}, journal={GALLIUM NITRIDE MATERIALS AND DEVICES XI}, author={Franke, A. and Hoffmann, P. and Hernandez-Balderrama, L. and Kaess, F. and Bryan, I. and Washiyama, S. and Bobea, M. and Tweedie, J. and Kirste, R. and Gerhold, M. and et al.}, year={2016} } @article{reddy_bryan_bryan_tweedie_washiyama_kirste_mita_collazo_sitar_2015, title={Charge neutrality levels, barrier heights, and band offsets at polar AlGaN}, volume={107}, ISSN={["1077-3118"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4930026}, DOI={10.1063/1.4930026}, abstractNote={In this work, the Fermi level and band alignment at c-plane surfaces and interfaces of AlGaN thin films grown on sapphire and native single crystalline AlN substrates were analyzed via x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The dependence of charge neutrality level (CNL) on Al composition is found to be linear with n-type Schottky barrier heights (Φbn) exhibiting an overall quadratic behavior due to bandgap bowing. A general theoretical expression for Schottky barrier height on AlGaN is determined as a function of Al composition and metal electronegativity utilizing the interface induced gap states (IFIGS) model and is corroborated with current-voltage (I-V) characterization on Ni-based Schottky diodes. The measured CNLs were used to determine the conduction and valence band offsets in AlGaN hetero-junctions according to the IFIGS and were found to be split approximately 2/3 and 1/3 of the bandgap, respectively, at interfaces with AlGaN having comparable Al and Ga concentrations. Nonlinearities in Φbn result in an increase (>2/3) and decrease (<2/3) of the conduction band split at AlN/AlGaN and GaN/AlGaN interfaces, respectively. Characterization of core level binding energies revealed a composition-independent surface work function. Consequently, electron affinity is found to be a linear function of the barrier height at the CNL and band offsets determined via IFIGS and Anderson's rule were found to be identical. The origin of the bandgap bowing arising in the conduction band is proposed.}, number={9}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS}, publisher={AIP Publishing}, author={Reddy, Pramod and Bryan, Isaac and Bryan, Zachary and Tweedie, James and Washiyama, Shun and Kirste, Ronny and Mita, Seiji and Collazo, Ramon and Sitar, Zlatko}, year={2015}, month={Aug} } @article{kirste_rohrbaugh_bryan_bryan_collazo_ivanisevic_2015, title={Electronic Biosensors Based on III-Nitride Semiconductors}, volume={8}, ISSN={["1936-1327"]}, DOI={10.1146/annurev-anchem-071114-040247}, abstractNote={ We review recent advances of AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT)-based electronic biosensors. We discuss properties and fabrication of III-nitride-based biosensors. Because of their superior biocompatibility and aqueous stability, GaN-based devices are ready to be implemented as next-generation biosensors. We review surface properties, cleaning, and passivation as well as different pathways toward functionalization, and critically analyze III-nitride-based biosensors demonstrated in the literature, including those detecting DNA, bacteria, cancer antibodies, and toxins. We also discuss the high potential of these biosensors for monitoring living cardiac, fibroblast, and nerve cells. Finally, we report on current developments of covalent chemical functionalization of III-nitride devices. Our review concludes with a short outlook on future challenges and projected implementation directions of GaN-based HEMT biosensors. }, journal={ANNUAL REVIEW OF ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, VOL 8}, author={Kirste, Ronny and Rohrbaugh, Nathaniel and Bryan, Isaac and Bryan, Zachary and Collazo, Ramon and Ivanisevic, Albena}, year={2015}, pages={149–169} } @article{hoffmann_kirste_mita_guo_tweedie_bobea_bryan_bryan_gerhold_collazo_et al._2015, title={Growth and characterization of AlxGa1-xN lateral polarity structures}, volume={212}, ISSN={["1862-6319"]}, DOI={10.1002/pssa.201431740}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={5}, journal={PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI A-APPLICATIONS AND MATERIALS SCIENCE}, author={Hoffmann, Marc Patrick and Kirste, Ronny and Mita, Seiji and Guo, Wei and Tweedie, James and Bobea, Milena and Bryan, Isaac and Bryan, Zachary and Gerhold, Michael and Collazo, Ramon and et al.