arXiv subjects

Jiarui Gong

Publications and source records attributed to Jiarui Gong.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Band alignment of grafted diamond/GaN p-n heterojunctions interfaced with ALD Al2O3 and SiNx/Al2O3

Diamond and gallium nitride are complementary semiconductors for forming p-n junctions because of their respective doping limitations. Understanding the band alignment of grafted diamond/GaN heterojunctions is therefore essential for optimizing diode performance. In this study, the band alignment of diamond/Al2O3/GaN and diamond/Al2O3/SiNx/GaN heterostructures was determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Both structures exhibit type-II band alignment, but with different band offsets. The band offsets of the diamond/Al2O3/SiNx/GaN heterojunction are larger by 0.42 eV than those of diamond/Al2O3/GaN. This difference is attributed to a modification of the interfacial electrostatic potential, which may arise from a reduced density of positive fixed charges in the interfacial dielectric near the diamond/Al2O3 interface after insertion of the SiNx layer. These results demonstrate that interfacial-layer engineering provides an effective strategy for tailoring the band alignment of grafted diamond/GaN heterojunctions, offering guidance for the design of p-n diodes with tunable rectifying characteristics.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Optoelectronically Active GaAs/GeSn-MQW/Ge Heterojunctions Created via Semiconductor Grafting

Traditionally, advancements in semiconductor devices have been driven by lattice-matched heterojunctions with tailored band alignments through heteroepitaxy techniques. However, there is significant interest in expanding the capabilities of heterojunction devices, in particular utilizing extreme lattice mismatches. We demonstrate the manipulation of device behaviors and performance enhancement achievable through a lattice-mismatched, single-crystalline GaAs/GeSn-multi-quantum well (MQW)/Ge n-i-p heterojunction by employing advanced semiconductor grafting technology. With engineered band alignment and optical field distribution, the grafted GaAs/GeSn-MQW/Ge n-i-p photodiode achieved outstanding performance: a record-low dark current density of 1.22E10^-7 A/cm^2, an extended spectral response from ~0.5 to 2 um, and improved photoresponsivity of RVIS of 0.85 A/W and RNIR of 0.40 A/W at 520 and 1570 nm, respectively. The dark current density is at least 5 orders of magnitude lower than state-of-the-art GeSn photodiodes. The photoresponsivity demonstrates an approximately sevenfold enhancement in the VIS range and a threefold improvement in the NIR range compared to the reference epitaxial photodiode. This work presents a unique strategy for constructing lattice-mismatched semiconductor heterojunction devices. More importantly, the implications transcend the current GaAs/GeSn-MQW/Ge example, offering potential applications in other material systems and freeing device design from the stringent lattice-matching constraints of conventional heteroepitaxy.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Wafer-scale Semiconductor Grafting: Enabling High-Performance, Lattice-Mismatched Heterojunctions

Semiconductor heterojunctions are foundational to many advanced electronic and optoelectronic devices. However, achieving high-quality, lattice-mismatched interfaces remains challenging, limiting both scalability and device performance. Semiconductor grafting offers a promising solution by directly forming electrically active, lattice-mismatched heterojunctions between dissimilar materials. However, its scalability and uniformity at the wafer level have yet to be demonstrated. This work demonstrates the achievement of highly uniform, reproducible results across silicon, sapphire, and gallium nitride (GaN) substrates using wafer-scale semiconductor grafting. To illustrate this scalability, we conducted an in-depth study of a grafted Si/GaN heterojunction, examining band alignment through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and confirming crystallinity and interfacial integrity with scanning transmission electron microscopy. The resulting p-n diodes exhibit significantly enhanced electrical performance and wafer-scale uniformity compared to conventional approaches. This work establishes wafer-scale semiconductor grafting as a versatile and scalable technology, bridging the gap between laboratory-scale research and industrial manufacturing for heterogeneous semiconductor integration, and paving the way for novel, high-performance electronic and optoelectronic devices.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2024

