Stable and epitaxial metal/III-V semiconductor heterostructures

Nucleation Selectivity and Lateral Coalescence of GaAs over Graphene on Ge(111)

We use epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELO) to produce semimetallic graphene nanostructures embedded in a semiconducting GaAs matrix for potential applications in plasmonics, THz generation and detection, and tunnel junctions in multijunction solar cells. We show that (1) the combination of low sticking coefficient and fast surface diffusion on graphene enhances nucleation selectivity at exposed regions of the substrate and (2) high growth temperatures favor efficient lateral overgrowth, coalescence, and planarization of epitaxial GaAs films over the graphene nanostructures. Our work provides a more complete understanding of ELO using graphene masks, as opposed to more conventional dielectric masks, and enables new types of metal/semiconductor nanocomposites.

Best practices for first-principles simulations of epitaxial inorganic interfaces

At an interface between two materials physical properties and functionalities may be achieved, which would not exist in either material alone. Epitaxial inorganic interfaces are at the heart of semiconductor, spintronic, and quantum devices. First principles simulations based on density functional theory (DFT) can help elucidate the electronic and magnetic properties of interfaces and relate them to the structure and composition at the atomistic scale. Furthermore, DFT simulations can predict the structure and properties of candidate interfaces and guide experimental efforts in promising directions. However, DFT simulations of interfaces can be technically elaborate and computationally expensive. To help researchers embarking on such simulations, this review covers best practices for first principles simulations of epitaxial inorganic interfaces, including DFT methods, interface model construction, interface structure prediction, and analysis and visualization tools.

Quantifying Mn Diffusion through Transferred versus Directly Grown Graphene Barriers

We quantify the mechanisms for manganese (Mn) diffusion through graphene in Mn/graphene/Ge (001) and Mn/graphene/GaAs (001) heterostructures for samples prepared by graphene layer transfer versus graphene growth directly on the semiconductor substrate. These heterostructures are important for applications in spintronics; however, challenges in synthesizing graphene directly on technologically important substrates such as GaAs necessitate layer transfer and annealing steps, which introduce defects into the graphene. In situ photoemission spectroscopy measurements reveal that Mn diffusion through graphene grown directly on a Ge (001) substrate is 1000 times lower than Mn diffusion into samples without graphene (D_gr,direct ∼ 4 × 10^-18 cm²/s, D_no-gr ∼ 5 × 10^-15 cm²/s at 500 °C). Transferred graphene on Ge suppresses the Mn in Ge diffusion by a factor of 10 compared to no graphene (D_gr,transfer ∼ 4 × 10^-16 cm²/s). For both transferred and directly grown graphene, the low activation energy (E_a ∼ 0.1-0.5 eV) suggests that Mn diffusion through graphene occurs primarily at graphene defects. This is further confirmed as the diffusivity prefactor, D₀, scales with the defect density of the graphene sheet. Similar diffusion barrier performance is found on GaAs substrates; however, it is not currently possible to grow graphene directly on GaAs. Our results highlight the importance of developing graphene growth directly on functional substrates to avoid the damage induced by layer transfer and annealing.

Structure prediction of epitaxial inorganic interfaces by lattice and surface matching with Ogre

We present a new version of the Ogre open source Python package with the capability to perform structure prediction of epitaxial inorganic interfaces by lattice and surface matching. In the lattice matching step, a scan over combinations of substrate and film Miller indices is performed to identify the domain-matched interfaces with the lowest mismatch. Subsequently, surface matching is conducted by Bayesian optimization to find the optimal interfacial distance and in-plane registry between the substrate and the film. For the objective function, a geometric score function is proposed based on the overlap and empty space between atomic spheres at the interface. The score function reproduces the results of density functional theory (DFT) at a fraction of the computational cost. The optimized interfaces are pre-ranked using a score function based on the similarity of the atomic environment at the interface to the bulk environment. Final ranking of the top candidate structures is performed with DFT. Ogre streamlines DFT calculations of interface energies and electronic properties by automating the construction of interface models. The application of Ogre is demonstrated for two interfaces of interest for quantum computing and spintronics, Al/InAs and Fe/InSb.

