Epitaxial growth and time-resolved photoluminescence studies of AIN epilayers

Ki-Bum Nam; Jing Li; M. L. Nakarmi; Jing Yu Lin; Hongxing Jiang

doi:10.1117/12.479274

30 May 2003 Epitaxial growth and time-resolved photoluminescence studies of AIN epilayers

Ki-Bum Nam, Jing Li, M. L. Nakarmi, Jing Yu Lin, Hongxing Jiang

Proceedings Volume 4992, Ultrafast Phenomena in Semiconductors VII; (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.479274
Event: Integrated Optoelectronics Devices, 2003, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

AlN epilayers with high optical qualities have been grown on sapphire substrates by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Deep ultraviolet (UV) photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy has been employed to probe the optical quality as well as optical transitions in the grown epilayers. Two PL emission lines associated with the donor bound exciton D0X, or I2 and free exciton (FX) transitions have been observed, from which the binding energy of the donor bound excitons in AlN epilayers was determined to be around 16 meV. Time-resolved PL measurements revealed that the recombination lifetimes of the I2 and free exciton transitions in AlN epilayers were around 80 ps and 50 ps, respectively. The temperature dependencies of the free exciton radiative decay lifetime and emission intensity were investigated, from which a value of about 80 meV for the free exciton binding energy in AlN epilayer was deduced. This value is believed to be the largest free exciton binding energy ever reported in semiconductors, implying excitons in AlN are an extremely robust system that would survive well above room temperature. The PL emission properties of AlN have been compared with those of GaN. It was shown that the optical quality as well as quantum efficiency of AlN epilayers is as good as that of GaN. It was shown that the thermal quenching of PL emission intensity is greatly reduced in AlN over GaN, which suggests that the detrimental effect of impurities and dislocations or non-radiative recombination channels in A1N is much less severe than in GaN. The observed physical properties of AlN may considerably expand future prospects for the application of III nitride materials.

Citation Download Citation

Ki-Bum Nam, Jing Li, M. L. Nakarmi, Jing Yu Lin, and Hongxing Jiang "Epitaxial growth and time-resolved photoluminescence studies of AIN epilayers", Proc. SPIE 4992, Ultrafast Phenomena in Semiconductors VII, (30 May 2003); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.479274

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