Si/AlN p-n heterojunction interfaced with ultrathin SiO2

Ultra-wide bandgap (UWBG) materials hold immense potential for high-power RF electronics and deep ultraviolet photonics. Among these, AlGaN emerges as a promising candidate, offering a tunable bandgap from 3.4 eV (GaN) to 6.1 eV (AlN) and remarkable material characteristics. However, achieving efficient p-type doping in high aluminum composition AlGaN remains a formidable challenge. This study presents an alternative approach to address this issue by fabricating a p+ Si/n-AlN/n+ AlGaN heterojunction structure by following the semiconductor grafting technique. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis revealed that the AlN and the nanomembrane surface exhibited a smooth topography with a roughness of 1.96 nm and 0.545 nm, respectively. High-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) confirmed a sharp and well-defined Si/AlN interface, with minimal defects and strong chemical bonding, crucial for efficient carrier transport. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements demonstrated a type-I heterojunction with a valence band offset of 2.73 eV-2.84 eV and a conduction band offset of 2.22 eV -2.11 eV. The pn diode devices exhibited a linear current-voltage (I-V) characteristic, an ideality factor of 1.92, and a rectification ratio of 3.3E4, with a turn-on voltage of indicating effective p-n heterojunction. Temperature-dependent I-V measurements showed stable operation up to 90 C. The heterojunction's high-quality interface and electrical performance showcase its potential for advanced AlGaN-based optoelectronic and electronic devices.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2024

Single-crystalline GaAs/Si Heterojunction Tunnel Diodes Interfaced by an Ultrathin Oxygen-enriched Layer

We report the fabrication and characteristics of GaAs/Si p+/n+ heterojunction tunnel diodes. These diodes were fabricated via grafting the freestanding single-crystalline p-type degenerately doped GaAs (4E19 cm-3) nanomembrane (NM) onto single-crystalline n-type Si (5E19 cm-3) substrate. At the heterointerface, an amorphous ultrathin oxygen-enriched layer (UOL) was intentionally engineered through chemical oxidation and atomic layer deposition (ALD). Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) confirmed the formation of the UOL and the single crystallinity of the grafted junction. The resulting tunnel diodes consistently exhibited negative differential resistance (NDR) behavior at room temperature, with a high maximum peak-to-valley current ratio (PVCR) of 36.38, valley voltages ranging from 1.3 to 1.8 V, and a peak tunneling current density of 0.95 kA/cm2. This study not only highlights the critical roles of the UOL as both an interface improvement layer and a quantum tunneling medium, but also establishes "semiconductor grafting" as an effective and versatile method for high-performance, lattice-mismatched heterojunction devices.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2024

Grafted AlGaAs/GeSn Optical Pumping Laser Operating up to 130 K

Group IV GeSn double-heterostructure (DHS) lasers offer unique advantages of a direct bandgap and CMOS compatibility. However, further improvements in laser performance have been bottlenecked by limited junction properties of GeSn through conventional epitaxy and wafer bonding. This work leverages semiconductor grafting to synthesize and characterize optically pumped ridge edge-emitting lasers (EELs) with an AlGaAs nanomembrane (NM) transfer-printed onto an epitaxially grown GeSn substrate, interfaced by an ultrathin Al2O3 layer. The grafted AlGaAs/GeSn DHS lasers show a lasing threshold of 11.06 mW at 77 K and a maximum lasing temperature of 130 K. These results highlight the potential of the grafting technique for enhancing charge carrier and optical field confinements, paving the way for room-temperature electrically injected GeSn lasers.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2024

Characterization of AlGaAs/GeSn heterojunction band alignment via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

GeSn-based SWIR lasers featuring imaging, sensing, and communications has gained dynamic development recently. However, the existing SiGeSn/GeSn double heterostructure lacks adequate electron confinement and is insufficient for room temperature lasing. The recently demonstrated semiconductor grafting technique provides a viable approach towards AlGaAs/GeSn p-i-n heterojunctions with better electron confinement and high-quality interfaces, promising for room temperature electrically pumped GeSn laser devices. Therefore, understanding and quantitatively characterizing the band alignment in this grafted heterojunction is crucial. In this study, we explore the band alignment in the grafted monocrystalline Al0.3Ga0.7As /Ge0.853Sn0.147 p-i-n heterojunction. We determined the bandgap values of AlGaAs and GeSn to be 1.81 eV and 0.434 eV by photoluminescence measurements, respectively. We further conducted X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements and extracted a valence band offset of 0.19 eV and a conduction band offset of 1.186 eV. A Type-I band alignment was confirmed which effectively confining electrons at the AlGaAs/GeSn interface. This study improves our understanding of the interfacial band structure in grafted AlGaAs/GeSn heterostructure, providing experimental evidence of the Type-I band alignment between AlGaAs and GeSn, and paving the way for their application in laser technologies.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2024

