Compact solid-state lamps based on light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are of current technological interest as an alternative to conventional light bulbs. The brightest LEDs available so far emit red light and exhibit higher luminous efficiency than fluorescent lamps. If this luminous efficiency could be transferred to white LEDs, power consumption would be dramatically reduced, with great economic and ecological consequences. But the luminous efficiency of existing white LEDs is still very low, owing to the presence of electrostatic fields within the active layers. These fields are generated by the spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization along the [0001] axis of hexagonal group-III nitrides--the commonly used materials for light generation. Unfortunately, as this crystallographic orientation corresponds to the natural growth direction of these materials deposited on currently available substrates. Here we demonstrate that the epitaxial growth of GaN/(Al,Ga)N on tetragonal LiAlO2 in a non-polar direction allows the fabrication of structures free of electrostatic fields, resulting in an improved quantum efficiency. We expect that this approach will pave the way towards highly efficient white LEDs.

We analyze the lineshape of x-ray diffraction profiles of GaN epitaxial layers with large densities of randomly distributed threading dislocations. The peaks are Gaussian only in the central, most intense part of the peak, while the tails obey a power law. The q −3 decay typical for random dislocations is observed in double-crystal rocking curves. The entire profile is well fitted by a restricted random dislocation distribution. The densities of both edge and screw threading dislocations and the ranges of dislocation correlations are obtained.

We demonstrate the fabrication of N-face GaN nanorods by metal organic vapour phase epitaxy (MOVPE), using continuous-flux conditions. This is in contrast to other approaches reported so far, which have been based on growth modes far off the conventional growth regimes. For position control of nanorods an SiO(2) masking layer with a dense hole pattern on a c-plane sapphire substrate was used. Nanorods with InGaN/GaN heterostructures have been grown catalyst-free. High growth rates up to 25 microm h(-1) were observed and a well-adjusted carrier gas mixture between hydrogen and nitrogen enabled homogeneous nanorod diameters down to 220 nm with aspect ratios of approximately 8:1. The structural quality and defect progression within nanorods were determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Different emission energies for InGaN quantum wells (QWs) could be assigned to different side facets by room temperature cathodoluminescence (CL) measurements.

International audienceThe formation mechanisms of GaN nanowires grown on a SixNy amorphous interlayer within a self-induced approach by molecular beam epitaxy have been investigated by combining in situ reflection high-energy electron-diffraction measurements with ex situ high-resolution transmission electron microscopy imaging. It is found that GaN initially nucleates as spherical cap-shaped islands with a wetting angle of 42 +/- 7 degrees. Subsequently, these islands coarsen and undergo a shape transition toward the nanowire morphology at an experimental critical radius of 5 nm. As the epitaxial constraint is very weak on an amorphous interlayer, the equivalent Laplace pressure due to the effects of surface stress has been taken into account. Analytical and finite-element method calculations show that the Laplace pressure results at the nanoscale dimensions in significant volume elastic strain in both spherical caps and nanowires. From thermodynamic considerations, it is revealed that the related strain energy density is slightly in favor of the shape transition toward the nanowire geometry owing to its higher ability to relieve the strain. Nevertheless, the anisotropy of surface energy is an even stronger driving force, since the nanowires are composed of c- and m-planes with very low surface energies. It is deduced that an energy barrier does exit for the shape transition and may be related to edge effects, resulting in a growth condition-dependent critical radius

International audienceThe formation mechanisms of epitaxial GaN nanowires grown within a self-induced approach by molecular-beam epitaxy have been investigated at the onset of the nucleation process by combining in situ reflection high-energy electron-diffraction measurements and ex situ high-resolution transmission electron microscopy imaging. It is shown that the self-induced growth of GaN nanowires on the AlN buffer layer is initially governed by the nucleation of dislocation-free coherent islands. These coherent islands develop through a series of shape transitions from spherical caps through truncated to full pyramids in order to elastically relieve the lattice-mismatch-induced strain. A strong correlation between the subsequent process of plastic relaxation and the final shape transition from full pyramids toward the very first nanowires is found. The experimental critical radius at which the misfit dislocation nucleates is in very good agreement with the theoretical critical radius for the formation of the misfit dislocation in full pyramids, showing that the plastic relaxation process does take place within full pyramids: this critical size corresponds to the initial radius of the very first nanowires. We associate the plastic relaxation of the lattice-mismatch-induced strain occurring within full pyramids with a drastic change in their total free energy: this gives rise to a driving force for the shape transition toward the very first nanowires, which is mainly due to the anisotropy of surface energy

