Magnetron-sputter deposition of high-indium-content n-AlInN thin film on p-Si(001) substrate for photovoltaic applications

Abstract

Effect of MgO spacer and annealing on interface and magnetic properties of ion beam sputtered NiFe/Mg/MgO/CoFe layer structures J. Appl. Phys. 112, 063906 (2012) Reactive sputter deposition of pyrite structure transition metal disulfide thin films: Microstructure, transport, and magnetism J. Appl. Phys. 112, 054328 (2012) Strong free-carrier electro-optic response of sputtered ZnO films J. Appl. Phys. 112, 053514 (2012) Influence of capping layers on CoFeB anisotropy and damping J. Appl. Phys. 112, 053909 (2012) Co-sputtering yttrium into hafnium oxide thin films to produce ferroelectric properties Al 0.278 In 0.722 N thin films have been grown on p-type Si(001) and c-plane sapphire substrates by employing radio-frequency magnetron-sputter deposition at elevated temperatures. High-resolution x-ray diffraction, as well as pole-figure measurements, reveals no phase separation of the thin films. The Al 0.278 In 0.722 N film grown on p-Si(001) substrate is a typical fiber-texture with AlInN(0001)// Si(001) while that on the c-sapphire exhibits the onset of epitaxy. Microscopic studies reveal that the growth is dominated by a columnar mechanism and the average columnar grain diameter is about 31.5 and 50.8 nm on p-Si(001) and c-sapphire substrates, respectively. Photoluminescence at room-temperature exhibits a strong emission peak at 1.875 eV, smaller than the optical absorption edge (2.102 eV) but larger than the theoretical bandgap energy (1.70 eV), which is attributable to the band-filling effect, as is supported by the high electron density of 4.5 Â 10 20 cm À3 . The n-Al 0.278 In 0.722 N/p-Si(001) heterostructure is tested for solar cells and the results are discussed based on the I-V characteristics and their fittings. V C 2012 American Institute of Physics.

CVD Growth of MoS2‐based Two‐dimensional Materials

“…) . Dopants and/or alloying elements can be readily realized via co‐deposition from different sources, for example, Mo 1‐ x W x (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) alloy thin films can be obtained through co‐sputtering of Mo and W targets in MSD; alternatively, they can be obtained by deposition from a single source mixture, i.e., an alloyed/doped target . Thin hetero‐structured layers of MoO 3 /WO 3 for producing TMDC‐based 2D stack structures can also be deposited by EBD, MSD, PLD, and ALD via switching of source materials, e.g., by program‐controlled switching of the source shutters without introducing growth interruptions in EBD and MSD.…”

Low‐to‐Mid Al Content (x = 0–0.56) AlxIn1−xN Layers Deposited on Si(100) by Radio‐Frequency Sputtering

“…III‐Nitride semiconductors are interesting materials for the development of novel devices due to their direct bandgap energy tunable from the infrared (0.7 eV) for InN to the UV (6.2 eV) for AlN, their strong chemical and temperature endurance, and their radiation hardness . In particular, AlInN alloys are special candidates for power electronics, highly efficient emitters, optoelectronic devices, and solar cells . In that sense, radio‐frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering allows the deposition of large‐area and single‐phase AlInN material using this low‐cost and low‐temperature technology exportable to the industry.…”

“…In contrast, first solar cells based on n‐Al x In 1− x N on p‐Si(100) heterojunctions deposited by RF sputtering were developed by Liu et al and showed a conversion efficiency of 1.1% under 1 sun AM 1.5G illumination with an Al mole fraction of x = 0.27 and a bandgap energy of 2.1 eV . However, the successful fabrication of efficient AlInN/Si devices requires the increase of the Al content of the alloy to improve the overlap of the device spectral response and the maximum of the solar spectrum and thus increase the conversion efficiency.…”

Thermal stability of Al1−xInxN (0001) throughout the compositional range as investigated during in situ thermal annealing in a scanning transmission electron microscope

“…Group III-nitride semiconductor ternary alloys pose a significant potential for contemporary optoelectronic applications in light emitting diodes (LEDs), laser diodes (LDs), photonic devices, high efficiency solar cells, and Bragg mirrors [1][2][3][4][5]. The demonstrated technology is attainable through a tunable direct bandgap ranging from near infrared (InN ~0.64e V) to ultraviolet (AlN ~6.2 eV) [6].…”