}, year={2015}, month={May}, pages={1039–1042} } @article{guo_kirste_bryan_bryan_hussey_reddy_tweedie_collazo_sitar_2015, title={KOH based selective wet chemical etching of AlN, AlxGa1-xN, and GaN crystals: A way towards substrate removal in deep ultraviolet-light emitting diode}, volume={106}, ISSN={["1077-3118"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4913705}, DOI={10.1063/1.4913705}, abstractNote={A controllable and smooth potassium hydroxide-based wet etching technique was developed for the AlGaN system. High selectivity between AlN and AlxGa1−xN (up to 12×) was found to be critical in achieving effective substrate thinning or removal for AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet light emitting diodes, thus increasing light extraction efficiency. The mechanism of high selectivity of AlGaN as a function of Al composition can be explained as related to the formation and dissolution of oxide/hydroxide on top of N-polar surface. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopic analysis served as ultimate proof that these hillocks were not related to underlying threading dislocations.}, number={8}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS}, publisher={AIP Publishing}, author={Guo, W. and Kirste, R. and Bryan, I. and Bryan, Z. and Hussey, L. and Reddy, P. and Tweedie, J. and Collazo, R. and Sitar, Z.}, year={2015}, month={Feb} } @article{rigler_buh_hoffmann_kirste_bobea_mita_gerhold_collazo_sitar_zgonik_2015, title={Optical characterization of Al- and N-polar AlN waveguides for integrated optics}, volume={8}, ISSN={["1882-0786"]}, DOI={10.7567/apex.8.042603}, abstractNote={Dispersion of the extraordinary and ordinary refractive indices of Al- and N-polar AlN waveguides is measured by multiple angle-of-incidence and spectroscopic ellipsometry techniques. The polarity-controlled AlN layers are grown by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition on (0001)-sapphire substrates. Taking into consideration the different surface morphologies of the Al- and N-polar AlN waveguides, we propose two optical models to describe the measured ellipsometry data. The results indicate that there is no difference between the refractive indices of the AlN grown in opposite directions, which confirms the potential of the AlN lateral polar structures for use in nonlinear optical applications based on quasi phase matching.}, number={4}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS EXPRESS}, author={Rigler, Martin and Buh, Joze and Hoffmann, Marc P. and Kirste, Ronny and Bobea, Milena and Mita, Seiji and Gerhold, Michael D. and Collazo, Ramon and Sitar, Zlatko and Zgonik, Marko}, year={2015}, month={Apr} } @article{majkic_puc_franke_kirste_collazo_sitar_zgonik_2015, title={Optical properties of aluminum nitride single crystals in the THz region}, volume={5}, ISSN={["2159-3930"]}, DOI={10.1364/ome.5.002106}, abstractNote={We report on measurements of the refractive indices and the absorption in bulk single crystals of aluminum nitride, in the region from 1 to 8 THz. The birefringence is approximately 0.2 and is larger than in the optical frequency range. Both indices exhibit normal dispersion with no pronounced absorption resonances. Optical power loss coefficients are approximately 2 cm−1 and 4 cm−1 and the estimated static dielectric constants are 7.84 and 9.22, for the ordinary and extraordinary polarization, respectively.}, number={10}, journal={OPTICAL MATERIALS EXPRESS}, author={Majkic, Aleksej and Puc, Uros and Franke, Alexander and Kirste, Ronny and Collazo, Ramon and Sitar, Zlatko and Zgonik, Marko}, year={2015}, month={Oct}, pages={2106–2111} } @article{bryan_bryan_bobea_hussey_kirste_sitar_collazo_2014, title={Exciton transitions and oxygen as a donor in m-plane AlN homoepitaxial films}, volume={115}, ISSN={["1089-7550"]}, DOI={10.1063/1.4870284}, abstractNote={High-resolution photoluminescence studies on m-plane (1-100) homoepitaxial films grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on AlN revealed several sharp donor-bound exciton (DBX) peaks with a full width at half maximum as narrow as 550 μeV. Power dependent photoluminescence distinguished DBXs tied to the Γ5 free exciton (FX) from those tied to the Γ1 FX. Both the n = 2 and n = 1 excited states of the Γ5 and Γ1 were resolved, giving binding energies of 52 meV and 55 meV, respectively. The DBX transition at 6.006 eV was identified as originating from the neutral-donor-oxygen (O0X). This assignment was based on secondary ion mass spectroscopy measurements, peak position with respect to the Si0X, and deep defect luminescence peaks located at 3.25 eV and 3.58 eV.