arXiv subjects

Alexander Azarov

Publications and source records attributed to Alexander Azarov.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Ions leaving no tracks

The paths of swift heavy ions are typically traceable in solids, because of confined electronic interactions along the paths, inducing what is known in literature as 'ion tracks', i.e. nano-sized in cross-section cylindrical zones of modified material extending for microns in length. Such tracks readily form in materials exhibiting low thermal conductivities, in particular insulators or semiconductors, altering the homogeneity of materials. In this work, using recently discovered gamma/beta-Ga2O3 polymorph heterostructures we show that, in contrast to the trends in many other materials, including that in beta-Ga2O3, swift heavy ions leave no tracks in gamma-Ga2O3. We explained this trend in terms of amazingly fast disorder recovery, occurring because of multiple configurations in the gamma-Ga2O3 lattice itself, so that the disorder formed by ion impacts gets rapidly erased, giving a perception of ions leaving no tracks. As such, gamma-Ga2O3, readily integrated with beta-Ga2O3 in polymorph heterostructures, may become a promising semiconductor platform for devices capable to operate in extremely harsh radiation environments.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Microtubes and nanomembranes by ion-beam-induced exfoliation of $\beta$-Ga$_{2}$O$_{3}$

This paper reports an innovative process to fabricate $\beta$-Ga$_{2}$O$_{3}$ microtubes and nanomembranes based on ion implantation in (100)-oriented single-crystals. We show that, under specific flux and fluence conditions, the irradiation-induced strain profile promotes the detachment and rolling-up of a thin surface layer, forming a microtube. The strain-disorder interplay was investigated in detail for Cr-implanted $\beta$-Ga$_{2}$O$_{3}$ with a range of complementary methods, showing an excellent agreement between experimental and simulation data, and suggesting an exfoliation mechanism that is correlated with the anisotropic nature of the $\beta$-Ga$_{2}$O$_{3}$ monoclinic system and its easy-cleavage planes. Moreover, these microtubes can be unrolled upon a subsequent annealing step, resulting in nanomembranes with bulk-like crystalline quality that can be transferred to other substrates. The recovery of the implantation-induced damage under thermal annealing has also been studied, showing a remarkable recovery at moderate temperatures (~500 {\deg}C). This observation underscores the potential of this method for the scalable production of nanomembranes with improved reproducibility compared to conventional mechanical exfoliation techniques. Importantly, such exfoliation can be done employing different ions, providing simultaneous $\beta$-Ga$_{2}$O$_{3}$ doping, chosen to control the structural, optical, magnetic and electrical properties of the nanomembranes, thus tailoring them to fit the desired applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Optical library of Ga2O3 polymorphs

Gallium oxide is an emerging material of interest due to its unique combination of functional properties and the existence of multiple polymorphs - {\alpha}, {\beta}, {\gamma}, {\delta}, and {\kappa} - each exhibiting distinct characteristics arising from their different lattice symmetries. Optical properties are particularly important, as they determine potential device applications and enable phase identification. However, direct comparison of optical signatures, including key parameters such as bandgaps, is hindered by inconsistent, sparse, or even missing data in the literature. To address this issue, in the present work we systematically cross-correlate optical emission and absorption features of {\alpha}, {\beta}, {\gamma}, {\delta}, and {\kappa} thin films, as well as differently oriented {\beta}-phase bulk crystals and {\gamma}/{\beta} double polymorph structures. We demonstrate that optical bandgaps and emission features scale consistently across the polymorphs when methodological uncertainties are minimized by applying identical experimental conditions and unified analysis procedures to a structurally similar set of thin film samples. In addition, we extend conventional far field optical phase identification to the nanoscale by reporting near field optical signatures of Ga2O3 polymorphs via nano FTIR. Overall, the present dataset provides a comprehensive reference of near- and far-field optical polymorph signatures to support ongoing multidisciplinary research on Ga2O3.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Band Offsets at \beta/{\gamma}-$\mathrm{Ga}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{3}$ Interface

