Lattice-mismatched semiconductor heterostructures

• Published in: arXiv.org 2018-12
• Main Authors: Liu, Dong, Cho, Sang June, Jung-Hun Seo, Kim, Kwangeun, Kim, Munho, Shi, Jian, Yin, Xin, Choi, Wonsik, Zhang, Chen, Kim, Jisoo, Baboli, Mohadeseh A, Park, Jeongpil, Bong, Jihye, Lee, In-Kyu, Gong, Jiarui, Solomon, Mikael, Jae Ha Ryu, Mohseni, Parsian K, Li, Xiuling, Gong, Shaoqin, Wang, Xudong, Ma, Zhenqiang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Diamonds; Epitaxial growth; Gallium nitrides; Germanium; Heterostructures; Lattices; Optoelectronics; Semiconductor devices; Silicon; Zincblende
• ISSN: 2331-8422

Semiconductor heterostructure is a critical building block for modern semiconductor devices. However, forming semiconductor heterostructures of lattice-mismatch has been a great challenge for several decades. Epitaxial growth is infeasible to form abrupt heterostructures with large lattice-mismatch while mechanical-thermal bonding results in a high density of interface defects and therefore severely limits device applications. Here we show an ultra-thin oxide-interfaced approach for the successful formation of lattice-mismatched semiconductor heterostructures. Following the depiction of a theory on the role of interface oxide in forming the heterostructures, we describe experimental demonstrations of Ge/Si (diamond lattices), Si/GaAs (zinc blende lattice), GaAs/GaN (hexagon lattice), and Si/GaN heterostructures. Extraordinary electrical performances in terms of ideality factor, current on/off ratio, and reverse breakdown voltage are measured from p-n diodes fabricated from the four types of heterostructures, significantly outperforming diodes derived from other methods. Our demonstrations indicate the versatility of the ultra-thin-oxide-interface approach in forming lattice-mismatched heterostructures, open up a much larger possibility for material combinations for heterostructures, and pave the way toward broader applications in electronic and optoelectronic realms.