}, number={13}, journal={JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS}, author={Bryan, Zachary and Bryan, Isaac and Bobea, Milena and Hussey, Lindsay and Kirste, Ronny and Sitar, Zlatko and Collazo, Ramon}, year={2014}, month={Apr} } @article{bryan_bryan_gaddy_reddy_hussey_bobea_guo_hoffmann_kirste_tweedie_et al._2014, title={Fermi level control of compensating point defects during metalorganic chemical vapor deposition growth of Si-doped AlGaN}, volume={105}, ISSN={["1077-3118"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4903058}, DOI={10.1063/1.4903058}, abstractNote={A Fermi-level control scheme for point defect management using above-bandgap UV illumination during growth is presented. We propose an extension to the analogy between the Fermi level and the electrochemical potential such that the electrochemical potential of a charged defect in a material with steady-state populations of free charge carriers may be expressed in terms of the quasi-Fermi levels. A series of highly Si-doped Al0.65Ga0.35N films grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition with and without UV illumination showed that samples grown under UV illumination had increased free carrier concentration, free carrier mobility, and reduced midgap photoluminescence all indicating a reduction in compensating point defects.}, number={22}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS}, publisher={AIP Publishing}, author={Bryan, Zachary and Bryan, Isaac and Gaddy, Benjamin E. and Reddy, Pramod and Hussey, Lindsay and Bobea, Milena and Guo, Wei and Hoffmann, Marc and Kirste, Ronny and Tweedie, James and et al.}, year={2014}, month={Dec} } @article{bryan_bryan_bobea_hussey_kirste_collazo_sitar_2014, title={Homoepitaxial AlN thin films deposited on m-plane (1(1)over-bar00) AlN substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition}, volume={116}, ISSN={["1089-7550"]}, DOI={10.1063/1.4897233}, abstractNote={AlN homoepitaxial films were grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on chemo-mechanically polished (11¯00)-oriented single crystalline AlN substrates. The dependence of the surface morphology, structural quality, and unintentional impurity concentrations on the growth temperature was studied in order to determine the most appropriate growth conditions for high quality (11¯00) AlN epitaxial layers. Optically smooth surfaces (RMS roughness of 0.4 nm) and high crystalline quality, as demonstrated by the presence of FWHM values for (101¯0) rocking curves along [0001] of less than 25 arc·sec, were achieved for films grown above 1350 °C. Furthermore, sharp and intense near band edge luminescence was observed in these high quality films. A reduction in unintentional oxygen impurity levels was seen with an increase in growth temperature. These high crystalline quality films are suitable for device applications and hold great potential for providing an ideal platform for deep UV emitters with high Al content AlGaN without polarization related effects.}, number={13}, journal={JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS}, author={Bryan, Isaac and Bryan, Zachary and Bobea, Milena and Hussey, Lindsay and Kirste, Ronny and Collazo, Ramon and Sitar, Zlatko}, year={2014}, month={Oct} } @article{kirste_mita_hoffmann_hussey_guo_bryan_bryan_tweedie_gerhold_hoffmann_et al._2014, title={Properties of AlN based lateral polarity structures}, volume={11}, ISSN={["1862-6351"]}, DOI={10.1002/pssc.201300287}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={2}, journal={PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI C: CURRENT TOPICS IN SOLID STATE PHYSICS, VOL 11, NO 2}, author={Kirste, Ronny and Mita, Seiji and Hoffmann, Marc P. and Hussey, Lindsay and Guo, Wei and Bryan, Isaac and Bryan, Zachary and Tweedie, James and Gerhold, Michael and Hoffmann, Axel and et al.