Ultrawide bandgap semiconductor gallium oxide (Ga2O3) and its polymorphs have recently attracted increasing attention across physics, materials science, and electronics communities. In particular, the self-organized formation of the beta/gamma-Ga2O3 double polymorph structures was demonstrated recently [A. Azarov et al., Nat. Commun. 14, 4855 (2023)], paving the way for prospective applications of such structures in electronics. Consequently, determining the conduction band offset in such structures is crucial since it dictates the behavior of conduction electrons at the interface and, consequently, the potential functionality of such interfaces. Thus, in this work, we calculate the band offsets at the beta/gamma-Ga2O3 interface using density functional theory in correlation with the data provided by the experimental atomistic interface analysis. Specifically, to unravel the strain state of the beta/gamma-Ga2O3 interface, nanoscale strain maps were recorded using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. In its turn, theoretically, lineup potential and vacuum alignment methods were used to analyze the band offsets, with and without strain, at the beta/gamma-Ga2O3 interface. Altogether, the collected results suggest that the band offsets between the beta and gamma phases are likely not exceeding a few hundred meV, remaining highly sensitive to the strain state at the interface. At this end, we conclude that even though the formation of a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at the beta/gamma interface is theoretically possible, the gradual strain relaxation--if it occurs as a function of the distance from the interface--poses a significant challenge, as it may shift the 2DEG localization or even reduce the overall probability of its formation.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Phase glides and self-organization of atomically abrupt interfaces out of stochastic disorder in $\alpha$-Ga$_{2}$O$_{3}$

Disorder-induced ordering and unprecedentedly high radiation tolerance in $\gamma$-phase of gallium oxide is a recent spectacular discovery at the intersection of the fundamental physics and electronic applications. Importantly, by far, these data were collected with initial samples in form of the thermodynamically stable $\beta$-phase of this material. Here, we investigate these phenomena starting instead from already metastable $\alpha$-phase and explain radically new trend occurring in the system. We argue that in contrast to that in $\beta$-to-$\gamma$ disorder-induced transitions, the O sublattice in $\alpha$-phase exhibits hexagonal close-packed structure, so that to activate $\alpha$-to-$\gamma$ transformation significant structural rearrangements are required in both Ga and O sublattices. Moreover, consistently with theoretical predictions, $\alpha$-to-$\gamma$ phase transformation requires accumulation of the substantial tensile strain to initiate otherwise impossible lattice glides. Thus, we explain the experimentally observed trends in term of the combination of disorder and strain governing the process. Finally, and perhaps most amazingly, we demonstrate atomically abrupt $\alpha$/$\gamma$ interfaces paradoxically self-organized out of the stochastic disorder.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Thermal Conductivity of Double Polymorph Ga2O3 Structures

Recently discovered double gamma/beta ({\gamma}/\b{eta}) polymorph Ga2O3 structures constitute a class of novel materials providing an option to modulate functional properties across interfaces without changing chemical compositions of materials, in contrast to that in conventional heterostructures. In this work, for the first time, we investigate thermal transport in such homo-interface structures as an example of their physical properties. Specifically, the cross-plane thermal conductivity (k) was measured by femtosecond laser-based time-domain thermoreflectance with MHz modulation rates, effectively obtaining depth profiles of the thermal conductivity across the {\gamma}/\b{eta}-Ga2O3 structures. In this way, the thermal conductivity of {\gamma}-Ga2O3 k=1.84{\div}2.11 W m-1K-1 was found to be independent of the initial \b{eta}-substrates orientations, in accordance with the cubic spinel structure of the {\gamma}-phase and consistently with the molecular dynamics simulation data. In its turn, the thermal conductivity of monoclinic \b{eta}-Ga2O3 showed a distinct anisotropy, with values ranging from 10 W m-1K-1 for [201] to 20 Wm-1K-1 for [010] orientations. Thus, for double {\gamma}/\b{eta} Ga2O3 polymorph structures formed on [010] \b{eta}-substrates, there is an order of magnitude difference in thermal conductivity across the {\gamma}/\b{eta} interface, which potentially can be exploited in thermal energy conversion applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Optical activity and phase transformations in {\gamma}/{\beta} Ga2O3 bilayers under annealing

Gallium oxide (Ga2O3) can be crystallized in several polymorphs exhibiting different physical properties. In this work, polymorphic structures consisting of the cubic defective spinel (gamma) film on the top of the monoclinic (beta) substrate were fabricated by disorder-induced ordering, known to be a practical way to stack these polymorphs together. Such bilayer structures were annealed to investigate the optical properties and phase transformations. Specifically, photoluminescence and diffuse reflectance spectroscopies were combined with transmission electron microscopy, Rutherford backscattering/channeling spectrometry and x-ray diffraction to monitor the evolutions. As a result we observe a two-stage annealing kinetics in gamma/beta Ga2O3 bilayers associated with the epitaxial gamma-to-beta regrowth at the interface at temperatures below 700 {\deg}C and a non-planar gamma-to-beta phase transformation starting at higher temperatures. Thus, the present data enhance understanding of the polymorphism in Ga2O3, interconnecting the phase transformation kinetics with the evolution of the optical properties.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Self-assembling of multilayered polymorphs with ion beams

Polymorphism contributes to the diversity of nature, so that even materials having identical chemical compositions exhibit variations in properties because of different lattice symmetries. Thus, if stacked together into multilayers, polymorphs may work as an alternative approach to the sequential deposition of layers with different chemical compositions. However, selective polymorph crystallization during conventional thin film synthesis is not trivial; e.g. opting for step-like changes of temperature and/or pressure correlated with switching from one polymorph to another during synthesis is tricky, since it may cause degradation of the structural quality. In the present work, applying the disorder-induced ordering approach we fabricated such multilayered polymorph structures using ion beams. We show that during ion irradiation of gallium oxide, the dynamic annealing of disorder may be tuned towards self-assembling of several polymorph interfaces, consistently with theoretical modelling. Specifically, we demonstrated multilayers with two polymorph interface repetitions obtained in one ion beam assisted fabrication step. Importantly, single crystal structure of the polymorphs was maintained in between interfaces exhibiting repeatable crystallographic relationships, correlating with optical cross-sectional maps. This data paves the way for enhancing functionalities in materials with not previously thought capabilities of ion beam technology.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Crystallization Instead of Amorphization in Collision Cascades in Gallium Oxide

Disordering of solids typically leads to amorphization, but polymorph transitions, facilitated by favorable atomic rearrangements, may temporarily help to maintain long-range periodicity in the solid state. In far-from-equilibrium situations, such as atomic collision cascades, these rearrangements may not necessarily follow a thermodynamically gainful path, but may be kinetically limited. In this Letter, we focused on such crystallization instead of amorphization in collision cascades in gallium oxide (\ce{Ga2O3}). We determined the disorder threshold for irreversible $\beta$-to-$\gamma$ polymorph transition and explained why it results in elevating energy to that of the $\gamma$-polymorph, which exhibits the highest polymorph energy in the system below the amorphous state. Specifically, we demonstrate that upon reaching the disorder transition threshold, the \ce{Ga}-sublattice kinetically favors transitioning to the $\gamma$-like configuration, requiring significantly less migration for \ce{Ga} atoms to reach the lattice sites during post-cascade processes. As such, our data provide a consistent explanation of this remarkable phenomenon and can serve as a toolbox for predictive multi-polymorph fabrication.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Universal radiation tolerant semiconductor

Radiation tolerance is determined as the ability of crystalline materials to withstand the accumulation of the radiation induced disorder. Nevertheless, for sufficiently high fluences, in all by far known semiconductors it ends up with either very high disorder levels or amorphization. Here we show that gamma/beta double polymorph Ga2O3 structures exhibit remarkably high radiation tolerance. Specifically, for room temperature experiments, they tolerate a disorder equivalent to hundreds of displacements per atom, without severe degradations of crystallinity; in comparison with, e.g., Si amorphizable already with the lattice atoms displaced just once. We explain this behavior by an interesting combination of the Ga- and O- sublattice properties in gamma-Ga2O3. In particular, O-sublattice exhibits a strong recrystallization trend to recover the face-centered-cubic stacking despite the stronger displacement of O atoms compared to Ga during the active periods of cascades. Notably, we also explained the origin of the beta-to-gamma Ga2O3 transformation, as a function of the increased disorder in beta-Ga2O3 and studied the phenomena as a function of the chemical nature of the implanted atoms. As a result, we conclude that gamma/beta double polymorph Ga2O3 structures, in terms of their radiation tolerance properties, benchmark a class of universal radiation tolerant semiconductors.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Interplay of the disorder and strain in gallium oxide

Ion irradiation is a powerful tool to tune properties of semiconductors and, in particular, of gallium oxide (Ga2O3) which is a promising ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor exhibiting phase instability for high enough strain/disorder levels. In the present paper we observed an interesting interplay between the disorder and strain in monoclinic \b{eta}-Ga2O3 single crystals by comparing atomic and cluster ion irradiations as well as atomic ions co-implants. The results obtained by a combination of the channeling technique, x-ray diffraction and theoretical calculations show that the disorder accumulation in \b{eta}-Ga2O3 exhibits superlinear behavior as a function of the collision cascade density. Moreover, the level of strain in the implanted region can be engineered by changing the disorder conditions in the near surface layer. The results can be used for better understanding of the radiation effects in \b{eta}-Ga2O3 and imply that disorder/strain interplay provides an additional degree of freedom to maintain desirable strain in Ga2O3, potentially applicable to modify the rate of the polymorphic transitions in this material.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Disorder-induced ordering in gallium oxide polymorphs

Polymorphs are common in nature and can be stabilized by applying external pressure in materials. The pressure/strain can also be induced by the gradually accumulated radiation disorder. However, in semiconductors, the radiation disorder accumulation typically results in the amorphization instead of engaging polymorphism. By studying these phenomena in gallium oxide we found that the amorphization may be prominently suppressed by the monoclinic to orthorhombic phase transition. Utilizing this discovery, a highly oriented single-phase orthorhombic film on the top of the monoclinic gallium oxide substrate was fabricated. Exploring this system, a novel mode of a lateral polymorphic regrowth, not previously observed in solids, was detected. In combination, these data envisage a new direction of research on polymorphs in Ga2O3 and, potentially, for similar polymorphic families in other materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Boron-doping of cubic SiC for intermediate band solar cells: a scanning transmission electron microscopy study

Boron (B) has the potential for generating an intermediate band in cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC), turning this material into a highly efficient absorber for single-junction solar cells. The formation of a delocalized band demands high concentration of the foreign element, but the precipitation behavior of B in the 3C polymorph of SiC is not well known. Here, probe-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy and secondary-ion mass spectrometry are used to investigate precipitation mechanisms in B-implanted 3C-SiC as a function of temperature. Point-defect clustering was detected after annealing at 1273 K, while stacking faults, B-rich precipitates and dislocation networks developed in the 1573 - 1773 K range. The precipitates adopted the rhombohedral B13C2 structure and trapped B up to 1773 K. Above this temperature, higher solubility reduced precipitation and free B diffused out of the implantation layer. Dopant concentrations E19 at.cm-3 were achieved at 1873 K.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

