Localized UV emitters on the surface of \u03b2-Ga2O3

Jesse Huso,Farida Selim,Yinchuan Yu,Md Minhazul Islam,Matthew D Mccluskey

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-76967-6

Abstract

Monoclinic gallium oxide (β-Ga2O3) is attracting intense focus as a material for power electronics, thanks to its ultra-wide bandgap (4.5–4.8 eV) and ability to be easily doped n-type. Because the holes self-trap, the band-edge luminescence is weak; hence, β-Ga2O3 has not been regarded as a promising material for light emission. In this work, optical and structural imaging methods revealed the presence of localized surface defects that emit in the near-UV (3.27 eV, 380 nm) when excited by sub-bandgap light. The PL emission of these centers is extremely bright—50 times brighter than that of single-crystal ZnO, a direct-gap semiconductor that has been touted as an active material for UV devices.

Highlights

Monoclinic gallium oxide (β-Ga2O3) is attracting intense focus as a material for power electronics, thanks to its ultra-wide bandgap (4.5–4.8 eV) and ability to be doped n-type
We report PL emission correlated with surface pits in hydrogenated G a2O3
X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements of the as-grown and hydrogenated samples showed that the crystals are oriented in the (010) direction and the of degree crystallinity improved after hydrogen annealing (Supplementary Fig. S1)

Summary

Introduction

Monoclinic gallium oxide (β-Ga2O3) is attracting intense focus as a material for power electronics, thanks to its ultra-wide bandgap (4.5–4.8 eV) and ability to be doped n-type. Annealing Ga2O3 in hydrogen is a potential method to passivate defects and improve material quality. We report PL emission correlated with surface pits in hydrogenated G a2O3. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements of the as-grown and hydrogenated samples showed that the crystals are oriented in the (010) direction and the of degree crystallinity improved after hydrogen annealing (Supplementary Fig. S1).

Results

Conclusion