The growth conditions to achieve group-III-nitride nanocolumns and nanocolumnar heterostructures by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy are studied. The evolution of the nanocolumnar morphology with the growth conditions is determined for (Ga,Al)N and (In,Ga)N nanocolumns. The mechanisms behind the nanocolumnar growth under high N-rich conditions are clarified in the sense that no seeding or catalysts are required, as it is the case in the vapour-liquid-solid model that applies to most nanocolumns grown by metal organic chemical vapour deposition, either with group-III nitrides, II -VI or III -V compounds. Some examples of nanocolumnar heterostructures are given, like quantum disks and cylindrical nanocavities. Preliminary results on the growth of arrays of ordered GaN nanocolumns are reported.

We present the first study relating structural parameters of precipitate-free Ge 0:95 Mn 0:05 films to magnetization data. Nanometer-sized clusters -areas with increased Mn content on substitutional lattice sites compared to the host matrix -are detected in transmission electron microscopy analysis. The films show no overall spontaneous magnetization at all down to 2 K. The TEM and magnetization results are interpreted in terms of an assembly of superparamagnetic moments developing in the dense distribution of clusters. Each cluster individually turns ferromagnetic below an ordering temperature which depends on its volume and Mn content. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.237202 PACS numbers: 75.50.Pp, 68.37.Lp, 75.75.+a, 81.15.Hi The development of a novel class of materials combining standard semiconductors with magnetic elements has recently been driven by considerable technological as well as fundamental scientific interest. While the possibility of a seamless combination of magnetic and semiconducting systems using spins as an additional degree of freedom opens stimulating perspectives in the field of electronics [1,2], reports on materials displaying both semiconducting and ferromagnetic properties have induced great theoretical and experimental efforts in the understanding of the underlying physics [3]. Ga(Mn)As today represents one of the best understood ferromagnets. This material is one example of a diluted magnetic semiconductor (DMS), meaning a dispersion of the magnetic elements without affecting the semiconducting properties of the matrix [4]. The realization of DMS with maximized ferromagnetic ordering temperatures T C represents the ultimate objective in this field.Special attention has been given to technologically important group IV semiconductor based magnetic materials, with a prominent position for GeMn. Since the first claim of the realization of a Ge based DMS [5], most publications [5][6][7][8] have concentrated on reporting high T C ranging from 116 [5] to 285 K [6] and on interpreting the observed ferromagnetism in terms of DMS theories [9]. It is only recently that several of the former GeMn reports have been questioned by structural proofs [10] and hints [11] for the formation of intermetallic ferromagnetic compounds through phase separation in single crystals and lowtemperature molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) fabricated films, respectively. Up to now, only Li et al.[11] presentindirect -indications for the realization of precipitate-free GeMn. Considering the current discussion on the magnetic properties of GeMn, a study of the crystal structure, exploring the degree of Mn dispersion that can be reached in Ge, would obviously be beneficial for the field.In this Letter, we present the first study relating structural parameters of precipitate-free Ge 0:95 Mn 0:05 films to magnetization data, providing new insights into the interpretation of the magnetic properties of GeMn. Although the incorporation of Mn does not induce explicit phase separation, nanometer-sized areas with increased Mn cont...

Atom-thin transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have emerged as fascinating materials and key structures for electrocatalysis. So far, their edges, dopant heteroatoms and defects have been intensively explored as active sites for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) to split water. However, grain boundaries (GBs), a key type of defects in TMDs, have been overlooked due to their low density and large structural variations. Here, we demonstrate the synthesis of wafer-size atom-thin TMD films with an ultra-high-density of GBs, up to ~1012 cm−2. We propose a climb and drive 0D/2D interaction to explain the underlying growth mechanism. The electrocatalytic activity of the nanograin film is comprehensively examined by micro-electrochemical measurements, showing an excellent hydrogen-evolution performance (onset potential: −25 mV and Tafel slope: 54 mV dec−1), thus indicating an intrinsically high activation of the TMD GBs.