GaZn-VZn acceptor complex defect in Ga-doped ZnO

Identification of complex defect has been a long-sought-after physics problem for controlling the defect population and engineering the useful properties in wide bandgap oxide semiconductors. Here we report a systematic study of (GaZn-VZn)- acceptor complex defect via zinc self-diffusion in Ga-doped ZnO isotopic heterostructures, which were conceived and prepared with delicately controlled growth conditions. The secondary ion mass spectrometry and temperature-dependent Hall-effect measurements reveal that a high density of controllable (GaZn-VZn)- is the predominant compensating defect in Ga-doped ZnO. The binding energy of this complex defect obtained from zinc self-diffusion experiments (~0.78 eV) well matches the electrical activation energy derived from the temperature-dependent electrical measurements (~0.82 eV). The compensation ratios were quantitatively calculated by energetic analysis and scattering process to further validate the compensation effect of (GaZn-VZn)- complex in Ga-doped ZnO. Meanwhile, its energy level structure was suggested based on the photoluminescence spectra, and the lifetime was achieved from the time-resolved photoluminescence measurements. The electron transitions between the (GaZn-VZn)- complex defect levels emit the light at ~650 nm with a lifetime of 10-20 nanoseconds. These findings may greatly pave the way towards novel complex defects-derived optical applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

Oxygen vacancies: The origin of n-type conductivity in ZnO

Oxygen vacancy (VO) is a common native point defects that plays crucial roles in determining the physical and chemical properties of metal oxides such as ZnO. However, fundamental understanding of VO is still very sparse. Specifically, whether VO is mainly responsible for the n-type conductivity in ZnO has been still unsettled in the past fifty years. Here we report on a study of oxygen self-diffusion by conceiving and growing oxygen-isotope ZnO heterostructures with delicately-controlled chemical potential and Fermi level. The diffusion process is found to be predominantly mediated by VO. We further demonstrate that, in contrast to the general belief of their neutral attribute, the oxygen vacancies in ZnO are actually +2 charged and thus responsible for the unintentional n-type conductivity as well as the non-stoichiometry of ZnO. The methodology can be extended to study oxygen-related point defects and their energetics in other technologically important oxide materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2014

Germanium-based quantum emitters for time-reordering entanglement scheme with degenerate exciton and biexciton states

We address the photoluminescence emission of individual germanium extrinsic centers in Al_0.3Ga0.7As epilayers grown on germanium substrates. Through a thorough analysis of micro-photoluminescence experiments we demonstrate the capability of high temperature emission (70 K) and multiexcitonic features (neutral exciton X, biexciton XX, positive X+ and negative X- charged exciton) of these quantum emitters. Finally, we investigate the renormalization of each energy level showing a large and systematic change of the binding energy of XX and X+ from positive to negative values (from ~+5 meV up to ~-7 meV covering about ~ 70 meV of the emission energy) with increasing quantum confinement. These light emitters exhibiting energy-degenerate X and XX energy levels at ~1.855 eV (680 nm) are a promising resource for the generation of entangled photons in the time-reordering scheme on a silicon platform.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

Fluorine doping: A feasible solution to enhancing the conductivity of high-resistance wide bandgap Mg0.51Zn0.49O active components

N-type doping of high-resistance wide bandgap semiconductors, wurtzite high-Mg-content MgxZn1-xO for instance, has always been a fundamental application-motivated research issue. Herein, we report a solution to enhancing the conductivity of high-resistance Mg0.51Zn0.49O active components, which has been reliably achieved by fluorine doping via radio-frequency plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxial growth. Fluorine dopants were demonstrated to be effective donors in Mg0.51Zn0.49O single crystal film having a solar-blind 4.43 eV bandgap, with an average concentration of 1.0E19 F/cm3.The dramatically increased carrier concentration (2.85E17 cm-3 vs ~1014 cm-3) and decreased resistivity (129 ohm.cm vs ~10E6 ohm cm) indicate that the electrical properties of semi-insulating Mg0.51Zn0.49O film can be delicately regulated by F doping. Interestingly, two donor levels (17 meV and 74 meV) associated with F were revealed by temperature-dependent Hall measurements. A Schottky type metal-semiconductor-metal ultraviolet photodetector manifests a remarkably enhanced photocurrent, two orders of magnitude higher than that of the undoped counterpart. The responsivity is greatly enhanced from 0.34 mA/W to 52 mA/W under 10 V bias. The detectivity increases from 1.89E9 cm Hz1/2/W to 3.58eE10 cm Hz1/2/W under 10 V bias at room temperature.These results exhibit F doping serves as a promising pathway for improving the performance of high-Mg-content MgxZn1-xO-based devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