Delta-doped Layers Research Articles

Electrochemical capacitance–voltage measurements and modeling of GaAs nanostructures with delta-doped layers

The paper presents the results of electrochemical capacitance-voltage profiling and simulation of quantum-sized semiconductor structures with quantum wells and delta-doped layers based on gallium arsenide. The experimental ECV data were obtained by superposition of measured capacitance-voltage characteristics during the gradual etching of the nanostructure. As a result of simulation, the concentration distribution and energy lineups for structures with delta-layers and quantum wells in gallium arsenide were calculated. The results of simulation are in qualitative agreement with the experimental results and data found in literature.

Fabrication of a nanometer thick nitrogen delta doped layer at the sub-surface region of (100) diamond

In this letter, we report on the proof of a concept of an innovative delta doping technique to fabricate an ensemble of nitrogen vacancy centers at shallow depths in (100) diamond. A nitrogen delta doped layer with a concentration of ∼1.8 × 1020 cm−3 and a thickness of a few nanometers was produced using this method. Nitrogen delta doping was realized by producing a stable nitrogen terminated (N-terminated) diamond surface using the RF nitridation process and subsequently depositing a thin layer of diamond on the N-terminated diamond surface. The concentration of nitrogen on the N-terminated diamond surface and its stability upon exposure to chemical vapor deposition conditions are determined by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. The SIMS profile exhibits a positive concentration gradient of 1.9 nm/decade and a negative gradient of 4.2 nm/decade. The proposed method offers a finer control on the thickness of the delta doped layer than the currently used ion implantation and delta doping techniques.

The effects of doping layer location on the electronic and optical properties of GaN step quantum well

In the present work, the intersubband transition and the optical absorption coefficient between the ground and the first excited states in the Si-δ-doped step AlGaN/GaN quantum well were theoretically studied by solving Schrödinger-Poisson equations self-consistently within the framework of effective mass approximation. The delta-doped layer was inserted in three different locations (middle of the quantum well, middle of the step quantum well and middle of the left barrier). The obtained results show that the energy difference between the ground and the first excited state and the optical absorption depend not only on the doping layer concentration but also on its location. The shape of the confining potential and the wavefunctions were also changed depending on the doped layer location. It was found that doping in the middle quantum well is advantageous to obtain an optical absorption with a higher energy separation; however, doping in the left barrier gives us an optical absorption with a lower energy separation. The obtained results in optical absorption give us a new degree of freedom in optoelectronic devices based on intersubband transitions.

Development of a Certified Reference Material with Delta-Doped Boron Nitride Layers for Surface Depth-Profile Analysis

Development of a Certified Reference Material with Delta-Doped Boron Nitride Layers for Surface Depth-Profile Analysis

About possible THz modulator on the base of delta-doped QWs

The idea about a new type of THz modulator, based on the dependence of separation between space quantized energy levels in a quantum well (QW) on the degree of ionization of shallow impurity delta doped layer situated within the QW is supported with theoretical calculations of absorption coefficients for intersubband optical transitions of n-type Si0.8Ge0.2/Si/Si0.8Ge0.2 QW structure. Both center and edge doping of two QWs widths of – 10 and 20nm – were considered at lattice temperatures 4 and 77K for low and high degrees of impurity ionization. The obtained results are explained and they point to out the ranges of THz tuning of the structures under study. It is also emphasized that besides the electric field the changing temperature can control the efficiency of THz modulation.

The formation of indirect excitons in atomic layer doped systems

The investigation on the formation of indirect exciton states in atomic layer doped structures is presented. A GaAs-based system with n-type and p-type delta-doping layers is proposed and the separately confined electron and hole states are calculated in the effective mass approximation, with the exciton states being determined trough a diagonalization of the Hamiltonian for the electrostatically coupled electron–hole system. The binding energy of the s-type electron-heavy-hole-like exciton state is calculated as a function of the inter-doping-layer distance and the optical absorption coefficient related with inter-exciton-state transitions is reported.

