Tight Binding and Density Functional Theory of Tailoring Electronic Properties in Al1−xInxN/AlN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs)

Abstract

AbstractGroup III-nitrides have acquired an important role in science and technology of compound semiconductors for fabricating the novel electronic and optical devices. AlN, InN, GaN and to a lesser extent BN and their alloys InGaN, AlGaN, and AlInN are of great interest for the high temperature electronics and optoelectronics applications. Recent growth technologies leading to high quality films renewed interest especially when the ternary Al1−xInxN alloy presents a band gap that covers the widest energy range (0.69–6.25 eV) compared to other nitride compounds. This material provides a unique range of composition coverage making it an ideal candidate to fabricate electronic and optoelectronic devices such as high-power high-frequency field-effect transistors, blue and ultraviolet light-emitting and laser diodes, resonant- cavity light-emitting diodes, surface-emitting lasers, and solar blind ultraviolet photodetectors. In this chapter, we present a semiempirical tight binding theory and density functional theory analysis of the lattice mismatch and thermal strain effects on the tailoring of the electronic, optical and elastic properties of the zincblende and wurtzite phases of the Al1−xInxN/GaN ternary/binary heterostructure. Results are presented and compared with available data for the wurtzite phase, yielding a useful database for the modeling of AlInN high electron mobility field effect transistors (HEMTs).