Ternary Superlattices Research Articles

Multicomponent perovskite superlattices

Multicomponent perovskite superlattices

Growth and characterization of InGaAs/InAsSb superlattices by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition for mid-wavelength infrared photodetectors

Abstract InGaAs/InAsSb superlattices (SLs) were grown on InAs substrates by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) for potential applications in mid-wavelength infrared photodetectors. Three In1-xGaxAs/InAs0.73Sb0.27 ternary SL samples, with x = 0.2, 0.25, and 0.3, were grown and investigated by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and photoluminescence. Excellent structural qualities were achieved with lattice mismatches of less than 0.15% and atomically smooth surfaces with a roughness of only 0.18–0.19 nm. Strong photoluminescence (PL) emissions were observed at around 3.7 μm at 77 K. Besides, Varshni fitting indicates the temperature-sensitive parameter α in the InGaAs/InAsSb SLs is only half of that in InAs/InAsSb SLs, making them suitable for high temperature operation.

Strain Relaxation in Misfitting Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Monolayer Superlattices: Wrinkling vs Misfit Dislocation Formation.

Two-dimensional (2D) superlattices composed of chemically heterogeneous transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have been proposed as key components in next-generation optoelectronic devices. For potential applications, coherent, defect-free compositional interfaces are usually required. In this paper, a combination of scaling theory and numerical analysis is employed to investigate strain relaxation mechanisms in misfitting, chemically heterogeneous TMDs. We demonstrate that, in free-standing superlattices, wrinkling of the monolayer is asymptotically preferred over misfit dislocation formation in both binary and ternary superlattices. For substrate-supported monolayers, however, misfit dislocation formation is thermodynamically favored above a critical superlattice width, implying the presence of an upper limit to the thermodynamic stability of coherent, misfitting 2D superlattices. Finally, it is shown numerically that the critical superlattice width is only weakly dependent on the misfit.

Colloidal Self-Assembly of Inorganic Nanocrystals into Superlattice Thin-Films and Multiscale Nanostructures.

The self-assembly of colloidal inorganic nanocrystals (NCs) offers tremendous potential for the design of solution-processed multi-functional inorganic thin-films or nanostructures. To date, the self-assembly of various inorganic NCs, such as plasmonic metal, metal oxide, quantum dots, magnetics, and dielectrics, are reported to form single, binary, and even ternary superlattices with long-range orientational and positional order over a large area. In addition, the controlled coupling between NC building blocks in the highly ordered superlattices gives rise to novel collective properties, providing unique optical, magnetic, electronic, and catalytic properties. In this review, we introduce the self-assembly of inorganic NCs and the experimental process to form single and multicomponent superlattices, and we also describe the fabrication of multiscale NC superlattices with anisotropic NC building blocks, thin-film patterning, and the supracrystal formation of superlattice structures.

Significantly enhanced carrier lifetimes of very long-wave infrared absorbers based on strained-layer InAs/GaInSb superlattices

Significantly improved carrier lifetimes in very long-wave infrared (VLWIR) InAs/GaInSb superlattice (SL) absorbers are demonstrated using time-resolved microwave reflectance (TMR) measurements. A nominal 47.0 Å InAs/21.5 ÅGa0.75In0.25Sb SL structure that produces an ∼25 μm response at 10 K has a minority carrier lifetime of 140±20 ns at 18 K, which is an order-of-magnitude improvement compared with previously reported lifetime values for other VLWIR detector absorbers. This improvement is attributed to the strain-engineered ternary SL design, which offers a variety of epitaxial advantages and ultimately leads to the improvements in the minority carrier lifetime by mitigating defect-mediated Shockley–Read–Hall (SRH) recombination centers. By analyzing the temperature dependence of TMR decay data, the recombination mechanisms and trap states that currently limit the performance of this SL absorber were identified. The results show a general decrease in the long-decay lifetime component, which is dominated by SRH recombination at temperatures below ∼30 K and by Auger recombination at temperatures above ∼45 K. Since the strain-balanced ternary SL design offers a reasonably good absorption coefficient and many epitaxial advantages during growth, this VLWIR SL material system should be considered as a competitive candidate for VLWIR photodetector technology.

Unipolar infrared detectors based on InGaAs/InAsSb ternary superlattices

Growth and characteristics of mid-wave infrared (MWIR) InGaAs/InAsSb strained layer superlattice (SLS) detectors are reported. InGaAs/InAsSb SLSs, identified as ternary SLSs, not only provide an extra degree of freedom for superlattice strain compensation but also show enhanced absorption properties compared to InAs/InAsSb SLSs. Utilizing In1-yGayAs/InAs0.65Sb0.35 ternary SLSs (y = 0, 5, 10, and 20%) designed to have the same bandgap, a set of four unipolar detectors are investigated. These demonstrate an enhancement in the detector quantum efficiency due to the increased absorption coefficient. The detectors exhibit dark current performance within a factor of 10 of Rule 07 at temperatures above 120 K, and external quantum efficiencies in the 15%–25% range. This work demonstrates ternary SLSs are a potential absorber material for future high performance MWIR detectors.

