Plasma-Assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxial Growth of Indium Nitride for Future Device Fabrication Steven Paul Minor University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
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University of Arkansas, Fayetteville ScholarWorks@UARK Theses and Dissertations 5-2012 Plasma-Assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxial Growth of Indium Nitride for Future Device Fabrication Steven Paul Minor University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd Part of the Nanotechnology Fabrication Commons, and the Semiconductor and Optical Materials Commons Recommended Citation Minor, Steven Paul, "Plasma-Assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxial Growth of Indium Nitride for Future Device Fabrication" (2012). Theses and Dissertations. 267. http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/267 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Plasma-Assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxial Growth of Indium Nitride for Future Device Fabrication Plasma-Assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxial Growth of Indium Nitride for Future Device Fabrication A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Microelectronics-Photonics By Steven P. Minor Arkansas State University Bachelor of Science in Engineering, 2008 May 2012 University of Arkansas Abstract The need for energy conservation has heightened the search for new materials that can reduce energy consumption or produce energy by the means of photovoltaic cells. III-nitride alloys show promise for these applications due to their generally good transport properties and ability to withstand high power applications. Along with these, this family of semiconductor alloys has a direct bandgap energy range (0.7-6.2 eV) which spans the entire visible spectrum and encompasses a large portion of the available solar spectrum. Of the three root III-nitride semiconductors, AlN, GaN, and InN, InN has only recently become attainable epitaxially with qualities good enough to characterize and use in devices. Much, however, is yet to be answered regarding the processes of crystal formation of InN. This study investigates the processes by which InN nanostructures form in MBE growth. A phase diagram depicting the various growth modes was created by varying the In/N flux ratio and growth temperature. A transition from a 2D to a 3D growth mode can be realized by lowering both the flux ratio (changing to an N rich growth) and the growth temperature. Structural characterization of MBE grown InN was performed using X-ray Diffraction and Atomic Force Microscopy. Changes in the surface morphology are discussed and shown to be affected most by the indium and nitrogen adatom diffusion length, mobility, and nucleation densities. Characterization of the optical response of InN films was performed using Fourier transform spectroscopy. Trends in the structural periodicity and optical response were found and are presented within. This thesis is approved for recommendation to the Graduate Council. Thesis Director: ___________________________________ Dr. Gregory J. Salamo Thesis Committee: ___________________________________ Dr. Hameed Naseem ___________________________________ Dr. Morgan E. Ware ___________________________________ Mr. Ken Vickers The following signatories attest that all software used in this thesis was legally licensed for use by Mr. Steven P. Minor for research purposes and publication. ___________________________________ __________________________________ Mr. Steven P. Minor, Student Dr. Gregory J. Salamo, Thesis Director This thesis was submitted to http://www.turnitin.com for plagiarism review by the TurnItIn company’s software. The signatories have examined the report on this thesis that was returned by TurnItIn and attest that, in their opinion, the items highlighted by the software are incidental to common usage and are not plagiarized material. ___________________________________ __________________________________ Mr. Ken Vickers, Program Director Dr. Gregory J. Salamo, Thesis Director Thesis Duplication Release I hereby authorize the University of Arkansas Libraries to duplicate this thesis when needed for research and/or scholarship. Agreed _______________________________ Steven P. Minor Refused_______________________________ Steven P. Minor Acknowledgements Firstly, I would like to acknowledge what a great experience it has been to be a graduate student here at the University of Arkansas. Having lived my entire life here in Arkansas, I have a tremendous amount of pride in my University and home state. Therefore, I would first like to thank the men and women of the state of Arkansas for their support of the University and its students. I would like to thank my wife, Andrea, whom has stood by my side during this process and given me the support and love that was much needed. I would also like to thank my daughter, Mckenzie, for allowing me to see the simpler things through a 7 year old's eyes. There is no question that these two women are the foundation of my life. I would like to thank Dr. Salamo for his wisdom, passion for research, and development of such outstanding facilities. Dr. Salamo's mentoring approach was exactly what was needed for me to develop the necessary mindset for finding the truth in my research. I hope that our work together over the past three years has been as enjoyable for him as it has for me. I'd like to thank Dr. Morgan Ware for his help in understanding MBE growth and physics in general. Morgan has been a very good friend and colleague over the past three years. I hope you accomplish your goals in life, Morgan. You deserve it. I'd like to thank Ken Vickers for calling me "out of the blue" in 2007 to fill a last minute vacancy in the summer REU program. Without this introduction to graduate research, I may not have started this endeavor. Also, thank you for your unyielding support and finding a way for my family and me to financially afford to attend the University. I'd like to thank the MicroEP support staff, especially Renee Hearon. Renee has been instrumental in keeping me informed on the ever-changing MicroEP dynamic. I'd like to thank my colleagues who have contributed to many fruitful conversations regarding our research and other interests the names of which include, but are not limited to Tim Morgan, Rob Sleezer, Colin Furrow, Ben Newton, and Eric Decuir. I would like to thank my family members that didn’t call me crazy when I suggested that I was going to graduate school: Steve and Gwen Minor, Bryan Minor, Christina Minor, and John and Wanda Gillion. Finally, I would like to thank my mother, Jackie Holloway. She has been a constant example on how, through perseverance, personal goals can be achieved. I hope that I can be an example of educational and professional success to my daughter as well. This program is financially supported by the Army Reseach Lab under Grant No. W911NF0820006. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................................. Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................... List of Figures ................................................................................................................................... List of Tables .................................................................................................................................... Chapter 1: Introduction and Motivation ......................................................................................... 1 1.1 Why is Indium Nitride Important? ........................................................................ 1 1.2 History of Indium Nitride Research ...................................................................... 2 1.2.1 Two-Dimensional, Planar InN Growth ....................................................... 3 1.2.2 One-Dimensional, InN Nanocolumn Growth ............................................. 4 1.2.3 Zero-Dimensional, InN Quantum Dot (QD) Growth ................................. 7 1.3 Scope of this Study ................................................................................................ 8 Chapter 2: Material Properties ...................................................................................................... 10 2.1 Crystalline Structure ............................................................................................ 10 2.2 Optical Properties ................................................................................................ 15 2.3 Electrical Properties ............................................................................................ 16 Chapter 3: Research Methodology................................................................................................ 18 3.1 Experimental Design ........................................................................................... 18 3.2 MBE Growth ....................................................................................................... 19 3.2.1 MBE System Components ........................................................................ 19 3.2.2 In situ RHEED Analysis ........................................................................... 22 3.2.3 MBE Cell Flux