Effect of strain on indium incorporation in heteroepitaxial (indium, gallium) nitride nanomaterials
Abstract
One of the challenges facing LED lighting today is the achievement of low-cost true white lighting. Ideally, multiple LEDs of different colors, blue, red and green, would be utilized in order to achieve white light. Currently, the quality of green LEDs is low when compared to the red and blue counterparts. Green emission from LEDs is difficult to achieve due to phase segregation that occurs during growth of the (In,Ga)N LED structure, which separates into compositions of high and low InN concentration and prevents the moderate composition required for green emission. On the nanoscale, strain effects in the (In,Ga)N material system give rise to shifts in optical properties. Relieving strain allows for the incorporation of additional indium nitride, which shifts the wavelength of light emitted by the structure. In order to control strain effects, growth templates were fabricated by several methods (PAA, FIB, EBL). A robust process for fabrication of pores down to 25 nm in diameter has been developed in order to investigate this effect. From this process, a template using e-beam lithography has been created and then growth of (In,Ga)N on this template in a metallorganic chemical vapor deposition system was performed. As (In,Ga)N grows from the GaN substrate, it is naturally strained due to the lattice mismatch. Lateral growth out of the templates relieves strain by allowing the rods to expand as they grow out of the prepared pores. The effect of the diameter of pores on the emission characteristics has been analyzed and a strong logarithmic trend was discovered correlating emission wavelength to pore diameter. In addition to allowing control over the wavelength of emission based on pore diameter, the process that has been developed and demonstrated will allow a distribution of pore sizes that could facilitate color mixing.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Sands, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Materials science
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