Mesa Structures Research Articles

Ge-on-Si single-photon avalanche diode using a double mesa structure

We present experimental results of Ge-on-Si single-photon avalanche diodes based on a novel, to our knowledge, double mesa structure. Using this structure, the electric field at the mesa edges is suppressed compared to a traditional single mesa, leading to significant performance improvements. The dark current in linear mode shows a smaller increase for larger reverse voltages, resulting in a reduction by more than 260 times at low temperatures. Operated in the Geiger-mode at 110 K, the dark count rate in the double mesa is 100 times smaller. The devices achieve a dark count rate of 953 kHz, a single-photon detection efficiency of 7.3%, and a record-low jitter of 81 ps at an excess bias of 17.6% and a temperature of 110 K.

Fabrication of Ultralow‐Bevel Angle Mesa Structures for Vertical GaN Devices

Low‐angle bevel mesa structures are the key technological ideas needed to produce high‐quality vertical GaN devices. Nevertheless, the literature lacks sufficient information regarding the techniques that can yield the best results for obtaining the bevel angles smaller than approximately 5°.[1] Notably, for high p–n junctions NA/ND ratios, such low angles are necessary for the application of negative beveled edge termination and the efficient lowering of electric field at the surface.[1–6] In this work, the optimization of the beveled‐mesa fabrication technique for vertical GaN devices is demonstrated employing a plasma etching of the photoresist mask fabricated using a reflow process. By adjusting the resist reflow process parameters, in particular various BCl3 Cl2−1 ratios and inductively coupled plasma–reactive ion etching plasma power, a range of beveled mask angles as low as 10°–12° is achieved. However, those processes all show etching selectivity close to 1:1 between GaN and the photoresist. Even lower bevel mesa angles are reported for a novel process optimization that resulted in improving GaN to photoresist selectivity by a factor of 5–10. As a result, even smaller bevel mesa angles close to 1°–2° are able to be attained. The developed approach has the advantage of being relatively simple and cost effective.

Enhancing external quantum efficiency of deep ultraviolet micro-leds through geometry design and multi-physics field coupling analysis

Abstract High-efficiency deep-ultraviolet (DUV) micro light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are explored for inspiring development in numerous fields, such as non-line-of-sight solar-blind communication, optical pumping, and maskless lithography. In this study, we performed FDTD and SimuLED calculations to investigate the optimized DUV micro-LED structure geometry for high light extraction efficiency (LEE) by designing different mesa structures, including square, hexagonal, and circular geometries of micro-LEDs emitted at a wavelength of 275 nm. The results showed that a circular mesa of 5 μm diameter achieved a LEE of 27% from the bottom and sidewall emissions of as-prepared DUV micro-LED. And both the near- and far-field transverse magnetic polarized light intensities were enhanced by a factor of 1.5 over the square and hexagonal mesas. Meanwhile, the transverse electric (TE) polarized light of the circular mesa structure was enhanced and concentrated along the normal direction. Moreover, the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of circular mesas with varied sizes was comprehensively investigated in the interactions of the thermal and electric fields. An AlGaN-based DUV micro-LED with a diameter of 5 μm was found to obtain the highest IQE owing to a high current-density distribution and its self-heating properties, thereby achieving a sufficiently high external quantum efficiency of 26.75%. This study provides a comprehensive technical report, including electrical, thermal, and optical analyses, and a new perspective for developing high-efficiency, high-performance DUV micro-LEDs in practical applications.

Turn-off switching voltage surge analysis with dependence on IGBT cell design

Surge voltage at insulated gate bipolar transistor turn-off switching was analyzed with dependence on cell design parameters. Although drift layer thinning is effective in improving trade-off characteristics between turn-off loss E off and on-state voltage V on, voltage surge is induced due to the quickly expanding depletion layer. Therefore, the surge voltage V surge has also a trade-off relationship with V on at the same E off condition. The origin of the voltage surge was analyzed using TCAD simulation, and the total amount of remaining holes in the drift layer during turn-off switching is a key factor for the V surge. A narrow mesa structure and thick buffer layer are effective for the improvement of trade-off characteristics between V surge and V on. However, the optimum buffer layer thickness depends on the voltage-class due to the speed for punch through.

