Antireflective GaN Nanoridge Texturing by Metal-Assisted Chemical Etching via a Thermally Dewetted Pt Catalyst Network for Highly Responsive Ultraviolet Photodiodes

Antireflective (AR) surface texturing is a feasible way to boost the light absorption of photosensitive materials and devices. As a plasma-free etching method, metal-assisted chemical etching (MacEtch) has been employed for fabricating GaN AR surface texturing. However, the poor etching efficiency of typical MacEtch hinders the demonstration of highly responsive photodetectors on an undoped GaN wafer. In addition, GaN MacEtch requires metal mask patterning by lithography, which leads to a huge processing complexity when the dimension of GaN AR nanostructure scales down to the submicron range. In this work, we have developed a facile texturing method of forming a GaN nanoridge surface on an undoped GaN thin film by a lithography-free submicron mask-patterning process via thermal dewetting of platinum. The nanoridge surface texturing effectively reduces the surface reflection in the ultraviolet (UV) regime, which can be translated to a 6-fold enhancement in responsivity (i.e., 115 A/W) of the photodiode at 365 nm. The results demonstrated in this work show that MacEtch can offer a viable route for enhanced UV light-matter interaction and surface engineering in GaN UV optoelectronic devices.

In(Ga)N Nanostructures and Devices Grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy and Metal-Assisted Photochemical Etching

This review summarizes the recent research on nitride nanostructures and their applications. We cover recent advances in the synthesis and growth of porous structures and low-dimensional nitride nanostructures via metal-assisted photochemical etching and molecular beam epitaxy. The growth of nitride materials on various substrates, which improves their crystal quality, doping efficiency, and flexibility of tuning performance, is discussed in detail. Furthermore, the recent development of In(Ga)N nanostructure applications (light-emitting diodes, lasers, and gas sensors) is presented. Finally, the challenges and directions in this field are addressed.

Formation of GaP nanocones and micro-mesas by metal-assisted chemical etching

Metal-assisted chemical etching (MaCE) of a (100) n-type GaP using patterned Pd catalysts in a mixed solution of HF and H2O2 at room temperature is reported for the first time. Various patterns of Pd catalysts, i.e., meshes and patches, with length scales ranging from 200 nm to several μm were used. Depending on the sizes of the Pd catalysts, GaP exhibits two distinctively different MaCE mechanisms: the conventional and inverse MaCE. With Pd nanomeshes, the ordered arrays of GaP nanocones were formed by the preferential removal of GaP directly under the Pd catalysts by the MaCE mechanism. When Pd micro-patches with several μm in length were used, bare GaP uncovered with the Pd patches was selectively dissolved to form GaP micro-mesa structures, following an inverse MaCE mechanism. We attribute these size-dependent etching behaviors to the dissolution limited etching characteristics of GaP during MaCE. Furthermore, we show that etched GaP structures can exhibit both mechanisms when a micro-patterned Pd nanomesh is used. The morphological evolution of etched GaP structures produced by MaCE is also presented.

Engineering the cell-semiconductor interface: a materials modification approach using II-VI and III-V semiconductor materials

Developing functional biomedical devices based on semiconductor materials requires an understanding of interactions taking place at the material-biosystem interface. Cell behavior is dependent on the local physicochemical environment. While standard routes of material preparation involve chemical functionalization of the active surface, this review emphasizes both biocompatibility of unmodified surfaces as well as use of topographic features in manipulating cell-material interactions. Initially, the review discusses experiments involving unmodified II-VI and III-V semiconductors - a starting point for assessing cytotoxicity and biocompatibility - followed by specific surface modification, including the generation of submicron roughness or the potential effect of quantum dot structures. Finally, the discussion turns to more recent work in coupling topography and specific chemistry, enhancing the tunability of the cell-semiconductor interface. With this broadened materials approach, researchers' ability to tune the interactions between semiconductors and biological environments continues to improve, reaching new heights in device function.

Adsorption and adhesion of common serum proteins to nanotextured gallium nitride

As the broader effort towards device and material miniaturization progresses in all fields, it becomes increasingly important to understand the implications of working with functional structures that approach the size scale of molecules, particularly when considering biological systems. It is well known that thin films and nanostructures feature different optical, electrical, and mechanical properties from their bulk composites; however, interactions taking place at the interface between nanomaterials and their surroundings are less understood. Here, we explore interactions between common serum proteins - serum albumin, fibrinogen, and immunoglobulin G - and a nanotextured gallium nitride surface. Atomic force microscopy with a carboxyl-terminated colloid tip is used to probe the 'activity' of proteins adsorbed onto the surface, including both the accessibility of the terminal amine to the tip as well as the potential for protein extension. By evaluating the frequency of tip-protein interactions, we can establish differences in protein behaviour on the basis of both the surface roughness as well as morphology, providing an assessment of the role of surface texture in dictating protein-surface interactions. Unidirectional surface features - either the half-unit cell steppes of as-grown GaN or those produced by mechanical polishing - appear to promote protein accessibility, with a higher frequency of protein extension events taking place on these surfaces when compared with less ordered surface features. Development of a full understanding of the factors influencing surface-biomolecule interactions can pave the way for specific surface modification to tailor the bio-material interface, offering a new path for device optimization.