}, year={2014}, pages={261–264} } @article{hussey_white_kirste_mita_bryan_guo_osterman_haidet_bryan_bobea_et al._2014, title={Sapphire decomposition and inversion domains in N-polar aluminum nitride}, volume={104}, ISSN={["1077-3118"]}, DOI={10.1063/1.4862982}, abstractNote={Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques and potassium hydroxide (KOH) etching confirmed that inversion domains in the N-polar AlN grown on c-plane sapphire were due to the decomposition of sapphire in the presence of hydrogen. The inversion domains were found to correspond to voids at the AlN and sapphire interface, and transmission electron microscopy results showed a V-shaped, columnar inversion domain with staggered domain boundary sidewalls. Voids were also observed in the simultaneously grown Al-polar AlN, however no inversion domains were present. The polarity of AlN grown above the decomposed regions of the sapphire substrate was confirmed to be Al-polar by KOH etching and TEM.}, number={3}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS}, author={Hussey, Lindsay and White, Ryan M. and Kirste, Ronny and Mita, Seiji and Bryan, Isaac and Guo, Wei and Osterman, Katherine and Haidet, Brian and Bryan, Zachary and Bobea, Milena and et al.}, year={2014}, month={Jan} } @article{reddy_bryan_bryan_tweedie_kirste_collazo_sitar_2014, title={Schottky contact formation on polar and non-polar AlN}, volume={116}, ISSN={["1089-7550"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4901954}, DOI={10.1063/1.4901954}, abstractNote={The interfaces of m- and c-plane AlN with metals of different work functions and electro-negativities were characterized and the Schottky barrier heights were measured. The Schottky barrier height was determined by measuring the valence band maximum (VBM) with respect to the Fermi level at the surface (interface) before (after) metallization. VBM determination included accurate modeling and curve fitting of density of states at the valence band edge with the XPS data. The experimental behavior of the barrier heights could not be explained by the Schottky-Mott model and was modeled using InterFace-Induced Gap States (IFIGS). A slope parameter (SX) was used to incorporate the density of surface states and is a measure of Fermi level pinning. The experimental barriers followed theoretical predictions with a barrier height at the surface Fermi level (Charge neutrality level (CNL)) of ∼2.1 eV (∼2.7 eV) on m-plane (c-plane) and SX ∼ 0.36 eV/Miedema unit. Slope parameter much lower than 0.86 implied a surface/interface states dominated behavior with significant Fermi level pinning and the measured barrier heights were close to the CNL. Titanium and zirconium provided the lowest barriers (1.6 eV) with gold providing the highest (2.3 eV) among the metals analyzed on m-plane. It was consistently found that barrier heights decreased from metal polar to non-polar surfaces, in general, due to an increasing CNL. The data indicated that charged IFIGS compensate spontaneous polarization charge. These barrier height and slope parameter measurements provided essential information for designing Schottky diodes and other contact-based devices on AlN.}, number={19}, journal={JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS}, publisher={AIP Publishing}, author={Reddy, Pramod and Bryan, Isaac and Bryan, Zachary and Tweedie, James and Kirste, Ronny and Collazo, Ramon and Sitar, Zlatko}, year={2014}, month={Nov} } @article{guo_bryan_xie_kirste_mita_bryan_hussey_bobea_haidet_gerhold_et al._2014, title={Stimulated emission and optical gain in AlGaN heterostructures grown on bulk AlN substrates}, volume={115}, ISSN={["1089-7550"]}, DOI={10.1063/1.4868678}, abstractNote={Optical gain spectra for ∼250 nm stimulated emission were compared in three different AlGaN-based structures grown on single crystalline AlN substrates: a single AlGaN film, a double heterostructure (DH), and a Multiple Quantum Well (MQW) structure; respective threshold pumping power densities of 700, 250, and 150 kW/cm2 were observed. Above threshold, the emission was transverse-electric polarized and as narrow as 1.8 nm without a cavity. The DH and MQW structures showed gain values of 50–60 cm−1 when pumped at 1 MW/cm2. The results demonstrated the excellent optical quality of the AlGaN-based heterostructures grown on AlN substrates and their potential for realizing electrically pumped sub-280 nm laser diodes.}, number={10}, journal={JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS}, author={Guo, Wei and Bryan, Zachary and Xie, Jinqiao and Kirste, Ronny and Mita, Seiji and Bryan, Isaac and Hussey, Lindsay and Bobea, Milena and Haidet, Brian and Gerhold, Michael and et al.