Demonstration of long minority carrier lifetimes in very narrow bandgap ternary InAs/GaInSb superlattices

Minority carrier lifetimes in very long wavelength infrared (VLWIR) InAs/GaInSb superlattices (SLs) are reported using time-resolved microwave reflectance measurements. A strain-balanced ternary SL absorber layer of 47.0 Å InAs/21.5 Å Ga0.75In0.25Sb, corresponding to a bandgap of ∼50 meV, is found to have a minority carrier lifetime of 140 ± 20 ns at ∼18 K. This lifetime is extraordinarily long, when compared to lifetime values previously reported for other VLWIR SL detector materials. This enhancement is attributed to the strain-engineered ternary design, which offers a variety of epitaxial advantages and ultimately leads to a reduction of defect-mediated recombination centers.

Binary and ternary superlattices self-assembled from colloidal nanodisks and nanorods.

Self-assembly of multicomponent anisotropic nanocrystals with controlled orientation and spatial distribution allows the design of novel metamaterials with unique shape- and orientation-dependent collective properties. Although many phases of binary structures are theoretically proposed, the examples of multicomponent assemblies, which are experimentally realized with colloidal anisotropic nanocrystals, are still limited. In this report, we demonstrate the formation of binary and ternary superlattices from colloidal two-dimensional LaF3 nanodisks and one-dimensional CdSe/CdS nanorods via liquid interfacial assembly. The colloidal nanodisks and nanorods are coassembled into AB-, AB2-, and AB6-type binary arrays determined by their relative size ratio and concentration to maximize their packing density. The position and orientation of anisotropic nanocrystal building blocks are tightly controlled in the self-assembled binary and ternary lattices. The macroscopic orientation of the superlattices is further tuned by changing the liquid subphase used for self-assembly, resulting in the formation of lamellar-type binary liquid crystalline superlattices. In addition, we demonstrate a novel ternary superlattice self-assembled from two different sizes of nanodisks and a nanorod, which offers the unique opportunity to design multifunctional metamaterials.

Control of anion incorporation in the molecular beam epitaxy of ternary antimonide superlattices for very long wavelength infrared detection

Authors discuss how anion incorporation was controlled during the epitaxial growth process to develop InAs/GaInSb superlattice (SL) materials for very long wavelength infrared applications. A SL structure of 47.0Å InAs/21.5Å Ga0.75In0.25Sb was selected to create a very narrow band gap. Although a molecular beam epitaxy growth developed can produce a strain balanced ternary SL structure with a precisely controlled band gap around 50meV, the material quality of grown SL layers is particularly sensitive to growth defects formed during an anion incorporation process. Since Group III antisites are the dominant structural defects responsible for the low radiative efficiencies, the authors focus on stabilizing III/V incorporation during SL layer growth by manipulating the growth surface condition for a specific anion cracking condition. The optimized ternary SL materials produced an overall strong photoresponse signal with a relatively sharp band edges and a high mobility of ~10,000cm2/Vs that is important for developing infrared materials.

Ternary superlattice boosting interface-stabilized magnetic chirality

In cobalt-nickel multilayers grown on iridium surfaces, magnetic homo-chirality can be stabilized by Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions (DMI) at the interface with the substrate. When thickness of the multilayers is increased beyond threshold values, then non-chiral bulk properties exceed interface contributions and this type of chirality vanishes. Here, we use spin-polarized low energy electron microscopy to measure these thickness thresholds, and we determine estimates of the strength of the DMI from the measurements. Even though the same 5d heavy metal is used as a substrate, a remarkably large variation is found between the two 3d magnets: our results indicate that the strength of the DMI at Co/Ir interfaces is three times larger than at Ni/Ir interfaces. We show how this finding provides ways to extend interfacial-DMI stabilization of domain wall chirality to 3d/5d/3d ternary multilayers such as [Ni/Ir/Co]n. Such strategies may extend chirality-control to larger film thickness and a wider range of substrates, which may be useful for designing new spintronics devices.

Growth optimization studies to develop InAs/GaInSb superlattice materials for very long wavelength infrared detection

In order to develop ternary antimonide-based superlattice (SL) materials for very long wavelength infrared (VLWIR) detection, systematic growth optimization studies were performed to produce high quality ternary materials. For the studies, a SL structure of 47.0Å InAs/21.5ÅGa0.75In0.25Sb was selected to create a very narrow band gap. Results indicate that an epitaxial process developed can produce a precisely controlled band gap around 50meV, but the material quality of grown SL layers is particularly sensitive to growth defects formed during the growth process. Since Group III antisites and strain-induced dislocations are the dominant structural defects responsible for the low radiative efficiencies, our optimization strategies to eliminate these defects have focused on stabilizing III/V incorporation during surface reconstruction by manipulating the growth surface temperature and balancing the residual strain of the SLs by adjusting the As/Sb flux ratio. The optimized ternary SL materials exhibited an overall strong photoresponse over a wide wavelength range up to ∼15μm that is important for developing VLWIR detectors. A quantitative analysis of the lattice strain, performed at the atomic scale by aberration corrected transmission electron microscopy, provided valuable information about the strain distribution at the interfaces that was important for optimizing the strain balancing process during SL layer growth.

