0000000000496676
AUTHOR
Christopher F Mcconville
Effects of Nid-levels on the electronic band structure of NixCd1-xO semiconducting alloys
NixCd1-xO has a ∼3 eV band edge offset and bandgap varying from 2.2 to 3.6 eV, which is potentially important for transparent electronic and photovoltaic applications. We present a systematic study of the electronic band structure of NixCd1-xO alloys across the composition range. Ion irradiation of alloy samples leads to a saturation of the electron concentration associated with pinning of the Fermi level (EF) at the Fermi stabilization energy, the common energy reference located at 4.9 eV below the vacuum level. The composition dependence of the pinned EF allows determination of the conduction band minimum (CBM) energy relative to the vacuum level. The unusually strong deviation of the CBM…
Observation of quantized subband states and evidence for surface electron accumulation in CdO from angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy
The electronic structure of well-ordered single-crystal thin films of CdO100 has been studied using angleresolved photoemission spectroscopy. Quantized electron subbands are observed above the valence-band maximum. The existence of these states provides evidence of an intrinsic electron accumulation space-charge layer near the CdO surface, an interpretation supported by coupled Poisson-Schrodinger calculations. The origin of the accumulation layer result is discussed in terms of the bulk band structure of CdO calculated using quasiparticle-corrected density-functional theory, which reveals that the conduction-band minimum at the Brillouin-zone center lies below the charge neutrality level.
Valence-band electronic structure of CdO, ZnO, and MgO from x-ray photoemission spectroscopy and quasi-particle-corrected density-functional theory calculations
The valence-band density of states of single-crystalline rock-salt CdO(001), wurtzite $c$-plane ZnO, and rock- salt MgO(001) are investigated by high-resolution x-ray photoemission spectroscopy. A classic two-peak structure is observed in the VB-DOS due to the anion $2p$-dominated valence bands. Good agreement is found between the experimental results and quasi-particle-corrected density-functional theory calculations. Occupied shallow semicore $d$ levels are observed in CdO and ZnO. While these exhibit similar spectral features to the calculations, they occur at slightly higher binding energies, determined as 8.8 eV and 7.3 eV below the valence band maximum in CdO and ZnO, respectively. Th…
Unification of the electrical behavior of defects, impurities, and surface states in semiconductors: Virtual gap states in CdO
In contrast to conventional semiconductors, native defects, hydrogen impurities, and surface states are all found to be donors in $n$-type CdO. Using this as a model system, the electrical behaviors of defects, dopants, and surface states in semiconductors are unified by a single energy level, the charge neutrality level, giving much insight into current materials and allowing a band-structure engineering scheme for obtaining desired custom electronic properties in new compound semiconductors.
Ab-Initio Studies of Electronic and Spectroscopic Properties of MgO, ZnO and CdO
We present ab-initio calculations of excited-state properties within single-particle and two-particle approaches in comparison with corresponding experimental results. For the theoretical treatment of the electronic structure, we compute eigenvalues and eigenfunctions by using a spatially nonlocal exchange-correlation potential. From this starting point, quasiparticle energies within the fully frequency-dependent G(0)W(0) approximation are obtained. By solving the Bethe-Salpeter equation, we evaluate optical properties, including the electron-hole attraction and the local-field effects. The results are compared with experimental spectra from soft X-ray emission, as well as from X-ray photoe…
Surface band-gap narrowing in quantized electron accumulation layers.
An energy gap between the valence and the conduction band is the defining property of a semiconductor, and the gap size plays a crucial role in the design of semiconductor devices. We show that the presence of a two-dimensional electron gas near to the surface of a semiconductor can significantly alter the size of its band gap through many-body effects caused by its high electron density, resulting in a surface band gap that is much smaller than that in the bulk. Apart from reconciling a number of disparate previous experimental findings, the results suggest an entirely new route to spatially inhomogeneous band-gap engineering.
X-ray photoemission studies of the electronic structure of single-crystalline CdO(100)
The electronic structure of single-crystalline CdO is investigated using X-ray photoemission spectroscopy. The surface is prepared by in situ Ar+ ion bombardment and annealing (IBA). The core level spectra before and after the IBA are presented, and reveal a dramatic reduction in the surface contamination. The semi-core Cd 4d level and valence band region following the IBA are also shown. The surface Fermi level is pinned 1.3 +/- 0.10 eV above the valence band maximum. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.