}, year={2014}, month={Mar} } @article{bryan_akouala_tweedie_bryan_rice_kirste_collazo_sitar_2014, title={Surface preparation of non-polar single-crystalline AlN substrates}, volume={11}, ISSN={["1862-6351"]}, DOI={10.1002/pssc.201300401}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={3-4}, journal={PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI C: CURRENT TOPICS IN SOLID STATE PHYSICS, VOL 11, NO 3-4}, author={Bryan, Isaac and Akouala, Christer-Rajiv and Tweedie, James and Bryan, Zachary and Rice, Anthony and Kirste, Ronny and Collazo, Ramon and Sitar, Zlatko}, year={2014}, pages={454–457} } @article{gaddy_bryan_bryan_xie_dalmau_moody_kumagai_nagashima_kubota_kinoshita_et al._2014, title={The role of the carbon-silicon complex in eliminating deep ultraviolet absorption in AlN}, volume={104}, ISSN={["1077-3118"]}, DOI={10.1063/1.4878657}, abstractNote={Co-doping AlN crystals with Si is found to suppress the unwanted 4.7 eV (265 nm) deep ultraviolet absorption associated with isolated carbon acceptors common in materials grown by physical vapor transport. Density functional theory calculations with hybrid functionals demonstrate that silicon forms a stable nearest-neighbor defect complex with carbon. This complex is predicted to absorb at 5.5 eV and emit at or above 4.3 eV. Absorption and photoluminescence measurements of co-doped samples confirm the presence of the predicted CN-SiAl complex absorption and emission peaks and significant reduction of the 4.7 eV absorption. Other sources of deep ultraviolet absorption in AlN are also discussed.}, number={20}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS}, author={Gaddy, Benjamin E. and Bryan, Zachary and Bryan, Isaac and Xie, Jinqiao and Dalmau, Rafael and Moody, Baxter and Kumagai, Yoshinao and Nagashima, Toru and Kubota, Yuki and Kinoshita, Toru and et al.}, year={2014}, month={May} } @article{kirste_hoffmann_tweedie_bryan_callsen_kure_nenstiel_wagner_collazo_hoffmann_et al._2013, title={Compensation effects in GaN:Mg probed by Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence measurements}, volume={113}, ISSN={0021-8979 1089-7550}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4794094}, DOI={10.1063/1.4794094}, abstractNote={Compensation effects in metal organic chemical vapour deposition grown GaN doped with magnesium are investigated with Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence measurements. Examining the strain sensitive E2(high) mode, an increasing compressive strain is revealed for samples with Mg-concentrations lower than 7 × 1018 cm−3. For higher Mg-concentrations, this strain is monotonically reduced. This relaxation is accompanied by a sudden decrease in crystal quality. Luminescence measurements reveal a well defined near band edge luminescence with free, donor bound, and acceptor bound excitons as well as a characteristic donor acceptor pair (DAP) luminescence. Following recent results, three acceptor bound excitons and donor acceptor pairs are identified. Along with the change of the strain, a strong modification in the luminescence of the dominating acceptor bound exciton and DAP luminescence is observed. The results from Raman spectroscopy and luminescence measurements are interpreted as fingerprints of compensation effects in GaN:Mg leading to the conclusion that compensation due to defect incorporation triggered by Mg-doping already affects the crystal properties at doping levels of around 7 × 1018 cm−3. Thereby, the generation of nitrogen vacancies is introduced as the driving force for the change of the strain state and the near band edge luminescence.}, number={10}, journal={Journal of Applied Physics}, publisher={AIP Publishing}, author={Kirste, Ronny and Hoffmann, Marc P. and Tweedie, James and Bryan, Zachary and Callsen, Gordon and Kure, Thomas and Nenstiel, Christian and Wagner, Markus R. and Collazo, Ramón and Hoffmann, Axel and et al.