Binding Energy and Spin-Orbit Splitting of a Hydrogenic Donor Impurity in AlGaN/GaN Triangle-Shaped Potential Quantum Well

In the framework of effective-mass envelope function theory, including the effect of Rashba spin-orbit coupling, the binding energy E-b and spin-orbit split energy Gamma of the ground state of a hydrogenic donor impurity in AlGaN/GaN triangle-shaped potential heterointerface are calculated. We find that with the electric field of the heterojunction increasing, (1) the effective width of quantum well (W) over bar decreases and (2) the binding energy increases monotonously, and in the mean time, (3) the spin-orbit split energy Gamma decreases drastically. (4) The maximum of Gamma is 1.22 meV when the electric field of heterointerface is 1 MV/cm.

Anomalous shift of the beating nodes in illumination-controlled In1-xGaxAs/In1-yAlyAs two-dimensional electron gases with strong spin-orbit interaction

The beating patterns in the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillatory magnetoresistance originating from zero-field spin splitting of two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) in In0.52Al0.48As/InxGa1-xAs/In0.52Al0.48As quantum wells with silicon delta doped on the upper barrier layer have been investigated by means of magnetotransport measurements before and after illumination. Contrary to the expectation, after each illumination, the beating nodes induced by the zero-field spin-splitting effect shift to lower and lower magnetic field due to the decrease in the zero-field spin-splitting energy of the 2DEGs. The anomalous phenomenon of the shift of the beating nodes and the decrease in spin-orbit coupling constants after illumination cannot be explained by utilizing the previous linear Rashba model. It is suggested that the decrease in the zero-field spin-splitting energy and the spin-orbit coupling constant arise from the nonlinear Rashba spin splitting.

Effects of annealing treatment on the formation of CO2 in ZnO thin films grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

Post-growth annealing was carried out on ZnO thin films grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The grain size of ZnO thin film increases monotonically with annealing temperature. The ZnO thin films were preferential to c-axis oriented after annealing as confirmed by Xray diffraction (XRD) measurements. Fourier transformation infrared transmission measurements showed that ZnO films grown at low temperature contains CO2 molecules after post-growth annealing. A two-step reaction process has been proposed to explain the formation mechanism of CO2, which indicates the possible chemical reaction processes during the metal-organic chemical vapor deposition of ZnO films.

Electron concentration dependence of exciton localization and freeze-out at local potential fluctuations in InN films

InN films with electron concentration ranging from n similar to 10(17) to 10(20) cm(-3) grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) were investigated by variable-temperature photoluminescence and absorption measurements. The energy positions of absorption edge as well as photoluminescence peak of these InN samples with electron concentration above 10(18) cm(-3) show a distinct S-shape temperature dependence. With a model of potential fluctuations caused by electron-impurity interactions, the behavior can be quantitatively explained in terms of exciton freeze-out in local potential minima at sufficiently low temperatures, followed by thermal redistribution of the localized excitons when the band gap shrinks with increasing temperature. The exciton localization energy sigma (loc) is found to follow the n (5/12) power relation, which testifies to the observed strong localization effects in InN with high electron concentrations.

Photoluminescence spectroscopy and positron annihilation spectroscopy probe of alloying and annealing effects in nonpolar m-plane ZnMgO thin films

Temperature-dependent photoluminescence characteristics of non-polar m-plane ZnO and ZnMgO alloy films grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition have been studied. The enhancement in emission intensity caused by localized excitons in m-plane ZnMgO alloy films was directly observed and it can be further improved after annealing in nitrogen. The concentration of Zn vacancies in the films was increased by alloying with Mg, which was detected by positron annihilation spectroscopy. This result is very important to directly explain why undoped Zn1-xMgxO thin films can show p-type conduction by controlling Mg content, as discussed by Li [Appl. Phys. Lett. 91, 232115 (2007)].

Improved electroluminescence from n-ZnO/AlN/p-GaN heterojunction light-emitting diodes

n-ZnO/p-GaN heterojunction light-emitting diodes with and without a sandwiched AlN layer were fabricated. The electroluminescence (EL) spectrum acquired from the n-ZnO/p-GaN displays broad emission at 650 nm originating from ZnO and weak emission at 440 nm from GaN, whereas the n-ZnO/AlN/p-GaN exhibits strong violet emission at 405 nm from ZnO without GaN emission. The EL intensity is greatly enhanced by inserting a thin AlN intermediate layer and it can be attributed to the suppressed formation of the GaOx interfacial layer and confinement effect rendered by the AlN potential barrier layer.

Influence of band bending and polarization on the valence band offset measured by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

The influence of band bending and polarization on the valence band offset measured by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is discussed, and a modification method based on a modified self-consistent calculation is proposed to eliminate the influence and thus increasing the precision of XPS. Considering the spontaneous polarization at the surfaces and interfaces and the different positions of Fermi levels at the surfaces, we compare the energy band structures of Al/Ga-polar AlN/GaN and N-polar GaN/AlN heterojunctions, and give corrections to the XPS-measured valence band offsets. Other AlN/GaN heterojunctions and the piezoelectric polarization are also introduced and discussed in this paper.

