Structural Characterization of Al0.37In0.63N/AlN/p-Si (111) Heterojunctions Grown by RF Sputtering for Solar Cell Applications

Arántzazu Núñez-Cascajero; Fernando B Naranjo; María de la Mata; Sergio I Molina

doi:10.3390/ma14092236

Structural Characterization of Al_0.37In_0.63N/AlN/p-Si (111) Heterojunctions Grown by RF Sputtering for Solar Cell Applications

Materials (Basel). 2021 Apr 27;14(9):2236. doi: 10.3390/ma14092236.

Authors

Arántzazu Núñez-Cascajero^{1

2}, Fernando B Naranjo¹, María de la Mata³, Sergio I Molina³

Affiliations

¹ Departamento de Electrónica, Universidad de Alcalá, GRIFO, 28871 Alcalá de Henares, Spain.
² Departamento de Tecnología Electrónica, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 28911 Leganés, Spain.
³ Departamento de Ciencias de los Materiales e Ingeniería Metalúrgica y Química Inorganica, Universidad de Cádiz, IMEYMAT, 11510 Cádiz, Spain.

Abstract

Compact Al_0.37In_0.63N layers were grown by radiofrequency sputtering on bare and 15 nm-thick AlN-buffered Si (111) substrates. The crystalline quality of the AlInN layers was studied by high-resolution X-ray diffraction measurements and transmission electron microscopy. Both techniques show an improvement of the structural properties when the AlInN layer is grown on a 15 nm-thick AlN buffer. The layer grown on bare silicon exhibits a thin amorphous interfacial layer between the substrate and the AlInN, which is not present in the layer grown on the AlN buffer layer. A reduction of the density of defects is also observed in the layer grown on the AlN buffer.

Keywords: AlInN; AlN buffer; III-nitrides; RF sputtering; TEM.