Dislocation-pipe diffusion in nitride superlattices observed in direct atomic resolution

Device failure from diffusion short circuits in microelectronic components occurs via thermally induced migration of atoms along high-diffusivity paths: dislocations, grain boundaries, and free surfaces. Even well-annealed single-grain metallic films contain dislocation densities of about 10¹⁴ m⁻²; hence dislocation-pipe diffusion (DPD) becomes a major contribution at working temperatures. While its theoretical concept was established already in the 1950s and its contribution is commonly measured using indirect tracer, spectroscopy, or electrical methods, no direct observation of DPD at the atomic level has been reported. We present atomically-resolved electron microscopy images of the onset and progression of diffusion along threading dislocations in sequentially annealed nitride metal/semiconductor superlattices, and show that this type of diffusion can be independent of concentration gradients in the system but governed by the reduction of strain fields in the lattice.

Size and Orientation Effects on the Kinetics and Structure of Nickelide Contacts to InGaAs Fin Structures

The rapid development of ultrascaled III-V compound semiconductor devices urges the detailed investigation of metal-semiconductor contacts at nanoscale where crystal orientation, size, and structural phase play dominant roles in device performance. Here, we report the first study on the solid-state reaction between metal (Ni) and ternary III-V semiconductor (In0.53Ga0.47As) nanochannels to reveal the reaction kinetics, formed crystal structure, and interfacial properties. We observe a size-dependent Ni surface diffusion dominant kinetic process that gradually departs to a volume diffusion process as the Fin width increases, as properly depicted with our Fin-specific growth model. The interfacial relationship was found to be Ni4InGaAs2 (0001) ∥ In0.53Ga0.47As (111) with a single Ni4InGaAs2 phase whose [0001] axis exhibit a peculiar rotation away from the nickelide/InGaAs interface due to surface energy minimization. This crystalline interfacial relationship is responsible for introducing a uniaxial height expansion of 33% ± 5% in the formed nickelide segments. Further, the nickelide formation resulted in both in-plane and out-of-plane compressive strains in the Fin channels, significantly altering the In0.53Ga0.47As energy band-edge structure near the interface with a peak bandgap energy of ∼1.26 eV. These timely observations advance our understanding and development for self-aligned contacts to III-V nanochannels and for engineering new processes that can maximize their device performance.

Self-assembled ErSb nanostructures with optical applications in infrared and terahertz

Plasmonic effects have proven to be very efficient in coupling light to structures much smaller than its wavelength. Efficient coupling is particularly important for the infrared or terahertz (λ ∼ 0.3 mm) region where semiconductor structures and devices may be orders of magnitude smaller than the wavelength and this can be achieved through nanostructures that have a desired plasmonic response. We report and demonstrate a self-assembly method of embedding controllable semimetallic nanostructures in a semiconducting matrix in a ErSb/GaSb material system grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The plasmonic properties of the ErSb/GaSb are characterized and quantified by three polarization-resolved spectroscopy techniques, spanning more than 3 orders of magnitude in frequency from 100 GHz up to 300 THz. Surface plasmons cause the semimetallic nanostructures to resonate near 100 THz (3 μm wavelength), indicating the semimetal as a potential infrared plasmonic material. The highly conductive ErSb nanowires polarize electromagnetic radiation in a broad range from 0.2 up to ∼100 THz, providing a new platform for electromagnetics in the infrared and terahertz frequency ranges.

Formation and Characterization of Single Crystal Ni2MnGa Thin Films

In this paper, molecular beam epitaxial growth of Ni2MnGa single crystal layers on GaAs (001) using a NiGa interlayer is reported. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy confirmed an epitaxial relationship of Ni2MnGa [100]“010] // GaAs [100] [010] and a tetragonal structure of the film (a = b = 5.79 Å, c = 6.07 Å). Magnetic measurements using vibrating sample and superconducting quantum interference device magnetometers revealed an in-plane magnetization of ∼200 emu/cm3at room temperature and a Curie temperature of ∼350 K. The martensitic phase transformation was observed to occur at ∼250 K