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Advances in electron channelling contrast imaging and electron backscatter diffraction for imaging and analysis of structural defects in the scanning electron microscope
2020, Trager-Cowan, C., Alasmari, A., Avis, W., Bruckbauer, J., Edwards, P.R., Hourahine, B., Kraeusel, S., Kusch, G., Jablon, B.M., Johnston, R., Martin, R.W., Mcdermott, R., Naresh-Kumar, G., Nouf-Allehiani, M., Pascal, E., Thomson, D., Vespucci, S., Mingard, K., Parbrook, P.J., Smith, M.D., Enslin, J., Mehnke, F., Kneissl, M., Kuhn, C., Wernicke, T., Knauer, A., Hagedorn, S., Walde, S., Weyers, M., Coulon, P.-M., Shields, P.A., Zhang, Y., Jiu, L., Gong, Y., Smith, R.M., Wang, T., Winkelmann, A.
In this article we describe the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques of electron channelling contrast imaging and electron backscatter diffraction. These techniques provide information on crystal structure, crystal misorientation, grain boundaries, strain and structural defects on length scales from tens of nanometres to tens of micrometres. Here we report on the imaging and analysis of dislocations and sub-grains in nitride semiconductor thin films (GaN and AlN) and tungsten carbide-cobalt (WC-Co) hard metals. Our aim is to illustrate the capability of these techniques for investigating structural defects in the SEM and the benefits of combining these diffraction-based imaging techniques.
Low resistance n-contact for UVC LEDs by a two-step plasma etching process
2020, Cho, H.K., Kang, J.H., Sulmoni, L., Kunkel, K., Rass, J., Susilo, N., Wernicke, T., Einfeldt, S., Kneissl, M.
The impact of plasma etching on the formation of low-resistance n-contacts on the AlGaN:Si current spreading layer during the chip fabrication of ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (UV LEDs) emitting at 265 nm is investigated. A two-step plasma etching process with a first rapid etching using BCl3/Cl2 gas mixture and a second slow etching step using pure Cl2 gas has been developed. The etching sequence provides smooth mesa side-walls and an n-AlGaN surface with reduced surface damage. Ohmic n-contacts with a contact resistivity of 3.5 10-4 Ωcm2 are obtained on Si-doped Al0.65Ga0.35N layers and the operating voltages of the UVC LEDs were reduced by 2 V for a current of 20 mA. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd.
Structural and luminescence imaging and characterisation of semiconductors in the scanning electron microscope
2020, Trager-Cowan, C., Alasmari, A., Avis, W., Bruckbauer, J., Edwards, P.R., Ferenczi, G., Hourahine, B., Kotzai, A., Kraeusel, S., Kusch, G., Martin, R.W., McDermott, R., Naresh-Kumar, G., Nouf-Allehiani, M., Pascal, E., Thomson, D., Vespucci, S., Smith, M.D., Parbrook, P.J., Enslin, J., Mehnke, F., Kuhn, C., Wernicke, T., Kneissl, M., Hagedorn, S., Knauer, A., Walde, S., Weyers, M., Coulon, P.-M., Shields, P.A., Bai, J., Gong, Y., Jiu, L., Zhang, Y., Smith, R.M., Wang, T., Winkelmann, A.
The scanning electron microscopy techniques of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), electron channelling contrast imaging (ECCI) and cathodoluminescence (CL) hyperspectral imaging provide complementary information on the structural and luminescence properties of materials rapidly and non-destructively, with a spatial resolution of tens of nanometres. EBSD provides crystal orientation, crystal phase and strain analysis, whilst ECCI is used to determine the planar distribution of extended defects over a large area of a given sample. CL reveals the influence of crystal structure, composition and strain on intrinsic luminescence and/or reveals defect-related luminescence. Dark features are also observed in CL images where carrier recombination at defects is non-radiative. The combination of these techniques is a powerful approach to clarifying the role of crystallography and extended defects on a material's light emission properties. Here we describe the EBSD, ECCI and CL techniques and illustrate their use for investigating the structural and light emitting properties of UV-emitting nitride semiconductor structures. We discuss our investigations of the type, density and distribution of defects in GaN, AlN and AlGaN thin films and also discuss the determination of the polarity of GaN nanowires. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd.