Structural and Carrier Dynamics of GaN and AlGaN-Based Double Heterostructures in the UV Region

Abstract

Aluminum gallium nitride-based double heterostructures with two different active layer widths have been grown on GaN templates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. Crystalline quality has been investigated using high-resolution x-ray diffraction analysis, and screw, edge, as well as total dislocation densities in the GaN epilayer have been calculated. The dislocation density of GaN has been found to be on the order of 108 cm−2. The nominal Al composition and in-plane strain exx for the AlGaN layer grown on the GaN layer have been measured by asymmetric reciprocal-space mapping. Surface properties and cross-sectional views of the samples have been analyzed using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), respectively. Room-temperature time-resolved photoluminescence and photoluminescence measurements have been performed on Al0.18Ga0.82N/Al0.45Ga0.55N double heterostructures and the GaN template. The interface recombination velocity (S) of AlGaN-based double heterostructures has been calculated using carrier decay time measurement, increasing from 8.7 × 103 cm/s to 13.4 × 103 cm/s with varying active layer thickness.