Effects of Hydrogen Plasma Treatment on the Electrical and Optical Properties of ZnO Films: Identification of Hydrogen Donors in ZnO

Wurtzite ZnO has many potential applications in optoelectronic devices, and the hydrogenated ZnO exhibits excellent photoelectronic properties compared to undoped ZnO; however, the structure of H-related defects is still unclear. In this article, the effects of hydrogen-plasma treatment and subsequent annealing on the electrical and optical properties of ZnO films were investigated by a combination of Hall measurement, Raman scattering, and photoluminescence. It is found that two types of hydrogen-related defects, namely, the interstitial hydrogen located at the bond-centered (H-BC) and the hydrogen trapped at a O vacancy (H-O), are responsible for the n-type background conductivity of ZnO films. Besides introducing two hydrogen-related donor states, the incorporated hydrogen passivates defects at grain boundaries. With increasing annealing temperatures, the unstable H-BC atoms gradually diffuse out of the ZnO films and part of them are converted into H-O, which gives rise to two anomalous Raman peaks at 275 and 510 cm(-1). These results help to clarify the relationship between the hydrogen-related defects in ZnO described in various studies and the free carriers that are produced by the introduction of hydrogen.

Valence band offset of MgO/TiO2 (rutile) heterojunction measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

The valence band offset (VBO) of MgO/TiO2 (rutile) heterojunction has been directly measured by Xray photoelectron spectroscopy. The VBO of the heterojunction is determined to be 1.6 +/- 0.3 eV and the conduction band offset (CBO) is deduced to be 3.2 +/- 0.3 eV, indicating that the heterojunction exhibits a type-I band alignment. These large values are sufficient for MgO to act as tunneling barriers in TiO2 based devices. The accurate determination of the valence and conduction band offsets is important for use of MgO as a buffer layer in TiO2 based field-effect transistors and dye-sensitized solar cells.

Measurement of w-InN/h-BN Heterojunction Band Offsets by X-Ray Photoemission Spectroscopy

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy has been used to measure the valence band offset (VBO) of the w-InN/h-BN heterojunction. We find that it is a type-II heterojunction with the VBO being -0.30 +/- A 0.09 eV and the corresponding conduction band offset (CBO) being 4.99 +/- A 0.09 eV. The accurate determination of VBO and CBO is important for designing the w-InN/h-BN-based electronic devices.

Magnetic barrier on strained graphene: A possible valley filter

We put forward a two-terminal valley filter based on a bulk graphene sheet under the modulations of both a local perpendicular magnetic field and a substrate strain. When only one of the two modulations is present, no valley polarization can be generated. A combination of the two modulations leads to a different (but not opposite) shifts of the K and K' valleys, which could be utilized to generate a valley-polarized current. The degree of the valley polarization can be tuned by the strain strength and the inclusion of a scalar potential. The valley polarization changes its polarity as the local magnetic field switches its direction.

A fast-settling frequency-presetting PLL frequency synthesizer with process variation compensation and spur reduction

This paper proposes a fast-settling frequency-presetting PLL frequency synthesizer. A mixed-signal VCO and a digital processor are developed to accurately preset the frequency of VCO and greatly reduce the settling time. An auxiliary tuning loop is introduced in order to reduce reference spur caused by leakage current. The digital processor can automatically compensate presetting frequency variation with process and temperature, and control the operation of the auxiliary tuning loop. A 1.2 GHz integer-N synthesizer with 1 MHz reference input Was implemented in a 0.18μm process. The measured results demonstrate that the typical settling time of the synthesizer is less than 3μs,and the phase noise is -108 dBc/Hz@1MHz.The reference spur is -52 dBc.

Effect of Carrier Gas Flux on ZnO Nanorod Arrays Grown by MOCVD

ZnO nanorod arrays with different morphologies were grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition （MOCVD）. The diameters of nanorods range from 150 nm to 20 nm through changing the carrier gas flux during the growth process. Measurements such as scanning electron microscope （SEM）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, Raman scattering and photoluminescence （pL） spectrum were employed to analyze the differences of these nanorods. It was found that when both carrier gas flux of Zn and O reactant are 1 SLM, we can obtain the best vertically aligned and uniform nanorods. Furthermore, the PL spectrum reveals a blueshift of UV emission peak, which may be assigned to the increase of surface effect.

Ferromagnetic MnSb Films Consisting of Nanorods and Nanoleaves

Ferromagnetic MnSb films were synthesized on Si wafers by physical vapor deposition. X-ray diffraction revealed that the films primarily consisted of MnSb alloy. Nanorods and nanoleaves were observed in the MnSb films by field-emission scanning electron microscopy. These nanorods had an average diameter of 20nm and a length of up to hundreds of nanometers. The nanoleaves had a width and thickness of about 100 and 20nm, respectively. Magnetic hysteresis loops were measured by an alternative gradient magnetometer, and the loops showed strong geometrical anisotropy.