Investigation of heat-dissipation structures in resonant tunneling diodes and their characteristics on terahertz oscillators

This study investigates the heat dissipation structures for resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs). The n+-InGaAs conductive layer beneath the RTD double-barrier layer, which possesses low thermal conductivity and disrupting heat dissipation, has been replaced with n+-InP, which has high thermal conductivity. We manufactured simple RTD mesa structures with varying areas to analyze the impact of heat dissipation. Additionally, we conducted a study to explore the relationship between mesa area and power consumption at the RTD mesa under current–voltage measurements. The results clearly indicate that the proposed structure, incorporating an n+-InP layer, can function over an area twice as large without experiencing heat-induced destruction. By integrating this proposed structure, we successfully fabricated terahertz oscillators equipped with rectangular-cavity resonators. These oscillators achieved relatively high output power, approximately 0.2 mW was achieved at a frequency of 0.53 THz, all without any heat-induced damage, even within a large-area RTD device.

Investigating Mesa Structure Impact on C-V Measurements

Investigating Mesa Structure Impact on C-V Measurements

The mesa design guidance based on the effective range of the mesa sidewall reflector towards high-efficiency AlGaN-based DUV LEDs

AlGaN-based DUV LEDs show great application value and are currently confined by LEE. The mesa sidewall reflector is considered as an effective solution in enhancing LEE, but the extra LEE enhancement via reducing mesa size becomes not as significant if the mesa scale is already at low level. The specific mesa scale appropriate for light extraction is determined by effect decay process of the mesa sidewall reflector, which is studied and clarified in this work. By raytracing simulation, the decay length and the effective range of the reflector are estimated to be 20–25 μm and 40–50 μm, respectively. Devices with the mesa structures that separate the optical and electrical effects are fabricated, and the results validate the conclusions from the simulations. The mesa design guidance according to the reflector effective range, as well as the LEE enhancement potential of the designed mesa structure, is revealed to achieve high-efficiency DUV LED devices.

Effect of device size on conduction channel effective width and polarization Coulomb field scattering intensity of split-gate AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors

In this study, the ungated AlGaN/GaN devices with special mesa structures were designed. The hypothesis of effective width expansion was tested experimentally by using ungated samples with different sizes, and an empirical expression for calculating the conduction channel effective width was given according to the experimental results. Finally, split-gate AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors (HFETs) with different gate lengths were prepared, and the channel electron mobility of split-gate samples was calculated by using the empirical expression and polarization Coulomb field (PCF) scattering theoretical model. The results showed that, for split-gate AlGaN/GaN HFETs, with the increase in the gate length, the total amount of additional polarization charges underneath the gate increases, resulting in the enhancement of the PCF scattering intensity.

Electrical Properties of Ga2O3 Schottky Barrier Diodes with and without Mesa Structure

Devices based on wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors like silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), and gallium oxide (Ga2O3) are ideal for high-power electronics in harsh environments. Among the WBG semiconductors, ultrawide bandgap (UWBG) β-phase gallium oxide (Ga2O3), EG ≈ 4.8 eV, is emerging as a replacement for the current commercially available wide bandgap (WBG) power electronics due to its generational improvements in performance and manufacturing cost [1]. Ga2O3 has a high theoretical breakdown electrical field of 8 MV/cm which in turn gives its Baliga’s figure of merit for power devices that is larger than other WBG materials. The availability of high-quality Ga2O3 substrates produced from melt-grown bulk single crystals also facilitates the development of vertical power devices.In the current stage, the vertical Schottky barrier diode (SBD) with Ga2O3 can have an improved current spreading effect when compared to power diode devices from Si, SiC, and GaN. Especially, the Ga2O3 is expected to surpass the trade-off relationship between breakdown voltage (BV) and on resistance (Ron,sp) that other materials have [2]. Nevertheless, the Ga2O3 vertical SBD still cannot achieve the theoretical breakdown electric field. One of the key topics for WBG semiconductors application is a structure for improved electrical management such as field rings, junction termination extension, and field plates to reduce the leakage current in the reverse bias state.Here, we investigate the characteristics of Ga2O3 SBDs with and without mesa structure in extreme environments at high and low temperature. Conventional and mesa Ga2O3 SBDs were fabricated on the halide vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) grown β-Ga2O3 (001). A Sn-doped substrate with 61016 cm-3 was used for the HVPE growth. In the SBD with mesa structure, the circular mesa with a diameter of 162 μm and a depth of 500 nm was formed around anode electrodes. The Ti/Au metal stack on the back side of the substrate acted as a cathode and the anode electrode deposited Ni/Au/Pt layers. After the fabrication process, current-voltage (I-V) measurements were performed on the SBDs between -5 V and 1 V. From the results, the values of Ron,sp at 0.7 V are 46.4 Ω•cm2 and 46.2 Ω•cm2 in conventional and mesa SBDs, respectively. And additionally, the leakage current at -5 V is reduced by approximately 44.3% in the mesa structure. To obtain the Schottky barrier height (SBH) from I-V and capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements, the C-V was observed in the range of -5 V to 0.5 V at 100 kHz. The SBH values from I-V and C-V measurements, the mesa SBDs have 1% - 5% larger SBH compared to the conventional structure, and it could be related to lower leakage current. Moreover, the depletion depths of conventional and mesa SBDs were 52.2 nm and 57.8 nm, respectively, from C-V measurements. For considering the electrical characteristics in extreme temperatures, the I-V measurements of both SBDs structure will be measured between 75 K to 525 K. From an initial low temperature measurement series, we determine a Richardson constant of 49 A/cm2 comparable to what has been reported by other groups. Furthermore, we will extend the study by performing deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) to understand the defect information in Ga2O3.