Surface topography and chemistry shape cellular behavior on wide band-gap semiconductors

The chemical stability and electrical properties of gallium nitride make it a promising material for the development of biocompatible electronics, a range of devices including biosensors as well as interfaces for probing and controlling cellular growth and signaling. To improve the interface formed between the probe material and the cell or biosystem, surface topography and chemistry can be applied to modify the ways in which the device interacts with its environment. PC12 cells are cultured on as-grown planar, unidirectionally polished, etched nanoporous and nanowire GaN surfaces with and without a physisorbed peptide sequence that promotes cell adhesion. While cells demonstrate preferential adhesion to roughened surfaces over as-grown flat surfaces, the topography of that roughness also influences the morphology of cellular adhesion and differentiation in neurotypic cells. Addition of the peptide sequence generally contributes further to cellular adhesion and promotes development of stereotypic long, thin neurite outgrowths over alternate morphologies. The dependence of cell behavior on both the topographic morphology and surface chemistry is thus demonstrated, providing further evidence for the importance of surface modification for modulating bio-inorganic interfaces.

Nanoporous GaN-Ag composite materials prepared by metal-assisted electroless etching for direct laser desorption-ionization mass spectrometry

Three-dimensional nanoporous gallium nitride(PGaN) produced by metal-assisted electroless etching is chemically embedded with silver nanoparticles via electroless deposition, forming a metallized semiconductor membrane with large surface area and nanoscale metal features. A new application utilizing the unique chemical and morphological features of these composite nanostructures is described here, laser induced desorption-ionization(LDI) of biomolecules(e.g., cholesterol and nucleotides) for direct mass analysis, without use of additional organic matrix. Although PGaN itself is a poor matrix for direct LDI mass spectrometry, the combination of Ag and PGaN greatly improves ion signals relative to PGaN or Ag nanostructure surfaces alone. This behavior is attributed to the combination of strong UV absorption, enhanced surface area, and favorable thermal properties of PGaN. Importantly, Ag-PGaN is shown to facilitate the formation of Ag adduct ions in some cases, for example adenine, where adducts are not observed from either porous anodic aluminum membranes or surfaces presenting Ag nanoparticles in isolation. Nanopore-embedded Ag nanostructures serve a dual role: as cationization agents and to assist thermal desorption under UV laser irradiation. The results reported here suggest that the combination of Ag nanostructures embedded in PGaN has the capacity for high quality matrix-free LDI mass analysis.

Chemical vapor deposition of porous GaN particles on silicon

We present a technique for the direct deposition of nanoporous GaN particles on Si substrates without requiring any post-growth treatment. The internal morphology of the nanoporous GaN particles deposited on Si substrates by using a simple chemical vapor deposition approach was investigated, and straight nanopores with diameters ranging between 50 and 100 nm were observed. Cathodoluminescence characterization revealed a sharp and well-defined near band-edge emission at ∼365 nm. This approach simplifies other methods used for this purpose, such as etching and corrosion techniques that can damage the semiconductor structure and modify its properties.

Metal-assisted chemical etching of silicon: a review

This article presents an overview of the essential aspects in the fabrication of silicon and some silicon/germanium nanostructures by metal-assisted chemical etching. First, the basic process and mechanism of metal-assisted chemical etching is introduced. Then, the various influences of the noble metal, the etchant, temperature, illumination, and intrinsic properties of the silicon substrate (e.g., orientation, doping type, doping level) are presented. The anisotropic and the isotropic etching behaviors of silicon under various conditions are presented. Template-based metal-assisted chemical etching methods are introduced, including templates based on nanosphere lithography, anodic aluminum oxide masks, interference lithography, and block-copolymer masks. The metal-assisted chemical etching of other semiconductors is also introduced. A brief introduction to the application of Si nanostructures obtained by metal-assisted chemical etching is given, demonstrating the promising potential applications of metal-assisted chemical etching. Finally, some open questions in the understanding of metal-assisted chemical etching are compiled.

Porous GaN as a Template to Produce Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering-Active Surfaces

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates have been prepared by depositing Au or Ag on porous GaN (PGaN). The PGaN used as the template for the metal deposition in these studies was generated by a Pt-assisted electroless etching technique. PGaN was chosen as a potential SERS template due to its nanostructured surface and high surface area, two characteristics that are important for SERS substrates. Metal films were deposited either by solution-based electroless deposition or by thermal vacuum evaporation. SERS spectra were recorded at lambda = 752.5 nm for Au films and at lambda = 514.5 nm for Ag films deposited on PGaN. The SERS signal strength across the metal coated PGaN substrates was uniform and was not plagued by "hot" or "cold" spots on the surface, a common problem with other SERS surfaces. The Ag film deposited by electroless deposition had the highest overall SERS response, with an enhancement factor (EF) relative to normal Raman spectroscopy of 10(8). A portion of the increase in EF relative to typical SERS-active substrates can be assigned to the large surface area characteristic of the PGaN-Ag structures, but some of the enhancement is intrinsic and is likely related to the specific morphology of the metal-nanopore composite structure.