Magnesium gallium oxide (MgGaO) ternary alloys with band gap energy larger than ∼5.0 eV can provide opportunities for optoelectronics in the deep ultraviolet spectral range and power electronics with extremely high critical field strength. It is important to grow high-quality MgGaO alloys with varied Mg compositions and understand their structural and optical properties. From this perspective, 20 MgGaO samples with Mg atomic percentages from 0 to 100% were grown by using oxygen plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Band gap tuning from 5.03 to 5.89 eV was achieved for the ternary alloys, and all samples had a transmittance of over ∼90% in the visible spectral range. The lattice structures were confirmed to transform from the β phase in Ga-rich materials to the β and rocksalt mixture phase in high-Ga high-Mg alloys and to the pure rocksalt phase in Mg-rich alloys. How lattice parameters change with the increase of Mg atom % and the epitaxy relationship between MgGaO films and c-sapphire substrates were revealed.
Waste heat has been regarded as one of the most important renewable and green energy sources, and its widespread reclamation could help to reduce the negative impacts of global warming and the energy crisis.
An electrically pumped nitrogen doped p-type ZnO nanowires/undoped n-type ZnO thin film homojunction random laser with a 10-period SiO2/SiNx distributed Bragg reflector is demonstrated. The formation of p-n homojunction is confirmed by the current-voltage and photocurrent characteristics. The random lasing behaviors with a low threshold of around 3 mA are observed. The output power is measured to be 220 nW at a drive current of 16 mA.
Microstructural studies using transmission electron microscopy were performed on a ZnO:Mn diluted magnetic semiconductor thin film. The high-resolution imaging and electron diffraction reveal that the ZnO:Mn thin film has a high structural quality and is free of clustering/segregated phases. High-angle annular dark field imaging and x-ray diffraction patterns further support the absence of phase segregation in the film. Magnetotransport was studied on the ZnO:Mn samples, and from these measurements, the temperature dependence of the resistivity and magnetoresistance, electron carrier concentration, and anomalous Hall coefficient of the sample is discussed. The anomalous Hall coefficient depends on the resistivity, and from this relation, the presence of the quadratic dependence term supports the intrinsic spin-obit origin of the anomalous Hall effect in the ZnO:Mn thin film.
All Zn1−x Er x O (x=0.04, 0.05, and 0.17) films deposited on glass substrates by radio-frequency reactive magnetron sputtering exhibit the mixture of ferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases at room temperature. The estimated magnetic moment per Er ion decreases with the increase of Er concentration. The temperature dependence of the magnetization indicates that there is no intermetallic ErZn buried in the films. The ferromagnetism is attributed to the Er ions substitution for Zn2+ in ZnO lattices, and it can be interpreted by the bound-magnetic-polaron model.
Multiple boron-doped Ge quantum dots are investigated. The structure, which consists of 20 periods of Ge quantum dots stacked with 6 nm Si spacers, is grown on a Si (100) substrate by solid source molecular beam epitaxy. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy are used to characterize the structural properties of these Ge dots. Raman spectrum shows a downward shift of the Ge–Ge mode, which is attributed to the phonon confinement in the Ge dots. From polarization dependent Raman spectra, the strong inter-sub-level transition in the Ge quantum dots is observed. The transition is further confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy using a waveguide geometry. The observed peak at 5 μm in the infrared absorption spectrum is consistent with that in the Raman spectrum and attributed to the transition between the first two heavy hole band states of the Ge quantum dots. The polarization dependence measurement is used to study the nature of the transitions. This study suggests the possible use of Ge quantum dots for infrared detector application.