Intersubband linear and nonlinear optical response of the delta-doped SiGe quantum well

The degree of ionization, controlled by external fields, of delta-doped layers inside the quantum wells can affect their energy structure, therefore delta-doped QWs can be used to engineer different kinds of tunable THz optical devices on intersubband transitions. Here it is calculated and analyzed the linear and nonlinear (Kerr-type) optical response, including absorption coefficient and refractive index change of 20nm-wide Si0.8Ge0.2/Si/Si0.8Ge0.2 QW structures n-delta-doped either at the center or at the edge of the well under different temperatures. The conduction subband energy structure was found self-consistently, including the calculation of the impurity binding energy. Our results show that the degree of ionization of the impurity layer as well as the heterostructure symmetry has a strong influence on optical properties of the structures in THz region.

Continuum Modelling of Silicon Diffusion and Activation in in0.53Ga0.47As

There is significant research interest in the behavior of silicon as a dopant in InGaAs during processing conditions for possible integration into future CMOS devices. A major objective is obtaining low resistances for source and drain regions, which require very high doping concentrations near the limits of solid solubility (>1×1020cm-3). Understanding dopant behavior and activation near these limits are of paramount importance in order to fully integrate InGaAs and related III-V materials into systems previously dominated by silicon. In this work, a Si diffusion and activation model in In0.53Ga0.47As using the Florida Object Oriented Process and Device Simulator (FLOOXS) will be presented. Similar to previous studies in GaAs, the group-III vacancy-Si pair is implemented as the principle mechanism for silicon diffusion in InGaAs. Fermi level considerations concerning concentration-dependent diffusion are also taken into account in the presented model, building upon simpler previous models. Experimental studies that provided the data include Si-implanted InGaAs samples and MBE-grown delta-doped layers of Si in InGaAs. Both sets of samples were capped with Al2O3 and annealed at temperatures ranging from 550 to 750°C. As indicated through SIMS data, post annealed profiles for silicon exhibit very sharp shoulders characteristic of concentration dependent diffusion. The extracted power of concentration dependence from the SIMS results are relatively high (greater than n=4). This sharp dependence differs from prior continuum-based modelling procedures, where power dependence is believed to closely correspond to the charge state of defects responsible for diffusion. Ultimately the connection between diffusion and activation will be explored, along with developments in prediction and modelling. Figure 1

Effects of a nearby Mn delta layer on the optical properties of an InGaAs/GaAs quantum well

We investigated the effects of nearby Mn ions on the confined states of a InGaAs/GaAs quantum well through circularly polarized and magneto-optical measurements. The addition of a Mn delta-doping layer at the barrier close to the well gives rise to surprisingly narrow absorption peaks in the photoluminescence excitation spectra. The peaks become increasingly stronger for decreasing spacer-layer thicknesses between the quantum well and the Mn layer. Most of the peaks were identified based on self-consistent calculations; however, we observed additional peaks that cannot be identified with quantum well transitions, which origin we attribute to an enhanced exciton-phonon coupling. Finally, we discuss possible effects related to the exciton magneto-polaron complex in the reinforcement of the photoluminescence excitation peaks.

Influence of delta-doping on the hole capture probability in Ge/Si quantum dot mid-infrared photodetectors.

We study the effect of delta-doping on the hole capture probability in ten-period p-type Ge quantum dot photodetectors. The boron concentration in the delta-doping layers is varied by either passivation of a sample in a hydrogen plasma or by direct doping during the molecular beam epitaxy. The devices with a lower doping density is found to exhibit a lower capture probability and a higher photoconductive gain. The most pronounced change in the trapping characteristics upon doping is observed at a negative bias polarity when the photoexcited holes move toward the δ-doping plane. The latter result implies that the δ-doping layers are directly involved in the processes of hole capture by the quantum dots.