}, year={2013}, month={Mar}, pages={103504} } @article{wagner_callsen_reparaz_kirste_hoffmann_rodina_schleife_bechstedt_phillips_2013, title={Effects of strain on the valence band structure and exciton-polariton energies in ZnO}, volume={88}, ISSN={["2469-9969"]}, DOI={10.1103/physrevb.88.235210}, abstractNote={The uniaxial stress dependence of the band structure and the exciton-polariton transitions in wurtzite ZnO is thoroughly studied using modern first-principles calculations based on the $\text{HSE}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}+\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{G}_{0}{W}_{0}$ approach, $\mathbf{k}\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}\mathbf{p}$ modeling using the deformation potential framework, and polarized photoluminescence measurements. The ordering of the valence bands [A(${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{7}$), B(${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{9}$), C(${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{7}$)] is found to be robust even for high uniaxial and biaxial strains. Theoretical results for the uniaxial pressure coefficients and splitting rates of the A, B, and C valence bands and their optical transitions are obtained including the effects of the spin-orbit interaction. The excitonic deformation potentials are derived and the stress rates for hydrostatic pressure are determined based on the results for uniaxial and biaxial stress. In addition, the theory for the stress dependence of the exchange interaction and longitudinal-transversal splitting of the exciton polaritons is developed using the basic exciton functions of the quasicubic approximation and taking the interaction between all exciton states into account. It is shown that the consideration of these effects is crucial for an accurate description of the stress dependence of the optical spectra in ZnO. The theoretical results are compared to polarized photoluminescence measurements of different ZnO substrates as function of uniaxial pressure and experimental values reported in the literature demonstrating an excellent agreement with the computed pressure coefficients.}, number={23}, journal={PHYSICAL REVIEW B}, author={Wagner, Markus R. and Callsen, Gordon and Reparaz, Juan S. and Kirste, Ronny and Hoffmann, Axel and Rodina, Anna V. and Schleife, Andre and Bechstedt, Friedhelm and Phillips, Matthew R.}, year={2013}, month={Dec} } @article{bryan_hoffmann_tweedie_kirste_callsen_bryan_rice_bobea_mita_xie_et al._2013, title={Fermi Level Control of Point Defects During Growth of Mg-Doped GaN}, volume={42}, ISSN={["1543-186X"]}, DOI={10.1007/s11664-012-2342-9}, number={5}, journal={JOURNAL OF ELECTRONIC MATERIALS}, author={Bryan, Zachary and Hoffmann, Marc and Tweedie, James and Kirste, Ronny and Callsen, Gordon and Bryan, Isaac and Rice, Anthony and Bobea, Milena and Mita, Seiji and Xie, Jinqiao and et al.}, year={2013}, month={May}, pages={815–819} } @article{kirste_hoffmann_sachet_bobea_bryan_bryan_nenstiel_hoffmann_maria_collazo_et al._2013, title={Ge doped GaN with controllable high carrier concentration for plasmonic applications}, volume={103}, ISSN={0003-6951 1077-3118}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4848555}, DOI={10.1063/1.4848555}, abstractNote={Controllable Ge doping in GaN is demonstrated for carrier concentrations of up to 2.4 × 1020 cm−3. Low temperature luminescence spectra from the highly doped samples reveal band gap renormalization and band filling (Burstein-Moss shift) in addition to a sharp transition. Infrared ellipsometry spectra demonstrate the existence of electron plasma with an energy around 3500 cm−1 and a surface plasma with an energy around 2000 cm−1. These findings open possibilities for the application of highly doped GaN for plasmonic devices.}, number={24}, journal={Applied Physics Letters}, publisher={AIP Publishing}, author={Kirste, Ronny and Hoffmann, Marc P. and Sachet, Edward and Bobea, Milena and Bryan, Zachary and Bryan, Isaac and Nenstiel, Christian and Hoffmann, Axel and Maria, Jon-Paul and Collazo, Ramón and et al.}, year={2013}, month={Dec}, pages={242107} } @article{xie_mita_bryan_guo_hussey_moody_schlesser_kirste_gerhold_collazo_et al._2013, title={Lasing and longitudinal cavity modes in photo-pumped deep ultraviolet AlGaN heterostructures}, volume={102}, ISSN={["1077-3118"]}, DOI={10.1063/1.4803689}, abstractNote={To unambiguously distinguish lasing from super luminescence, key elements of lasing such as longitudinal cavity modes with narrow line-width, polarized emission, and elliptically shaped far-field pattern, need to be demonstrated at the same time. Here, we show transverse electric polarized lasing at 280.8 nm and 263.9 nm for AlGaN based multi-quantum-wells and double heterojunction structures fabricated on single crystalline AlN substrates. An elliptically shaped far-field pattern was recorded when pumped above threshold. With cavities shorter than 200 μm, well-defined, equally spaced longitudinal modes with line widths as narrow as 0.014 nm were observed. The low threshold pumping density of 84 kW/cm2 suggests that the electrically pumped sub-300 nm ultraviolet laser diodes are imminent.