Effect of chromium addition on the ordering behaviour of Ni–Mo alloy: experimental results vs. electronic structure calculations

The ordering behaviour of a Ni-Mo alloy in the presence of a ternary additive, viz. Cr, has been studied. The sequence of ordering transformations in binary Ni–Mo alloys has been shown earlier to be controlled by a competition between several f.c.c.-based superlattices, viz. Ni 2Mo (Pt 2Mo type), Ni 3Mo (DO 22), Ni 4Mo (D1 a ) and the so-called short range ordered (SRO) structure characterized by the presence of diffraction intensity maxima at the 1 1/ 20 f.c.c. positions in reciprocal space. The effect of ternary addition of chromium in the selection of the superlattice structure has been examined in this paper in an alloy of composition Ni–24 at.% Mo–6 at.% Cr. The presence of Cr has been experimentally found to favour the formation of Ni 2(Mo,Cr) (Pt 2Mo-type) phase in preference to the Ni 3Mo (DO 22) and Ni 4Mo (D1 a ) superlattices. This leads to a sequence of transformation different from that obtained in binary alloys. The effect of Cr on the ground state phase stability is determined, in this alloy, using the first-principles local-density based full-potential augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method. From the differences in the electronic structures, densities of states and total energies of binary Ni 2Cr, Ni 2Mo (Pt 2Mo type), Ni 3Mo (DO 22) and Ni 4Mo (D1 a ) phases and the corresponding ternary superlattice structures, an attempt has been made to predict the hierarchy of relative phase stabilities. Theoretical predictions based on these electronic structure calculations have been found to be consistent with the experimental microstructural observations of the evolutionary stages of ordering in the ternary Ni–24 at.% Mo–6 at.% Cr alloy.

Epitaxial growth of binary and ternary metallic strained superlattices and their magnetic properties

Since the structure at/near the interface of superlattices influences physical properties such as magnetic property, it is important to investigate details of the structure. The interface structure is characterized by the factors like atomic species, strain, mixing and roughness. The reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) system installed in our molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) system enables us to observe, continuously, the change of the surface in-plane lattice constant, which is affected by atomic species, strain and/or mixing, on a realtime basis. Ternary superlattices consisting of three elements can clarify the effect of stacking sequence by comparison between the two types of superlattices with the reverse deposition sequences, since the effect caused by the combination of the same atomic species is cancelled out and the effect caused by the different stacking sequences remains. In the present paper, we review growth behaviors of binary and ternary metallic strained superlattices, especially magnetic ones, investigated mainly by our group, and summarize the discussion on their magnetic properties, mainly on the magnetic anisotropy, in terms of their structural characteristics. First, we introduce our RHEED system that works efficiently under a magnetic field arising from evaporation sources for low vapor-pressure materials. Then, MBE-grown binary strained superlattices, Co/Au, Co/Pt and Cu/Au, are discussed, with comparing to incoherent superlattices of Co/Ag and Cu/Ag having nearly the same lattice mismatch of constituents. Next, we review ternary strained superlattices with immiscible constituents with reverse deposition order, Au/Co/Ag and Ag/Co/Au superlattices, and Au/Co/Cu and Cu/Co/Au superlattices, in relation to the growth behaviors of binary superlattices. Finally, ternary strained superlattices containing both miscible and immiscible constituents, Pt/Co/Ag and Ag/Co/Pt superlattices, and Au/Ni/Ag and Ag/Ni/Au superlattices, are reviewed.

Phase Formation in a Wedged Au-Ag-Cu Multilayered Structure

ABSTRACTAn advanced method for investigation of multicomponent systems is proposed. Thin wedged-shape films of pure components are subsequently deposited to form a multilayered structure with continuously-varying composition as a function of sample location, providing a large number of differently composed samples in one deposition run. Each sample is then subjected to various heat treatments, and phase content as well as the microstructure formed is under investigation.In this study an Au-Ag-Cu multilayered structure was sputtered at a room temperature onto 55 Formvar-coated Mo grids. The satellite-like X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) patterns of these samples revealed the formation of an artificial composition-modulated ternary superlattice, complete destruction of which was observed during heat treatments, where phase formation according to the ternary Au-Ag-Cu phase diagram took place.Several aspects of phase formation were analyzed using XRD, Electron Probe for Micro- Analysis (EPMA) in Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) combined with Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED), Digital X-Ray Mapping (DXM), Secondary Electron Mapping and EPMA methods.

Quasibinary ordering of ternary alloys

The problem of ordering in ternary alloys is considered for the case when a partially ordered phase is formed (quasibinary configuration of a ternary alloy). A. G. Khachaturyan's method is used to construct possible functions for the distribution of atoms over the points of the crystal lattice. A possible ternary superlattice is predicted for the case when the quasibinary configuration corresponds to the superlattice B2, L12, L10.