The electrical and photodiode characteristics of ensemble and single p-GaN nanowire and n-Si heterojunction devices were studied. Ideality factor of the single nanowire p-GaN/n-Si device was found to be about three times lower compared to that of the ensemble nanowire device. Apart from the deep-level traps in p-GaN nanowires, defect states due to inhomogeneity in Mg dopants in the ensemble nanowire device are attributed to the origin of high ideality factor. Photovoltaic mode of ensemble nanowire device showed an improvement in the fill-factors up to 60 percent over the single nanowire device with fill-factors up to 30 percent. Reponsivity of the single nanowire device in photoconducting mode was found to be enhanced by five orders, at 470 nm. The enhanced photoresponse of the single nanowire device also confirms the photoconduction due to defect states in p-GaN nanowires.
Hybrid heterostructures based on bulk GaN and two-dimensional (2D) materials offer novel paths toward nanoelectronic devices with engineered features. Here, we study the electronic properties of a mixed-dimensional heterostructure composed of intrinsic n-doped MoS2 flakes transferred on p-doped GaN(0001) layers. Based on angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and high resolution X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (HR-XPS), we investigate the electronic structure modification induced by the interlayer interactions in MoS2/GaN heterostructure. In particular, a shift of the valence band with respect to the Fermi level for MoS2/GaN heterostructure is observed; which is the signature of a charge transfer from the 2D monolayer MoS2 to GaN. ARPES and HR-XPS revealed an interface dipole associated with local charge transfer from the GaN layer to the MoS2 monolayer. Valence and conduction band offsets between MoS2 and GaN are determined to be 0.77 and -0.51 eV, respectively. Based on the measured work functions and band bendings, we establish the formation of an interface dipole between GaN and MoS2 of 0.2 eV.
Li-based half-Heusler alloys have attracted much attention due to their potential applications in optoelectronics and because they carry the possibility of exhibiting large magnetic moments for spintronic applications. Due to their similarities to metastable zinc blende half-metals, the half-Heusler alloys $beta$-LiMnZ (Z = N, P and Si) were systematically examined for their electric, magnetic and stability properties at optimized lattice constants and strained lattice constants that exhibit half-metallic properties. Other phases of the half-Heusler structure ($alpha$ and $gamma$) are also reported here, but they are unlikely to be grown. The magnetic moments of these stable Li-based alloys are expected to reach as high as 4 $mu_{mathrm{B}}$ per unit cell when Z = Si and 5 $mu_{mathrm{B}}$ per unit cell when Z = N and P, however the antiferromagnetic spin configuration is energetically favored when Z is a pnictogen. $beta$-LiMnSi at a lattice constant 14% larger than its equilibrium lattice constant is a promising half-metal for spintronic applications due to its large magnetic moment and vibrational stability. The modified Slater--Pauling rule for these alloys is determined. Finally, a plausible method for developing half-metallic Li$_x$MnZ at equilibrium, by tuning $x$, is investigated, but, unlike tetragonalization, this type of alloying introduces local structural changes that destroy the half-metallicity.
The electronic properties of heterojunction electron gases formed in GaN/AlGaN core/shell nanowires with hexagonal and triangular cross-sections are studied theoretically. We show that at nanoscale dimensions, the non-polar hexagonal system exhibits degenerate quasi-one-dimensional electron gases at the hexagon corners, which transition to a core-centered electron gas at lower doping. In contrast, polar triangular core/shell nanowires show either a non-degenerate electron gas on the polar face or a single quasi-one-dimensional electron gas at the corner opposite the polar face, depending on the termination of the polar face. More generally, our results indicate that electron gases in closed nanoscale systems are qualitatively different from their bulk counterparts.
We present the combined analysis of the electroluminescence (EL) as well as the current-voltage (I-V) behavior of single, freestanding (In,Ga)N/GaN nanowire (NW) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in an unprocessed, self-assembled ensemble grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The data were acquired in a scanning electron microscope equipped with a micromanipulator and a luminescence detection system. Single NW spectra consist of emission lines originating from different quantum wells, and the width of the spectra increases with decreasing peak emission energy. The corresponding I-V characteristics are described well by the modified Shockley equation. The key advantage of this measurement approach is the possibility to correlate the EL intensity of a single NW LED with the actual current density in this NW. This way, the external quantum efficiency (EQE) can be investigated as a function of the current in a single NW LED. The comparison of the EQE characteristic of single NWs and the ensemble device allows a quite accurate determination of the actual number of emitting NWs in the working ensemble LED and the respective current densities in its individual NWs. This information is decisive for a meaningful and comprehensive characterization of a NW ensemble device, rendering the measurement approach employed here a very powerful analysis tool.
We have studied spin relaxation characteristics in a Ag nanowire covered with various oxide layers of Bi2O3, Al2O3, HfO2, MgO or AgOx by using non-local spin valve structures. The spin-flip probability, a ratio of momentum relaxation time to spin relaxation time at 10 K, exhibits a gradual increase with an atomic number of the oxide constituent elements, Mg, Al, Ag and Hf. Surprisingly the Bi2O3 capping was found to increase the probability by an order of magnitude compared with other oxide layers. This finding suggests the presence of an additional spin relaxation mechanism such as Rashba effect at the Ag/Bi2O3 interface, which cannot be explained by the simple Elliott-Yafet mechanism via phonon, impurity and surface scatterings. The Ag/Bi2O3 interface may provide functionality as a spin to charge interconversion layer.