InN-based heterojunction photodetector with extended infrared response

InN/XS2 (X = Zr, Hf) vdW heterojunctions: promising Z-scheme systems with high hydrogen evolution activity for photocatalytic water splitting

Z-scheme van der Waals heterojunctions are very attractive photocatalysts attributed to their excellent reduction and oxidation abilities. In this paper, we designed InN/XS₂ (X = Zr, Hf) heterojunctions and explored their electronic structure properties, photocatalytic performance, and light absorption systematically using first-principles calculations. We found that the valence-band maximum (VBM) and conduction-band minimum (CBM) of the InN/XS₂ (X = Zr, Hf) heterojunctions are contributed by InN and XS₂, respectively. Photo-generated carriers transferring along the Z-path can accelerate the recombination of interlayer electron-hole pairs. Therefore, the photogenerated electrons in the CBM of the InN layer can be maintained making the hydrogen evolution reaction occur continuously, while photogenerated holes in the VBM of the Ti₂CO₂ layer make the oxygen evolution reaction occur continuously. The band edge positions of heterojunctions can straddle the required water redox potentials, while pristine InN and XS₂ (X = Zr, Hf) can only be used for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution or oxygen evolution, respectively. Furthermore, the HER barriers can be tuned by transition metal doping. With Cr doping, the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) barriers decrease to -0.12 for InN/ZrS₂ and -0.05 eV for InN/HfS₂, very close to the optimal value (0 eV). In addition, the optical absorption coefficient is as high as 10⁵ cm^-1 in the visible and ultraviolet regions. Therefore, the InN/XS₂ (X = Zr, Hf) heterojunctions are expected to be excellent photocatalysts for water splitting.

Strong tribo-piezoelectric effect in bilayer indium nitride (InN)

The high electronegativity between the atoms of two-dimensional (2D) group-III nitrides makes them attractive to demonstrating a strong out-of-plane piezo-electricity effect. Energy harvesting devices can be predicted by cultivating such salient piezoelectric features. This work explores the tribo-piezoelectric properties of 2D-indium nitride (InN) as a promising candidate in nanogenerator applications by means of first-principles calculations. In-plane interlayer sliding between two InN monolayers leads to a noticeable rise of vertical piezoelectricity. The vertical resistance between the InN bilayer renders tribological energy by the sliding effect. During the vertical sliding, a shear strength of 6.6-9.7 GPa is observed between the monolayers. The structure can be used as a tribo-piezoelectric transducer to extract force and stress from the generated out-of-plane tribo-piezoelectric energy. The A-A stacking of the bilayer InN elucidates the highest out-of-plane piezoelectricity. Any decrease in the interlayer distance between the monolayers improves the out-of-plane polarization and thus, increases the inductive voltage generation. Vertical compression of bilayer InN produces an inductive voltage in the range of 0.146-0.196 V. Utilizing such a phenomenon, an InN-based bilayer compression-sliding nanogenerator is proposed, which can tune the generated tribo-piezoelectric energy by compressing the interlayer distance between the InN monolayers. The considered model can render a maximum output power density of ~ 73 mWcm-2 upon vertical sliding.

Significant Carrier Extraction Enhancement at the Interface of an InN/p-GaN Heterojunction under Reverse Bias Voltage

In this paper, a superior-quality InN/p-GaN interface grown using pulsed metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy (MOVPE) is demonstrated. The InN/p-GaN heterojunction interface based on high-quality InN (electron concentration 5.19 × 10¹⁸ cm^-3 and mobility 980 cm²/(V s)) showed good rectifying behavior. The heterojunction depletion region width was estimated to be 22.8 nm and showed the ability for charge carrier extraction without external electrical field (unbiased). Under reverse bias, the external quantum efficiency (EQE) in the blue spectral region (300⁻550 nm) can be enhanced significantly and exceeds unity. Avalanche and carrier multiplication phenomena were used to interpret the exclusive photoelectric features of the InN/p-GaN heterojunction behavior.

Towards the indium nitride laser: obtaining infrared stimulated emission from planar monocrystalline InN structures

The observation of a stimulated emission at interband transitions in monocrystalline n-InN layers under optical pumping is reported. The spectral position of the stimulated emission changes over a range of 1.64 to 1.9 μm with variations of free electron concentration in InN layers from 2·1019 cm-3 to 3·1017 cm-3. The main necessary conditions for achieving the stimulated emission from epitaxial InN layers are defined. In the best quality samples, a threshold excitation power density is obtained to be as low as 400 W/cm2 at T = 8 K and the stimulated emission is observed up to 215 K. In this way, the feasibility of InN-based lasers as well as the potentials of crystalline indium nitride as a promising photonic material are demonstrated.