AlGaAs/GeSn p-i-n diode interfaced with ultrathin Al$_2$O$_3$

This study presents the fabrication and characterizations of an Al$_{0.3}$Ga$_{0.7}$As/Ge$_{0.87}$Sn$_{0.13}$/GeSn p-i-n double heterostructure (DHS) diode following the grafting approach for enhanced optoelectronic applications. By integrating ultra-thin Al$_2$O$_3$ as a quantum tunneling layer and enhancing interfacial double-side passivation, we achieved a heterostructure with a substantial 1.186 eV conduction band barrier between AlGaAs and GeSn, along with a low interfacial density of states. The diode demonstrated impressive electrical characteristics with high uniformity, including a mean ideality factor of 1.47 and a mean rectification ratio of 2.95E103 at +/-2 V across 326 devices, indicating high-quality device fabrication. Comprehensive electrical characterizations, including C-V and I-V profiling, affirm the diode's capability to provide robust electrical confinement and efficient carrier injection. These properties make the Al$_{0.3}$Ga$_{0.7}$As/Ge$_{0.87}$Sn$_{0.13}$/GeSn DHS a promising candidate for next-generation electrically pumped GeSn lasers, potentially operable at higher temperatures. Our results provide a viable pathway for further advancements in various GeSn-based devices.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2024

Structural and Electrical Properties of Grafted Si/GaAsSb Heterojunction

The short-wave infrared (SWIR) wavelength, especially 1.55 um, has attracted significant attention in various areas such as high-speed optical communication and LiDAR systems. Avalanche photodiodes (APDs) are a critical component as a receiver in these systems due to their internal gain which enhances the system performance. Silicon-based APDs are promising since they are CMOS compatible, but they are limited in detecting 1.55 um light detection. This study proposes a p-type Si on n-type GaAs0.51Sb0.49 (GaAsSb) lattice matched to InP substrates heterojunction formed using a grafting technique for future GaAsSb/Si APD technology. A p+Si nanomembrane is transferred onto the GaAsSb/AlInAs/InP substrate, with an ultrathin ALD-Al2O3 oxide at the interface, which behaves as both double-side passivation and quantum tunneling layers. The devices exhibit excellent surface morphology and interface quality, confirmed by atomic force microscope (AFM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Also, the current-voltage (I-V) of the p+Si/n-GaAsSb heterojunction shows ideal rectifying characteristics with an ideality factor of 1.15. The I-V tests across multiple devices confirm high consistency and yield. Furthermore, the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurement reveals that GaAsSb and Si are found to have type-II band alignment with a conduction band offset of 50 meV which is favorable for the high-bandwidth APD application. The demonstration of the GaAsSb/Si heterojunction highlights the potential to advance current SWIR PD technologies.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2023

Band alignment of grafted monocrystalline Si (001)/$β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ (010) p-n heterojunction determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Beta-phase gallium oxide ($β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$) research has gained accelerated pace due to its superiorly large bandgap and commercial availability of large-diameter native substrates. However, the high acceptor activation energy obstructs the development of homojunction bipolar devices employing $β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$. The recently demonstrated semiconductor grafting technique provides an alternative and viable approach towards lattice-mismatched $β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$-based p-n heterojunctions with high quality interfaces. Understanding and quantitatively characterizing the band alignment of the grafted heterojunctions is crucial for future bipolar device development employing the grafting method. In this work, we present a systematic study of the band alignment in the grafted monocrystalline Si/$β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ heterostructure by employing X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The core level peaks and valence band spectra of the Si, $β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$, and the grafted heterojunction were carefully obtained and analyzed. The band diagrams of the Si/$β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ heterostructure were constructed using two individual methods, the core level peak method and the valence band spectrum method, by utilizing the different portions of the measured data. The reconstructed band alignments of the Si/$β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ heterostructure using the two different methods are identical within the error range. The band alignment is also consistent with the prediction from the electron affinity values of Si and $β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$. The study suggests that the interface defect density in grafted Si/$β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ heterostructure is at a sufficiently low level such that Fermi level pinning at the interface has been completely avoided and the universal electron affinity rule can be safely employed to construct the band diagrams of grafted monocrystalline Si/$β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ heterostructures.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Demonstration of a monocrystalline GaAs-$β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ p-n heterojunction

