The role of surface diffusion in the growth mechanism of III-nitride nanowires and nanotubes

The spontaneous growth of GaN nanowires (NWs) in absence of catalyst is controlled by the Ga flux impinging both directly on the top and on the side walls and diffusing to the top. The presence of diffusion barriers on the top surface and at the frontier between the top and the sidewalls, however, causes an inhomogeneous distribution of Ga adatoms at the NW top surface resulting in a GaN accumulation in its periphery. The increased nucleation rate in the periphery promotes the spontaneous formation of superlattices in InGaN and AlGaN NWs. In the case of AlN NWs, the presence of Mg can enhance the otherwise short Al diffusion length along the sidewalls inducing the formation of AlN nanotubes.

Enhanced UV Emission of GaN Nanowires Functionalized by Wider Band Gap Solution-Processed p-MnO Quantum Dots

GaN-based UV light-emitting devices suffer from low efficiency. To mitigate this issue, we hybridized GaN nanowires (NWs) grown on Si substrates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy with solution-processed p-type MnO quantum dots (QDs) characterized by a wider band gap (∼5 eV) than that of GaN. Further investigations reveal that the photoluminescence intensity of the GaN NWs increases up to ∼3.9-fold (∼290%) after functionalizing them with p-MnO QDs, while the internal quantum efficiency is improved by ∼1.7-fold. Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) incorporated into transmission electron microscopy reveals an increase in the density of states in QD-decorated NWs compared to the bare ones. The advanced optical and EELS analyses indicate that the energy transfer from the wider band gap p-MnO QDs to n-GaN NW can lead to substantial emission enhancement and greater radiative recombination contribution because of the good band alignment between MnO QDs and GaN NWs. This work provides valuable insights into an environmentally friendly strategy for improving UV device performance.

Mg and In Codoped p-type AlN Nanowires for pn Junction Realization

Efficient, mercury-free deep ultraviolet (DUV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are becoming a crucial challenge for many applications such as water purification. For decades, the poor p-type doping and difficult current injection of Al-rich AlGaN-based DUV LEDs have limited their efficiency and therefore their use. We present here the significant increase in AlN p-doping thanks to Mg/In codoping, which leads to an order of magnitude higher Mg solubility limit in AlN nanowires (NWs). Optimal electrical activation of acceptor impurities has been further achieved by electron irradiation, resulting in tunnel conduction through the AlN NW p-n junction. The proposed theoretical scenario to account for enhanced Mg incorporation involves an easy ionization of In-vacancy complex associated with a negative charging of Mg in In vicinity. This leads to favored incorporation of negatively charged Mg into the AlN matrix, opening the path to the realization of highly efficient NW-based LEDs in the DUV range.

Dopant radial inhomogeneity in Mg-doped GaN nanowires

Using atom probe tomography, it is demonstrated that Mg doping of GaN nanowires grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy results in a marked radial inhomogeneity, namely a higher Mg content in the periphery of the nanowires. This spatial inhomogeneity is attributed to a preferential incorporation of Mg through the m-plane sidewalls of nanowires and is related to the formation of a Mg-rich surface which is stabilized by hydrogen. This is further supported by Raman spectroscopy experiments which give evidence of Mg-H complexes in the doped nanowires. A Mg doping mechanism such as this, specific to nanowires, may lead to higher levels of Mg doping than in layers, boosting the potential interest of nanowires for light emitting diode applications.