Wide range tunable bandgap and composition β-phase (AlGa)2O3 thin film by thermal annealing

Che-Hao Liao, Kuang-Hui Li, Carlos Gerardo Torres Castanedo, Guozheng Zhang, Xiaohang Li

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

32 Scopus citations

Abstract

We have demonstrated wide bandgap and composition range b-(AlxGa1x)2O3 thin films by employing thermal annealing of b-Ga2O3/ sapphire templates. With proper annealing conditions at 1000–1500 C, the b-Ga2O3 thin films transformed to the b-(AlxGa1x)2O3 thin films with different bandgaps and compositions due to the Al diffusion from sapphire. Meanwhile, the Ga atoms diffused into sapphire. The interdiffusion process caused an increased film thickness, which was enhanced in proportion to the annealing temperature. It was confirmed by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and transmission electron microscopy. Thus, higher temperatures resulted in high Al contents in the b-(AlxGa1x)2O3 films. Also, the SIMS measurements show highly homogeneous Al contents throughout the b-(AlxGa1x)2O3 films annealed at 1200 C and above. Evaluated by x-ray diffraction (XRD), the Al content range of the samples is 0–0.81 for the b-Ga2O3 templates without annealing and with annealing up to 1500 C. Evaluated by UV-Vis spectroscopy, the optical bandgap range of the samples is 4.88–6.38 eV for the b-Ga2O3 templates without annealing and with annealing up to 1400 C, translating to the Al content range of 0–0.72. Moreover, the crystal quality of b-(AlxGa1x)2O3 improved as the Al composition became larger due to higher annealing temperatures. The proposed technique is promising for the preparation of b-(AlxGa1x)2O3 thin films without employing “direct-growth” techniques.
Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)032103
JournalApplied Physics Letters
Volume118
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 18 2021

Bibliographical note

KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2021-01-21

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Wide range tunable bandgap and composition β-phase (AlGa)2O3 thin film by thermal annealing'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this