Epitaxial Nitride Thin Film and Heterostructures: From Hard Coating to Solid State Energy Conversion

Acharya, Shashidhara; Saha, Bivas

doi:10.5772/intechopen.79525

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…ZrN and HfN are similar TMNs like TiN and exhibit ENZs at ∼340 and ∼370 nm, respectively. , ZrN and HfN are corrosion-resistant, hard, and stable refractory TMNs and are used for hard coating applications . Due to the long photoexcited carrier lifetime as high as a nanosecond, HfN has attracted interest for hot-carrier solar cell applications .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…43,44 ZrN and HfN are corrosion-resistant, hard, and stable refractory TMNs and are used for hard coating applications. 45 Due to the long photoexcited carrier lifetime as high as a nanosecond, HfN has attracted interest for hot-carrier solar cell applications. 46 Similarly, due to its biocompatibility, ZrN-based coatings are also utilized in medical components that come into direct contact with blood, skin, bones, or tissue.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Near-UV-to-Near-IR Hyperbolic Photonic Dispersion in Epitaxial (Hf,Zr)N/ScN Metal/Dielectric Superlattices

Das

Maurya

Schroeder

et al. 2022

ACS Appl. Energy Mater.

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Hyperbolic metamaterials (HMMs) with extreme dielectric anisotropy have shown great promise in nanophotonic applications such as superlensing, enhancement of spontaneous emission, negative refraction, and the diverging photonic density of states. Noble metal-based metal/dielectric multilayers (e.g., Au/SiO2 and Ag/TiO2) and metallic (Au and Ag) nanowires embedded inside a dielectric matrix have been traditionally used to demonstrate HMM properties and for implementations into devices. Noble metals are, however, unstable at high temperatures, complementary metal oxide semiconductor incompatible, and difficult to deposit in thin-film form due to their high surface energies that limit their potential applications. TiN has emerged as an alternative plasmonic material to Au in recent years, and epitaxial TiN/Al0.72Sc0.28N metal/semiconductor superlattices were developed that exhibit excellent HMM properties. As TiN exhibits ε-near-zero (ENZ) at ∼500 nm, TiN/Al0.72Sc0.28N HMM also operates from ∼500 nm to long-wavelength regions. However, for several energy-conversion-related applications as well as for fundamental studies, it is desirable to achieve HMM wavelengths from the near-UV to the near-IR region of the spectrum. In this article, we demonstrate hyperbolic photonic dispersion in (Hf,Zr)N/ScN, a class of metal/semiconducting superlattice metamaterial that covers the near-UV to the near-IR spectral range. Epitaxial HfN/ScN, ZrN/ScN, and Hf0.5Zr0.5N/ScN superlattices are deposited on (001) MgO substrates and characterized with synchrotron-radiation X-ray diffraction as well as high-resolution electron microscopy techniques. Superlattices grow with cube-on-cube epitaxy and with sharp interfaces. Optical characterization reveals both type-I and type-II hyperbolic photonic dispersions as well as low losses and high figures-of-merit. Along with its high-temperature thermal stability, demonstration of HMM properties in (Hf,Zr)N/ScN metal/dielectric superlattices makes them potential candidates for HMM devices.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Near-UV-to-Near-IR Hyperbolic Photonic Dispersion in Epitaxial (Hf,Zr)N/ScN Metal/Dielectric Superlattices

Das

Maurya

Schroeder

et al. 2022

ACS Appl. Energy Mater.

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“…In addition, because of their chemical inertness as well as their ease for deposition on various substrates, transition metal nitrides are excellent candidates for use in multilayer metalization systems. They can protect these layers against interdiffusion, and prevent them from undergoing structural changes [119].…”

Section: Functional Coatingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plasma-assisted nitrogen fixation in nanomaterials: fabrication, characterization, and application

Lin¹,

Xu²,

Gao³

et al. 2020

J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.

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Nitrogen fixation is a topic of continuing interest to researchers from generation to generation. Owing to the unique characteristics of plasma, its application to nitrogen fixation has recently attracted attention in the distributed chemical manufacturing field, i.e., making fertilizers on site. The incorporation of nitrogen as either 'lattice nitrogen' or 'chemical nitrogen', composing functional groups through plasma technology to form nitrogen-containing nanomaterials, is of great importance, since various properties or new functionalities can be achieved for nanomaterials with suitable nitrogen content. This review looks at the state of the art. Firstly, based on generated N-containing nanomaterials such as nitrides, carbonitrides, oxynitrides, oxycarbonitride, and N-doped/implanted nanostructures, the developed plasmaassisted processes and typical cases are classified and displayed. Possible mechanisms related to the N-fixation process using NH 3 and N 2 as the nitrogen source are discussed. The most commonly used techniques for material characterization are introduced, and representative examples are provided for a better understanding of the analytical tools. Important applications of the N-containing nanomaterials are enumerated, with the purpose of demonstrating their functionalities and potential uses. Finally, the outlook for future research in this field is given.

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“…Traditionally, TMNs are utilized in * Author to whom any correspondence should be addressed. hard coating and tribology industries due to their corrosion resistant high hardness, high melting temperature, and for their excellent structural/chemical stability [1][2][3][4]. However, over the last ten years, TMNs have demonstrated novel applications in many present-day research fields, such as plasmonics, catalysis, hot carrier solar cells, etc.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Demonstration of compensated n-type scandium nitride Schottky diodes

Rao¹,

Acharya²,

Saha³

2023

J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.

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Scandium nitride is an emerging group III-B transition metal pnictide and has been studied extensively for its thermoelectric properties, as interlayers for defect-free GaN growth, in epitaxial metal/semiconductor superlattices, and recently for its polaritonic and optoelectronic synaptic functionalities. However, to realize the full potential of its semiconducting properties in electronic, thermionic, and optoelectronic device applications, it is necessary to develop Schottky diodes of ScN that are missing thus far. Here we show Schottky diodes of ScN with elemental metals such as silver (Ag) and gold (Au). As-deposited ScN thin films exhibit a high electron concentration in the (1-4) × 1020 cm-3 range due to unintentional oxygen doping. These excess electrons are compensated by Mg hole doping, leading to a wider depletion region at the metal/ScN interface for activated electronic transport. Current-voltage (I-V) characteristics show the rectification nature in ScN/Ag and ScN/Au diodes, and the barrier heights of 0.55± 0.05 eV and 0.53± 0.06 eV, respectively, are obtained. Interface annealing with time and temperature results in a slight increase in the forward junction potential. The capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements also revealed the presence of interface trap states. The demonstration of Schottky diodes marks an important step in realizing the full potential of ScN in electronic, thermionic, and optoelectronic devices.

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Epitaxial Nitride Thin Film and Heterostructures: From Hard Coating to Solid State Energy Conversion

Cited by 4 publications

References 37 publications

Near-UV-to-Near-IR Hyperbolic Photonic Dispersion in Epitaxial (Hf,Zr)N/ScN Metal/Dielectric Superlattices

Near-UV-to-Near-IR Hyperbolic Photonic Dispersion in Epitaxial (Hf,Zr)N/ScN Metal/Dielectric Superlattices

Plasma-assisted nitrogen fixation in nanomaterials: fabrication, characterization, and application

Demonstration of compensated n-type scandium nitride Schottky diodes

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