Polarization properties of wurtzite structure Zn1-xMgxO and band offset at Zn0.75Mg0.25O/ZnO interfaces: A GGA+U investigation

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) electron gas with high-mobility is found in wurtzite ZnO/Zn(Mg)O heterostructure, which probably arises from the polarization discontinuity at the ZnO/Zn(Mg)O interface, and the 2D electron gas in the heterostructure is usually also regarded as resulting from polarization-induced charge. In order to explore both the formation mechanism and the origin of the 2D electron gas in ZnMgO/ZnO heterostructure, it is necessary to study the polarization properties of Zn1-xMgxO alloy and energy band alignment of ZnO/Zn1-xMgxO super-lattice. In this paper, we study the polarization properties of Zn1-xMgxO alloy with different Mg compositions by using first-principles calculations with GGA+U method, and the polarization properties are calculated according to Berry-phase method. Owing to the excellent match between the in-plane lattice constants of ZnO and Zn1-xMgxO, the lattice constants of the ZnO and Zn1-xMgxO interface are similar, ZnO/Zn1-xMgxO super-lattice could be constructed easily. The planar-averaged electrostatic potential for the Mg0.25Zn0.75O/ZnO super-lattice and the macroscopically averaged potential along Z(0001) direction are calculated. The large size of (5+3) Mg0.25Zn0.75O/ZnO super-lattice ensures the convergence of potential to its bulk value in the region of the ZnO layer and Mg0.25Zn0.75O layer far from ZnO/Zn1-xMgxO interface. Besides, the valence band offset at the Mg0.25Zn0.75O/ZnO interface is calculated to be 0.26~eV based on the macroscopically averaged potential mentioned above, and the ratio of conduction band offset (EC) to valence band offset (EV) is in a reasonable range, and this is in substantial agreement with the values reported in recent experimental results. Because strain induces additional piezoelectric polarization in MgxZn1-xO, which is introduced by Mg dopant, the lack of inversion symmetry and the bulk ZnO induce its spontaneous polarization in the [0001] direction. The polarization discontinuity at the Mg0.25Zn0.75O/ZnO interface leads to the charge accumulation in the form of interface monopoles, giving rise to built-in electric fields in the super-lattice. In addition, energy alignment determination of the Mg0.25Zn0.75O/ZnO super-lattice is performed, which shows a type-I band alignment with EV=0.26 eV and EC=0.33 eV. The determination of the band alignment indicates that the Mg0.25Zn0.75O/ZnO super-lattice is competent to the confining of both electron and hole. These findings will be useful for designing and optimizing the 2D electron gas at Mg0.25Zn0.75O/ZnO interface, which can be regarded as an important reference for studying the 2D electron gas at MgxZn1-xO/ZnO super-lattices for electronics and optoelectronics applications.