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- ItemSchottky contacts to In2O3(New York : American Institute of Physics, 2014) von Wenckstern, H.; Splith, D.; Schmidt, F.; Grundmann, M.; Bierwagen, O.; Speck, J.S.n-type binary compound semiconductors such as InN, InAs, or In2O3 are especial because the branch-point energy or charge neutrality level lies within the conduction band. Their tendency to form a surface electron accumulation layer prevents the formation of rectifying Schottky contacts. Utilizing a reactive sputtering process in an oxygen-containing atmosphere, we demonstrate Schottky barrier diodes on indium oxide thin films with rectifying properties being sufficient for space charge layer spectroscopy. Conventional non-reactive sputtering resulted in ohmic contacts. We compare the rectification of Pt, Pd, and Au Schottky contacts on In2O3 and discuss temperature-dependent current-voltage characteristics of Pt/In2O3 in detail. The results substantiate the picture of oxygen vacancies being the source of electrons accumulating at the surface, however, the position of the charge neutrality level and/or the prediction of Schottky barrier heights from it are questioned.
- ItemValence-band density of states and surface electron accumulation in epitaxial SnO2 films(College Park : American Physical Society, 2014) Vasheghani Farahani, S.K.; Veal, T.D.; Mudd, J.J.; Scanlon, D.O.; Watson, G.W.; Bierwagen, O.; White, M.E.; Speck, J.S.; McConville, C.F.The surface band bending and electronic properties of SnO2(101) films grown on r-sapphire by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy have been studied by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), Hall effect, and electrochemical capacitance-voltage measurements. The XPS results were correlated with density functional theory calculation of the partial density of states in the valence-band and semicore levels. Good agreement was found between theory and experiment with a small offset of the Sn 4d levels. Homogeneous Sb-doped SnO2 films allowed for the calculation of the bulk Fermi level with respect to the conduction-band minimum within the k⋅p carrier statistics model. The band bending and carrier concentration as a function of depth were obtained from the capacitance-voltage characteristics and model space charge calculations of the Mott-Schottky plots at the surface of Sb-doped SnO2 films. It was quantitatively demonstrated that SnO2 films have downward band bending and surface electron accumulation. The surface band bending, unoccupied donor surface-state density, and width of the accumulation region all decrease with increasing Sb concentration.
- ItemTowards smooth (010) ß-Ga2O3films homoepitaxially grown by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy: The impact of substrate offcut and metal-to-oxygen flux ratio(Bristol : IOP Publ., 2020) Mazzolini, P.; Bierwagen, O.Smooth interfaces and surfaces are beneficial for most (opto)electronic devices that are based on thin films and their heterostructures. For example, smoother interfaces in (010) ß-Ga2O3/(AlxGa1-x)2O3 heterostructures, whose roughness is ruled by that of the ß-Ga2O3 layer, can enable higher mobility 2-dimensional electron gases by reducing interface roughness scattering. To this end we experimentally prove that a substrate offcut along the [001] direction allows to obtain smooth ß-Ga2O3 layers in (010)-homoepitaxy under metal-rich deposition conditions. Applying In-mediated metal-exchange catalysis (MEXCAT) in molecular beam epitaxy at high substrate temperatures (Tg = 900 °C) we compare the morphology of layers grown on (010)-oriented substrates having different unintentional offcuts. The layer roughness is generally ruled by (i) the presence of (110)-and bar 110-facets visible as elongated features along the [001] direction (rms < 0.5 nm), and (ii) the presence of trenches (5-10 nm deep) orthogonal to [001]. We show that an unintentional substrate offcut of only ˜ 0.1° almost oriented along the [001] direction suppresses these trenches resulting in a smooth morphology with a roughness exclusively determined by the facets, i.e. rms ˜ 0.2 nm. Since we found the facet-and-trench morphology in layer grown by MBE with and without MEXCAT, we propose that the general growth mechanism for (010)-homoepitaxy is ruled by island growth whose coalescence results in the formation of the trenches. The presence of a substrate offcut in the [001] direction can allow for step-flow growth or island nucleation at the step edges, which prevents the formation of trenches. Moreover, we give experimental evidence for a decreasing surface diffusion length or increasing nucleation density on the substrate surface with decreasing metal-to-oxygen flux ratio. Based on our experimental results we can rule-out step bunching as cause of the trench formation as well as a surfactant-effect of indium during MEXCAT. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd.
- ItemSubstrate-orientation dependence of β -Ga2O3 (100), (010), (001), and (2 ̄ 01) homoepitaxy by indium-mediated metal-exchange catalyzed molecular beam epitaxy (MEXCAT-MBE)(Melville, NY : AIP Publ., 2020) Mazzolini, P.; Falkenstein, A.; Wouters, C.; Schewski, R.; Markurt, T.; Galazka, Z.; Martin, M.; Albrecht, M.; Bierwagen, O.We experimentally demonstrate how In-mediated metal-exchange catalysis (MEXCAT) allows us to widen the deposition window for β-Ga2O3 homoepitaxy to conditions otherwise prohibitive for its growth via molecular beam epitaxy (e.g., substrate temperatures ≥800 °C) on the major substrate orientations, i.e., (010), (001), (2⎯⎯01), and (100) 6°-offcut. The obtained crystalline qualities, surface roughnesses, growth rates, and In-incorporation profiles are shown and compared with different experimental techniques. The growth rates, Γ, for fixed growth conditions are monotonously increasing with the surface free energy of the different orientations with the following order: Γ(010) > Γ(001) > Γ(2⎯⎯01) > Γ(100). Ga2O3 surfaces with higher surface free energy provide stronger bonds to the surface ad-atoms or ad-molecules, resulting in decreasing desorption, i.e., a higher incorporation/growth rate. The structural quality in the case of (2⎯⎯01), however, is compromised by twin domains due to the crystallography of this orientation. Notably, our study highlights β-Ga2O3 layers with high structural quality grown by MEXCAT-MBE not only in the most investigated (010) orientation but also in the (100) and (001) ones. In particular, MEXCAT on the (001) orientation results in both growth rate and structural quality comparable to the ones achievable with (010), and the limited incorporation of In associated with the MEXCAT deposition process does not change the insulating characteristics of unintentionally doped layers. The (001) surface is therefore suggested as a valuable alternative orientation for devices.
- ItemElectrical conductivity and gas-sensing properties of Mg-doped and undoped single-crystalline In2O3 thin films: Bulk vs. surface(Amsterdam : Elsevier, 2015) Rombach, J.; Bierwagen, O.; Papadogianni, A.; Mischo, M.; Cimalla, V.; Berthold, T.; Krischok, S.; Himmerlich, M.This study aims to provide a better fundamental understanding of the gas-sensing mechanism of In2O3-based conductometric gas sensors. In contrast to typically used polycrystalline films, we study single crystalline In2O3 thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) as a model system with reduced complexity. Electrical conductance of these films essentially consists of two parallel contributions: the bulk of the film and the surface electron accumulation layer (SEAL). Both these contributions are varied to understand their effect on the sensor response. Conductance changes induced by UV illumination in air, which forces desorption of oxygen adatoms on the surface, give a measure of the sensor response and show that the sensor effect is only due to the SEAL contribution to overall conductance. Therefore, a strong sensitivity increase can be expected by reducing or eliminating the bulk conductivity in single crystalline films or the intra-grain conductivity in polycrystalline films. Gas-response measurements in ozone atmosphere test this approach for the real application.