Electronic and physico-chemical properties of nanometric boron delta-doped diamond structures

Heavily boron doped diamond epilayers with thicknesses ranging from 40 to less than 2 nm and buried between nominally undoped thicker layers have been grown in two different reactors. Two types of [100]-oriented single crystal diamond substrates were used after being characterized by X-ray white beam topography. The chemical composition and thickness of these so-called delta-doped structures have been studied by secondary ion mass spectrometry, transmission electron microscopy, and spectroscopic ellipsometry. Temperature-dependent Hall effect and four probe resistivity measurements have been performed on mesa-patterned Hall bars. The temperature dependence of the hole sheet carrier density and mobility has been investigated over a broad temperature range (6 K < T < 450 K). Depending on the sample, metallic or non-metallic behavior was observed. A hopping conduction mechanism with an anomalous hopping exponent was detected in the non-metallic samples. All metallic delta-doped layers exhibited the same mobility value, around 3.6 ± 0.8 cm2/Vs, independently of the layer thickness and the substrate type. Comparison with previously published data and theoretical calculations showed that scattering by ionized impurities explained only partially this low common value. None of the delta-layers showed any sign of confinement-induced mobility enhancement, even for thicknesses lower than 2 nm.

Electronic properties ofδ-doped Si:P and Ge:P layers in the high-density limit using a Thomas-Fermi method

The Thomas-Fermi-Dirac (TFD) approximation and an sp3d5s* tight binding method were used to calculate the electronic properties of a delta-doped phosphorus layer in silicon. This self-consistent model improves on the computational efficiency of "more rigorous" empirical tight binding and ab initio density functional theory models without sacrificing the accuracy of these methods. The computational efficiency of the TFD model provides improved scalability for large multi-atom simulations, such as of nanoelectronic devices that have experimental interest. We also present the first theoretically calculated electronic properties of a delta-doped phosphorus layer in germanium as an application of this TFD model.

High-performance InP/InGaAs co-integrated metamorphic heterostructure bipolar and field-effect transistors with pseudomorphic base-emitter spacer and channel layers

In the InP/InGaAs metamorphic co-integrated heterostructure bipolar and field-effect transistors (BiFETs), the field-effect transistor (FET) with pseudomorphic channel layer was stacked on the top of the metamorphic heterostructure bipolar transistor (HBT) with pseudomorphic base–emitter spacer layers. In the FET, a relatively thin as well as heavily doped In0.65Ga0.35As pseudomorphic channel layer between two undoped InP layers was employed to enhance the gate forward operation voltage, drain current, and transconductance, simultaneously. On the other hand, after removing the top four layers of material structures, the studied HBT was fabricated on the metamorphic buffer layer. In the metamorphic HBT, the valence band discontinuity at InP/In0.65Ga0.35As heterojunction and emitter injection efficiency could be further extended than the conventional InP/In0.53Ga0.47As lattice-matched HBTs. Furthermore, the delta doping layer between two In0.65Ga0.35As spacer layers at emitter side could effectively eliminate the potential spike at base–emitter junction for reducing the collector–emitter offset voltage. Consequently, the co-integrated metamorphic devices show a good potential for mixed signal integrated circuits and systems applications.

High-density Two-Dimensional Small Polaron Gas in a Delta-Doped Mott Insulator

Heterointerfaces in complex oxide systems open new arenas in which to test models of strongly correlated material, explore the role of dimensionality in metal-insulator-transitions (MITs) and small polaron formation. Close to the quantum critical point Mott MITs depend on band filling controlled by random disordered substitutional doping. Delta-doped Mott insulators are potentially free of random disorder and introduce a new arena in which to explore the effect of electron correlations and dimensionality. Epitaxial films of the prototypical Mott insulator GdTiO3 are delta-doped by substituting a single (GdO)+1 plane with a monolayer of charge neutral SrO to produce a two-dimensional system with high planar doping density. Unlike metallic SrTiO3 quantum wells in GdTiO3 the single SrO delta-doped layer exhibits thermally activated DC and optical conductivity that agree in a quantitative manner with predictions of small polaron transport but with an extremely high two-dimensional density of polarons, ~7 × 1014 cm−2.