}, number={17}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS}, author={Xie, Jinqiao and Mita, Seiji and Bryan, Zachary and Guo, Wei and Hussey, Lindsay and Moody, Baxter and Schlesser, Raoul and Kirste, Ronny and Gerhold, Michael and Collazo, Ramon and et al.}, year={2013}, month={Apr} } @article{rigler_zgonik_hoffmann_kirste_bobea_collazo_sitar_mita_gerhold_2013, title={Refractive index of III-metal-polar and N-polar AlGaN waveguides grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition}, volume={102}, ISSN={["1077-3118"]}, DOI={10.1063/1.4800554}, abstractNote={Optical waveguides of III-metal-polar and N-polar AlGaN are grown on sapphire substrates in order to test their use in integrated optics. The dispersion of the ordinary and extraordinary indices of refraction for films with aluminum mole fraction between 0.0 and 0.30 at four discrete wavelengths has been determined by the prism coupling method. The wavelength dependence of the refractive indices is described well by the first-order Sellmeier dispersion formula. The measurements show a small difference in the refractive indices between the two polarities, which is more pronounced at longer wavelengths.}, number={22}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS}, author={Rigler, Martin and Zgonik, Marko and Hoffmann, Marc P. and Kirste, Ronny and Bobea, Milena and Collazo, Ramon and Sitar, Zlatko and Mita, Seiji and Gerhold, Michael}, year={2013}, month={Jun} } @article{bryan_rice_hussey_bryan_bobea_mita_xie_kirste_collazo_sitar_2013, title={Strain relaxation by pitting in AlN thin films deposited by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition}, volume={102}, ISSN={["0003-6951"]}, DOI={10.1063/1.4792694}, abstractNote={Strain relaxation mechanisms were investigated in epitaxial AlN layers deposited on (0001)-oriented AlN substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. It was revealed that epitaxial AlN layers under tensile strain can exhibit micro-cracks and nano-pits. A correlation existed between the amount of strain and number of pits in localized areas. Pit densities as high as 1010 cm−2 were observed in areas where the tensile strain reached ∼0.4%, while unstrained areas of the film showed step flow growth. These nano-pits occurred as a strain relaxation mechanism and were not related to intrinsic defects, such as threading dislocations or inversion domains.}, number={6}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS}, author={Bryan, I. and Rice, A. and Hussey, L. and Bryan, Z. and Bobea, M. and Mita, S. and Xie, J. and Kirste, R. and Collazo, R. and Sitar, Z.}, year={2013}, month={Feb} } @article{gaddy_bryan_bryan_kirste_xie_dalmau_moody_kumagai_nagashima_kubota_et al._2013, title={Vacancy compensation and related donor-acceptor pair recombination in bulk AlN}, volume={103}, ISSN={["1077-3118"]}, DOI={10.1063/1.4824731}, abstractNote={A prominent 2.8 eV emission peak is identified in bulk AlN substrates grown by physical vapor transport. This peak is shown to be related to the carbon concentration in the samples. Density functional theory calculations predict that this emission is caused by a donor-acceptor pair (DAP) recombination between substitutional carbon on the nitrogen site and a nitrogen vacancy. Photoluminescence and photoluminescence-excitation spectroscopy are used to confirm the model and indicate the DAP character of the emission. The interaction between defects provides a pathway to creating ultraviolet-transparent AlN substrates for optoelectronics applications.}, number={16}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS}, author={Gaddy, Benjamin E. and Bryan, Zachary and Bryan, Isaac and Kirste, Ronny and Xie, Jinqiao and Dalmau, Rafael and Moody, Baxter and Kumagai, Yoshinao and Nagashima, Toru and Kubota, Yuki and et al.