0000000000796100
AUTHOR
T. Auzelle
Unraveling the strain state of GaN down to single nanowires
International audience; GaN nanowires (NWs) grown by molecular beam epitaxy are usually assumed free of strain in spite of different individual luminescence signatures. To ascertain this usual assumption, the c/a of a GaN NW assembly has been characterized using both X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy, with scaling the measurement down to the single NW. Free-standing single NWs have been observed free of strain-defined as [c/a = (c/a)(o)]/(c/a)(o)-within the experimental accuracy amounting to 1.25 x 10(-4). However, in the general case, a significant portion of the NWs is coalesced, generating an average tensile strain that can be partly released by detaching the NWs from their substr…
Direct assessment of p–n junctions in single GaN nanowires by Kelvin probe force microscopy
Making use of Kelvin probe force microscopy, in dark and under ultraviolet illumination, we study the characteristics of p-n junctions formed along the axis of self-organized GaN nanowires (NWs). We map the contact potential difference of the single NW p-n junctions to locate the space charge region and directly measure the depletion width and the junction voltage. Simulations indicate a shrinkage of the built-in potential for NWs with small diameter due to surface band bending, in qualitative agreement with the measurements. The photovoltage of the NW/substrate contact is studied by analysing the response of NW segments with p- and n-type doping under illumination. Our results show that th…
Assessment of Polarity in GaN Self-Assembled Nanowires by Electrical Force Microscopy
In this work, we demonstrate the capabilities of atomic force microscopies (AFMs) for the nondestructive determination of the polarity of GaN nanowires (NWs). Three complementary AFMs are analyzed here: Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM), light-assisted KPFM, and piezo-force microscopy (PFM). These techniques allow us to assess the polarity of individual NWs over an area of tens of μm(2) and provide statistics on the polarity of the ensemble with an accuracy hardly reachable by other methods. The precise quantitative analysis of the tip-sample interaction by multidimensional spectroscopic measurements, combined with advanced data analysis, has allowed the separate characterization of elec…
The influence of AlN buffer over the polarity and the nucleation of self-organized GaN nanowires
We experimentally investigate the influence of AlN buffer growth on the nucleation and the polarity of a self-organized assembly of GaN nanowires (NWs) grown on Si. Two complementary growth mechanisms for AlN buffer deposited on Si are demonstrated. Both emphasize the aggregation of Si on the AlN surface and the growth of large cubic crystallites, namely, AlN pedestals. Further growths of GaN NWs assembly reveal that the GaN 2D layer found at the bottom of the NW assembly is the result of the coalescence of Ga-polar pyramids, whereas AlN pedestals are observed as preferential but not exclusive NW nucleation sites. NWs are N-polar or exhibit inversion domains with a Ga-polar core/N-polar she…