We report on a high-resolution x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HRXPS) study using synchrotron radiation, for the identification of the core level binding energies of Ga 3d and N 1s, from a stoichiometric Ga-polar GaN(0001)-1×1 sample.

Three surface shifted components were found on the stoichiometric surface for the Ga 3d feature. The first surface shifted component has a higher binding energy of 0.85 eV, and is interpreted as surface Ga with one of the N bonds replaced by an empty dangling bond. This structure is belonging to the stoichiometric clean and ordered Ga-polar GaN(0001)-1×1 surface. The second, with a binding energy relative the bulk of −0.76 eV, is interpreted as Ga with one of the bonds to a Ga atom, which indicates a slight excess of Ga on the surface. The third surface shifted component is shifted by 2.01 eV and is related to gallium oxide in different configurations.

The N 1s feature is complex with five surface shifted components relative the bulk were found. Two components with binding energy shifts of −0.54 eV and 0.47 eV are interpreted as surface shifted core levels from the stoichiometric, clean Ga-polar GaN(0001)-1×1 surface.

We also analysed the Ga 3d spectrum after deposition of 1.5 ML of Ga on a stoichiometric surface. The surface shift for the Ga 3d5/2 component from the Ga overlayer is −1.74 eV relative the bulk GaN.

The C 1s and O 1s core levels from remaining surface contamination have also been line shaped analysed and show complex structures.

The development of high emission power green light emitting diodes chips using GaInN/GaN multi quantum well heterostructures on sapphire substrate in our group is being reviewed. We analyze the electronic bandstructure in highly polarized GaInN/GaN quantum wells to identify the appropriate device structures. We describe the optimization of the epitaxial growth for highest device performance. Applying several optimization schemes, we find that lateral smoothness and homogeneity of the active region as characterized by atomic force microscopy is a most telling character of high yield, high output power devices emitting near 525 nm. In un-encapsulated epi-up mounted (400 μm)2 die we achieve 2.5 mW at 20 mA at 525 nm. We describe die performance, wafer yield, and process stability, and reproducibility for our production-scale implementation of this green LED die process.

We report on the time-resolved luminescence of the defect-related violet band from undoped AlN epitaxial layers grown on sapphire and SiC. For both measurements in photoluminescence and in cathodoluminescence a decay of algebraic nature at long times is observed. This is typical for donor-acceptor pair transitions. We compare the behavior of this band to that of the generically yellow luminescence of GaN.

Observation of GaN-based islands surrounded by V-defects in the barrier layer of green LED is reported for InGaN MQWs deposited under no hydrogen or at growth temperatures of less than 800°C. Nanoscale mechanical properties of the areas enclosed and outside of the ring defects does not show any appreciable variation as measured by UFM. Chemical etching of the MQW structure in addition to cross-sectional TEM analysis ruled out the possibility of growth of inversion domains of N-polar GaN in a Ga-polar GaN matrix.

AlN-SiC alloy crystals, with a thickness greater than 500 µm, were grown on 4H- and 6H-SiC substrates from a mixture of AlN and SiC powders by the sublimation-recondensation method at 1860-1990 °C. On-axis SiC substrates produced a rough surface covered with hexagonal grains, while 6H- and 4H- off-axis SiC substrates with different miscut angles (8° or 3.68°) formed a relatively smooth surface with terraces and steps. The substrate misorientation ensured that the AlN-SiC alloy crystals grew two dimensionally as identified by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed that the AlN-SiC alloys had the wurtzite structure. Electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) demonstrated that the resultant alloy crystals had non-stoichiometric ratios of Al:N and Si:C and a uniform composition throughout the alloy crystal from the interface to the surface. The composition ratio of Al:Si of the alloy crystals changed with the growth temperature, and differed from the original source composition, which was consistent with the results predicted by thermodynamic calculation of the solid-vapor distribution of each element. XPS detected the bonding between Si-C, Si-N, Si-O for the Si 2p spectra. The dislocation density decreased with the growth, which was lower than 106 cm−2 at the alloy surface, more than two orders of magnitude lower compared to regions close to the crystal/substrate interface, as determined by TEM.