}, year={2013}, month={Oct} } @article{collazo_xie_gaddy_bryan_kirste_hoffmann_dalmau_moody_kumagai_nagashima_et al._2012, title={On the origin of the 265 nm absorption band in AlN bulk crystals}, volume={100}, ISSN={["1077-3118"]}, DOI={10.1063/1.4717623}, abstractNote={Single crystal AlN provides a native substrate for Al-rich AlGaN that is needed for the development of efficient deep ultraviolet light emitting and laser diodes. An absorption band centered around 4.7 eV (∼265 nm) with an absorption coefficient above 1000 cm−1 is observed in these substrates. Based on density functional theory calculations, substitutional carbon on the nitrogen site introduces absorption at this energy. A series of single crystalline wafers were used to demonstrate that this absorption band linearly increased with carbon, strongly supporting the model that CN- is the predominant state for carbon in AlN.}, number={19}, journal={APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS}, author={Collazo, Ramon and Xie, Jinqiao and Gaddy, Benjamin E. and Bryan, Zachary and Kirste, Ronny and Hoffmann, Marc and Dalmau, Rafael and Moody, Baxter and Kumagai, Yoshinao and Nagashima, Toru and et al.}, year={2012}, month={May} } @article{callsen_wagner_kure_reparaz_buegler_brunnmeier_nenstiel_hoffmann_hoffmann_tweedie_et al._2012, title={Optical signature of Mg-doped GaN: Transfer processes}, volume={86}, ISSN={["1098-0121"]}, DOI={10.1103/physrevb.86.075207}, abstractNote={Mg doping of high quality, metal organic chemical vapor deposition grown GaN films results in distinct traces in their photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation spectra. We analyze GaN:Mg grown on sapphire substrates and identify two Mg related acceptor states, one additional acceptor state and three donor states that are involved in the donor-acceptor pair band transitions situated at 3.26–3.29 eV in GaN:Mg. The presented determination of the donor-acceptor pair band excitation channels by photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy in conjunction with temperature-dependent photoluminescence measurements results in a direct determination of the donor and acceptor binding, localization, and activation energies, which is put into a broader context based on Haynes’s rule. Furthermore, we analyze the biexponential decay dynamics of the photoluminescence signal of the acceptor and donor bound excitons. As all observed lifetimes scale with the localization energy of the donor and acceptor related bound excitons, defect and complex bound excitons can be excluded as their origin. Detailed analysis of the exciton transfer processes in the close energetic vicinity of the GaN band edge reveals excitation via free and bound excitonic channels but also via an excited state as resolved for the deepest localized Mg related acceptor bound exciton. For the two Mg acceptor states, we determine binding energies of 164 ± 5 and 195 ± 5 meV, which is in good agreement with recent density functional theory results. This observation confirms and quantifies the general dual nature of acceptor states in GaN based on the presented analysis of the photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation spectra.}, number={7}, journal={PHYSICAL REVIEW B}, author={Callsen, G. and Wagner, M. R. and Kure, T. and Reparaz, J. S. and Buegler, M. and Brunnmeier, J. and Nenstiel, C. and Hoffmann, A. and Hoffmann, M. and Tweedie, J. and et al.}, year={2012}, month={Aug} } @inproceedings{hoffmann_gerhold_kirste_rice_akouala_xie_mita_collazo_sitar, title={Fabrication and characterization of lateral polar GaN structures for second harmonic generation}, volume={8631}, booktitle={Quantum sensing and nanophotonic devices x}, author={Hoffmann, M. P. and Gerhold, M. and Kirste, R. and Rice, A. and Akouala, C. R. and Xie, J. Q. Q. and Mita, S. and Collazo, R. and Sitar, Z.} } @article{guo_kirste_bryan_bryan_gerhold_collazo_sitar, title={Nanostructure surface patterning of GaN thin films and application to AlGaN/AlN multiple quantum wells: A way towards light extraction efficiency enhancement of III-nitride based light emitting diodes}, volume={117}, number={11}, journal={Journal of Applied Physics}, author={Guo, W. and Kirste, R. and Bryan, Z. and Bryan, I. and Gerhold, M. and Collazo, R. and Sitar, Z.} } @inproceedings{hoffmann_tweedie_kirste_bryan_bryan_gerhold_sitar_collazo, title={Point defect management in GaN by Fermi-level control during growth}, volume={8986}, booktitle={Gallium nitride materials and devices ix}, author={Hoffmann, M. P. and Tweedie, J. and Kirste, R. and Bryan, Z. and Bryan, I. and Gerhold, M. and Sitar, Z. and Collazo, R.} }