The search for spontaneous edge currents in Sr2RuO4 mesa structures with controlled geometrical shapes

Scanning Hall microscopy has been used to search for spontaneous edge fields in geometrically shaped mesa structures etched into the ab surface of Sr2RuO4 single crystals in order to test recent theories of the direction of edge current flow as a function of facet orientation and band filling. We find no evidence for spontaneous edge fields in any of our mesa structures above our experimental noise floor of ± 25 mG. We do, however, observe pronounced vortex clustering at low fields and temperatures, consistent with the established semi-Meissner scenario whereby a long range attractive component to the vortex-vortex interaction arises due, for example, to the multiband nature of the superconductivity. We also see clear evidence for the formation of a square vortex lattice inside square mesa structures above 1.3 K. Our results are discussed in terms of recent relevant experimental results and theoretical predictions.

Enhanced light output power from AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet LEDs achieved by a four-in-one mesa structure

This study aimed to investigate the impact of mesa geometry on the light output characteristics of AlGaN-based 275 nm deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (DUV-LEDs). By dividing the original single-junction mesa into four parts and connecting them serially (four-in-one), high-voltage (HV) DUV-LEDs with rectangular, hexagonal, circular, triangular, and square submesas were realized, achieving significant enhancement of the light output power (LOP) and wall-plug efficiency (WPE). The LOP of HV DUV-LEDs with hexagonal submesas has been promoted substantially compared to that of the original DUV-LEDs. Among the investigated five different types of submesas, hexagonal-type HV DUV-LEDs can achieve the highest LOP and WPE due to the higher sidewall light extraction. Furthermore, it is also demonstrated that pulse current driving can reduce the self-heating effect of HV DUV-LEDs.

High Speed 1550 nm Indium Gallium Arsenide-Indium Phosphide Photodetector

This paper presents preliminary results of a high speed 1550 nm indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs)-based mesa-type modified uni-traveling carrier photodiode (M-UTC-PD) structure. Conventional UTC-PD refers to P-I-N type photodiodes which selectively use electrons as active carriers. Photons absorbed in the relatively thin P-type absorber create minority carriers which are field accelerated toward a depleted collector thereby establishing high velocity ballistic transport, making these structures applicable for high speed applications. The M-UTC-PD structure presented uses spatially tailored P-type absorber regions to limit minority carrier generation both in the lateral and axial dimensions. Utilizing an otherwise conventional UTC-PD epitaxial structure where the top P-type layers are undoped, the spatially tailored P-type regions are defined by closed ampoule Zinc diffusion techniques. The M-UTC-PD structure presented utilizes a series of nested p-doped rings within a mesa structure to limit dark current and reduce overall capacitance to improve high speed operation. Two photodiode structures will be investigated for this research project, a conventional UTC-PD structure and a modified structure, utilizing similar device designs, epitaxial designs and fabrication processes. The conventional structure will be utilized for fabrication process development, verification of epi quality and development of rapid prototyping approach toward chip-based testing and subsequent high speed RF testing procedures. Conventional UTC-PD device results will be used as a comparison to quantify the performance of the M-UTC-PD structure utilizing Zn-doped defined p-type absorber regions. Results are given for chip tests of UTC-PD chips verifying epitaxial quality and fabrication process, subsequent testing of packaged devices and RF analysis remains. Process development of the Zn-doped devices is underway, once completed, these devices will be compared to the base design to quantify performance enhancement associated with the modified design.

