Self-healing thermal annealing : surface morphological restructuring control of GaN nanorods

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Conroy, Michelle and Li, Haoning and Zubialevich, Vitaly Z. and Kusch, Gunnar and Schmidt, Michael and Collins, Timothy and Glynn, Colm and Martin, Robert W. and O'Dwyer, Colm and Holmes, Justin D. and Parbrook, Peter J. and Morris, Michael D. (2016) Self-healing thermal annealing : surface morphological restructuring control of GaN nanorods. Crystal Growth and Design, 16 (12). pp. 6769-6775. ISSN 1528-7483 (https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.6b00756)

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Abstract

With advances in nanolithography and dry etching, top-down methods of nanostructuring have become a widely used tool for improving the efficiency of optoelectronics. These nano dimensions can offer various benefits to the device performance in terms of light extraction and efficiency, but often at the expense of emission color quality. Broadening of the target emission peak and unwanted yellow luminescence are characteristic defect-related effects due to the ion beam etching damage, particularly for III–N based materials. In this article we focus on GaN based nanorods, showing that through thermal annealing the surface roughness and deformities of the crystal structure can be “self-healed”. Correlative electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy show the change from spherical nanorods to faceted hexagonal structures, revealing the temperature-dependent surface morphology faceting evolution. The faceted nanorods were shown to be strain- and defect-free by cathodoluminescence hyperspectral imaging, micro-Raman, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In-situ TEM thermal annealing experiments allowed for real time observation of dislocation movements and surface restructuring observed in ex-situ annealing TEM sampling. This thermal annealing investigation gives new insight into the redistribution path of GaN material and dislocation movement post growth, allowing for improved understanding and in turn advances in optoelectronic device processing of compound semiconductors.

ORCID iDs

Conroy, Michelle, Li, Haoning, Zubialevich, Vitaly Z., Kusch, Gunnar ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2743-1022, Schmidt, Michael, Collins, Timothy, Glynn, Colm, Martin, Robert W. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6119-764X, O'Dwyer, Colm, Holmes, Justin D., Parbrook, Peter J. and Morris, Michael D.;
  • Item type:Article
    ID code:60967
    Dates:
    Date
    Event
    7 December 2016
    Published
    31 October 2016
    Published Online
    19 May 2016
    Accepted
    Notes:This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Crystal Growth and Design, copyright © American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.6b00756
    Subjects:Science > Physics
    Department:Faculty of Science > Physics
    Depositing user: Pure Administrator
    Date deposited:15 Jun 2017 15:35
    Last modified:11 Nov 2024 11:42
    Related URLs:
    URI:https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/60967
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