In this work, we report the fabrication and characterizations of a monocrystalline GaAs/$β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ p-n heterojunction by employing semiconductor grafting technology. The heterojunction was created by lifting off and transfer printing a p-type GaAs single crystal nanomembrane to an Al$_2$O$_3$-coated n-type$β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ epitaxial substrate. The resultant heterojunction diodes exhibit remarkable performance metrics, including an ideality factor of 1.23, a high rectification ratio of 8.04E9 at +/- 4V, and a turn on voltage of 2.35 V. Furthermore, at +5 V, the diode displays a large current density of 2500 A/cm$^2$ along with a low ON resistance of 2 m$Ω\cdot$cm$^2$.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2023

Initial demonstration of AlGaAs-GaAsP-beta-Ga2O3 n-p-n double heterojunctions

Beta phase gallium oxides, an ultrawide-bandgap semiconductor, has great potential for future power and RF electronics applications but faces challenges in bipolar device applications due to the lack of p-type dopants. In this work, we demonstrate monocrystalline AlGaAs_GaAsP_beta phase gallium oxides n-p-n double-heterojunctions, synthesized using semiconductor grafting technology. By transfer printing an n-AlGaAs_p-GaAsP nanomembrane to the n-beta phase-Ga$_2$O$_3$ epitaxial substrate, we simultaneously achieved AlGaAs_GaAsP epitaxial n-p junction diode with an ideality factor of 1.29 and a rectification ratio of 2.57E3 at +/- 2 V, and grafted GaAsP_beta_phase_gallium oxides p-n junction diode exhibiting an ideality factor of 1.36 and a rectification ratio of 4.85E2 at +/- 2 V.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2023

Monocrystalline Si/$β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ p-n heterojunction diodes fabricated via grafting

The $β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ has exceptional electronic properties with vast potential in power and RF electronics. Despite the excellent demonstrations of high-performance unipolar devices, the lack of p-type doping in $β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ has hindered the development of Ga$_2$O$_3$-based bipolar devices. The approach of p-n diodes formed by polycrystalline p-type oxides with n-type $β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ can face severe challenges in further advancing the $β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ bipolar devices due to their unfavorable band alignment and the poor p-type oxide crystal quality. In this work, we applied the semiconductor grafting approach to fabricate monocrystalline Si/$β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ p-n diodes for the first time. With enhanced concentration of oxygen atoms at the interface of Si/$β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$, double side surface passivation was achieved for both Si and $β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ with an interface Dit value of 1-3 x 1012 /cm2 eV. A Si/$β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ p-n diode array with high fabrication yield was demonstrated along with a diode rectification of 1.3 x 107 at +/- 2 V, a diode ideality factor of 1.13 and avalanche reverse breakdown characteristics. The diodes C-V shows frequency dispersion-free characteristics from 10 kHz to 2 MHz. Our work has set the foundation toward future development of $β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$-based transistors.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2021

Influences of ALD Al$_2$O$_3$ on the surface band-bending of c-plane, Ga-face GaN and the implication to GaN-collector npn heterojunction bipolar transistors

Due to the lack of effective p-type doping in GaN and the adverse effects of surface band-bending of GaN on electron transport, developing practical GaN heterojunction bipolar transistors has been impossible. The recently demonstrated approach of grafting n-type GaN with p-type semiconductors, like Si and GaAs, by employing ultrathin (UO) Al$_2$O$_3$ at the interface of Si/GaN and GaAs/GaN, has shown the feasibility to overcome the poor p-type doping challenge of GaN by providing epitaxy-like interface quality. However, the surface band-bending of GaN that could be influenced by the UO Al2O3 has been unknown. In this work, the band-bending of c-plane, Ga-face GaN with UO Al2O3 deposition at the surface of GaN was studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The study shows that the UO Al2O3 can help in suppressing the upward band-bending of the c-plane, Ga-face GaN with a monotonic reduction trend of the upward band-bending energy from 0.48 eV down to 0.12 eV as the number of UO Al2O3 deposition cycles is increased from 0 to 20 cycles. The study further shows that the band-bending can be mostly recovered after removing the Al2O3 layer, concurring that the change in the density of fixed charge at the GaN surface caused by UO Al2O3 is the main reason for the surface band-bending modulation. The potential implication of the surface band-bending results of AlGaAs/GaAs/GaN npn heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) was preliminarily studied via Silvaco(R) simulations.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2018

Lattice-mismatched semiconductor heterostructures

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.

physics.app-ph↗