Thermal stability of ferroelectric films based on hafnium-zirconium dioxide on silicon

The results are presented indicating an increase in thermal stability, as well as structural and electrophysical properties of obtained by plasma-stimulated atomic layer deposition (PEALD) 20 nm ferroelectric HfO2, Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 films with the inserts of Al2O3 monolayers and without them, in metal-ferroelectric-silicon mesa structures, promising for universal memory devices.

Comprehensive experimental study of NBνN barrier structures based on n-HgCdTe MBE for detection in MWIR and LWIR spectra

This work is devoted to a comprehensive experimental study of the electrical and photoelectric characteristics of barrier photosensitive structures in the NBνN configuration based on n-HgCdTe (MCT). Seven different types of photosensitive structures for middle wavelength (MWIR) and long wavelength (LWIR) infrared (IR) radiation ranges grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) have been studied by complex conductivity spectroscopy method. The current-voltage characteristics (CVC) were measured both in the dark and in the presence of illumination. Based on the measured dependences of the dark current density on temperature and the ratio of the perimeter to the area of the structure, the dominant contribution of the bulk current component compared to the surface component for the MWIR structure (x ∼ 0.30) was established. This fact was confirmed by the value of the activation energy (from the Arrhenius plots) corresponding to the band gap. The results of frequency measurements of the differential conductivity of MIS structures based on NBνN also give a close activation energy, which corresponds to the diffusion limitation. LWIR structures (x ∼ 0.20) are characterized by an increase in the contribution of the surface leakage current in the total dark current. In this case, the activation energy determined from MIS measurements exceeds the band gap of the ν-layer, which is associated with the presence of an energy barrier for holes in the valence band. It is shown that if the problem of passivation of mesa structures is solved, it is possible to fabricate efficient MWIR and LWIR nBn, NBνN detectors based on MBE HgCdTe with high threshold parameters.

High-efficiency flat-type nitride-based micro-light emitting diodes using local breakdown conductive channel

A flat-type p-p light-emitting diode (LED) utilizing a local breakdown conductive channel (LBCC) in nitride semiconductor-based LEDs is introduced to replace n-p LEDs with existing mesa etched structures. The flat-type p-p LED, including the LBCC, exhibits similar light output power in the same injection current as the n-p LED of the conventional mesa structure but at a higher operating voltage. Consequently, the flat-type p-p LED with LBCC has lower wall plug efficiency compared to the mesa structured n-p LED. However, when the LED size is small, the flat-type p-p LED can achieve an optical power and operating voltage similar to the conventional n-p LED. As the LED size decreases, the n-type electrode of mesa-type n-p LED decreases to the similar size to the LBCC, providing an alternative to the operating voltage characteristics and wall plug efficiency. In addition, the junction temperature of the LED decreases as the LED size decreases. Based on these results, it is believed that the flat-type P-P LED can be advantageous for achieving high efficiency in smaller LED chips due to the smaller dry-etched mesa area which contains crystal defects that act as non-radiative recombination centers, and higher heat dissipation capacity.

Investigation of Ga2O3/diamond heterostructure solar-blind avalanche photodiode via TCAD simulation

A Ga2O3/diamond separate absorption and multiplication avalanche photodiode (SAM-APD) with mesa structure has been proposed and simulated. The simulation is based on an optimized Ga2O3/diamond heterostructure TCAD physical model, which is revised by repeated comparison with the experimental data from the literature. Since both Ga2O3 and diamond are ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor materials, the Ga2O3/diamond SAM-APD shows good solar-blind detection ability, and the corresponding cutoff wavelength is about 263 nm. The doping distribution and the electric field distribution of the SAM-APD are discussed, and the simulation results show that the gain of the designed device can reach 5 × 104 and the peak responsivity can reach a value as high as 78 A/W.

Free-running 4H-SiC single-photon detector with ultralow afterpulse probability at 266 nm.