Interpretation of phase images of delta-doped layers

An approach is presented that allows independent determination of the mean inner potential contribution to a phase image of a highly doped layer in a semiconductor measured using off-axis electron holography, in order to quantify the contribution to the recorded phase from the dopant potential alone. The method takes into account the possible presence of both substitutional and interstitial dopant atoms and is used here to analyse an experimental phase image of 12 delta-doped B layers in Si that are separated from each other by <6 nm.

Direct Measurement of the Band Structure of a Buried Two-Dimensional Electron Gas

We directly measure the band structure of a buried two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) using angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy. The buried 2DEG forms 2 nm beneath the surface of p-type silicon, because of a dense delta-type layer of phosphorus n-type dopants which have been placed there. The position of the phosphorous layer is beyond the probing depth of the photoemission experiment but the observation of the 2DEG is nevertheless possible at certain photon energies where emission from the states is resonantly enhanced. This permits direct access to the band structure of the 2DEG and its temperature dependence.

Blocking Growth by an Electrically Active Subsurface Layer: The Effect of Si as an Antisurfactant in the Growth of GaN

Combining aberration corrected high resolution transmission electron microscopy and density functional theory calculations we propose an explanation of the antisurfactant effect of Si in GaN growth. We identify the atomic structure of a Si delta-doped layer (commonly called SiN(x) mask) as a SiGaN(3) monolayer that resembles a √3×√3 R30° surface reconstruction containing one Si atom, one Ga atom, and a Ga vacancy (V(Ga)) in its unit cell. Our density functional theory calculations show that GaN growth on top of this SiGaN(3) layer is inhibited by forming an energetically unfavorable electrical dipole moment that increases with layer thickness and that is caused by charge transfer between cation dangling bonds at the surface to V(Ga) bound at subsurface sites.

A delta-doped amorphous silicon thin-film transistor with high mobility and stability

Ultrathin doped layers, known as delta-doped layers, were introduced within the intrinsic amorphous silicon (a-Si) active layer to fabricate hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin-film transistors (TFTs) with enhanced field-effect mobility. The performance of the delta-doped a-Si:H TFTs depended on the phosphine (PH3) flow rate and the distance from the n+ a-Si to the deltadoping layer. The delta-doped a-Si:H TFTs fabricated using a commercial manufacturing process exhibited an enhanced field-effect mobility of approximately ∼0.23 cm2/Vs (compared to a conventional a-Si:H TFT with 0.15 cm2/Vs) and a desirable stability under a bias-temperature stress test.

GaN-Based LEDs With Double Strain Releasing MQWs and Si Delta-Doping Layers

In this letter, we report the fabrication of GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with double strain releasing multiquantum wells and Si delta-doping (Si-DD) layers. We find that Si-DD can enhance current spreading in the in-plane direction and also suppress dislocation in the epitaxial layers. By inserting the Si-DD layers, we find that we can achieve a smaller forward voltage. We also find that we can significantly increase the reverse breakdown voltage from 35 to 125 V by introducing Si-DD layers. Furthermore, we find that the output power of the LED with Si-DD is more than 10% larger than that of the LED without Si-DD.

High phosphorous doped germanium: Dopant diffusion and modeling

The in situ n-type doping of Ge thin films epitaxial grown on Si substrates is limited to 1 × 1019 cm−3 by the phosphorous out-diffusion during growth at 600 °C. By studying the phosphorous diffusion in Ge with different background doping, we find that the diffusion coefficient is extrinsic and is enhanced 100 times in Ge doped at 1 × 1019 cm−3 compared to intrinsic diffusivity. To achieve higher phosphorous concentration, delta-doped layers are used as a dopant source for phosphorous in-diffusion. We show that the doping level is a result of the competition between in-diffusion and dopant loss. The high diffusivity at high n-type carrier concentration leads to a uniform distribution of phosphorous in Ge with the concentration above 3 × 1019 cm−3.