Ultraviolet single-photon detector (UVSPD) provides a key tool for applications requiring ultraweak light detection in the wavelength band. Here, we report a 4H-SiC single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) based free-running UVSPD with ultralow afterpulse probability. We design and fabricate the 4H-SiC SPAD with a beveled mesa structure, which exhibits the characteristic of ultralow dark current. We further develop a readout circuit of passive quenching and active reset with a tunable hold-off time setting to considerably suppress the afterpulsing effect. The nonuniformity of photon detection efficiency (PDE) across the SPAD active area with a diameter of ∼180 μm is investigated for performance optimization. The compact UVSPD is then characterized, exhibiting a typical performance of 10.3% PDE, 133 kcps dark count rate, and 0.3% afterpulse probability at 266nm. Such performance indicates that the compact UVSPD could be used for practical ultraviolet photon-counting applications.

Inhomogeneous Superconductivity Onset in FeSe Studied by Transport Properties

Heterogeneous superconductivity onset is a common phenomenon in high-Tc superconductors of both the cuprate and iron-based families. It is manifested by a fairly wide transition from the metallic to zero-resistance states. Usually, in these strongly anisotropic materials, superconductivity (SC) first appears as isolated domains. This leads to anisotropic excess conductivity above Tc, and the transport measurements provide valuable information about the SC domain structure deep within the sample. In bulk samples, this anisotropic SC onset gives an approximate average shape of SC grains, while in thin samples, it also indicates the average size of SC grains. In this work, both interlayer and intralayer resistivity were measured as a function of temperature in FeSe samples of various thicknesses. To measure the interlayer resistivity, FeSe mesa structures oriented across the layers were fabricated using FIB. As the sample thickness decreases, a significant increase in superconducting transition temperature Tc is observed: Tc raises from 8 K in bulk material to 12 K in microbridges of thickness ∼40 nm. We applied analytical and numerical calculations to analyze these and earlier data and find the aspect ratio and size of the SC domains in FeSe consistent with our resistivity and diamagnetic response measurements. We propose a simple and fairly accurate method for estimating the aspect ratio of SC domains from Tc anisotropy in samples of various small thicknesses. The relationship between nematic and superconducting domains in FeSe is discussed. We also generalize the analytical formulas for conductivity in heterogeneous anisotropic superconductors to the case of elongated SC domains of two perpendicular orientations with equal volume fractions, corresponding to the nematic domain structure in various Fe-based superconductors.

Lateral Selective SiGe Growth for Local Dislocation-Free SiGe-on-Insulator Virtual Substrate Fabrication

Dislocation free local SiGe-on-insulator (SGOI) virtual substrate is fabricated using lateral selective SiGe growth by reduced pressure chemical vapor deposition. The lateral selective SiGe growth is performed around a ∼1.25 μm square Si (001) pillar in a cavity formed by HCl vapor phase etching of Si at 850 °C from side of SiO2/Si mesa structure on buried oxide. Smooth root mean square roughness of SiGe surface of 0.14 nm, which is determined by interface roughness between the sacrificially etched Si and the SiO2 cap, is obtained. Uniform Ge content of ∼40% in the laterally grown SiGe is observed. In the Si pillar, tensile strain of ∼0.65% is found which could be due to thermal expansion difference between SiO2 and Si. In the SiGe, tensile strain of ∼1.4% along 〈010〉 direction, which is higher compared to that along 〈110〉 direction, is observed. The tensile strain is induced from both [110] and [−110] directions. Threading dislocations in the SiGe are located only ∼400 nm from Si pillar and stacking faults are running towards 〈110〉 directions, resulting in the formation of a wide dislocation-free area in SiGe along 〈010〉 due to horizontal aspect ratio trapping.

Characteristics Measurement in a Deep UV Single Photon Detector Based on a TE-cooled 4H-SiC APD

We report on the characteristics of a lab-assembled UV single photon detector based on a thermoelectrically cooled silicon carbide (4H-SiC) avalanche photodiode (APD). The SiC- APD in this experiment was fabricated with a beveled mesa structure, with electronics designed to achieve passive Geiger-mode operation and to convert the avalanche signal to a transistor–transistor logic signal by readout backend. We attached the SiC-APD to a 4-stage thermoelectric cooler to vary APD temperature from 25 °C to −30 °C, and investigated dark count rates according to applied bias voltage at different temperatures. Breakdown voltages applied to the SiC-APD were also measured while adjusting APD temperature. Finally, we evaluated afterpulse characteristics through the time-correlated single-photon counting method, and observed that afterpulsing probability increases with decreasing APD temperature.