Two-dimensional electron gases in strained quantum wells for AlN/GaN/AlN double heterostructure field-effect transistors on AlN Appl. Phys. Lett.

We investigated the terahertz (THz)-frequency resonances of two-dimensional electron conductivity under the streaming transport in a GaN quantum well at the nitrogen temperature. The calculation results found that the negative microwave mobility can occur in the narrow windows near the optical-phonon transit-time resonance frequencies, which can be tuned electrically in the 0.2–2.5THz range with the static electric fields of 1–10kV∕cm. The estimated magnitude of the negative mobility reaches hundreds of cm2∕Vs. These effects suggest that the nitride-based heterostructure may enable the development of an electrically pumped, tunable THz source operating at or above 77K.

Conditions required for the streaming effect and the optical-phonon transit-time resonance to take place in a compensated bulk GaN are analyzed in detail. Monte Carlo calculations of the high-frequency differential electron mobility are carried out. It is shown that the negative dynamic differential mobility can be realized in the terahertz frequency range, at low lattice temperatures of 30-77 K, and applied electric fields of 3-10 kV/cm. New manifestations of the streaming effect are revealed, namely, the anisotropy of the dynamic differential mobility and a specific behavior of the diffusion coefficient in the direction perpendicular to the applied electric field. The theory of terahertz radiation transmission through the structure with an epitaxial GaN layer is developed. Conditions for the amplification of electromagnetic waves in the frequency range of 0.5-2 THz are obtained. The polarization dependence of the radiation transmission coefficient through the structure in electric fields above 1 kV/cm is found.

Temperature-dependent effective mass in AlGaN/GaN heterostructures was experimentally observed via THz time domain spectroscopy of 2D plasmons in the range of 80–300 K. Grating couplers with different periods and filling factors were developed in order to monitor the behavior of plasma resonances in transmission spectra in the frequency range of 0.5–3.5 THz. For the grating with a 50% filling factor, the fundamental modes were excited and observed at temperatures below 225 K. The change of the filling factor to 80% led to the excitation of the fundamental and second order plasma harmonics observable up to 300 K and 220 K, respectively. Moreover, with an increase in temperature, the 2D plasmons experienced the red-shift in transmission power and phase spectra of all samples. This phenomenon was explained by the renormalization of effective mass, which started distinctly to deviate at 134 K temperature and at 295 K increased up to 55% of its nominal value. The THz spectroscopy of 2D plasmons further confirms a temperature-dependent effective mass in AlGaN/GaN heterostructures as reported previously in optical Hall effect studies.

Ternary mixed crystal effect on electron mobility in a strained wurtzite AlN/GaN/AlN quantum well with an InxGa1−xN nanogroove

Two-dimensional plasmons were investigated by terahertz time domain spectroscopy observing experimentally the distinctive minima and inflection points in the transmission power amplitude and phase spectra, respectively. Gratings of different periods (600, 800, and 1000 nm) and filling factors (50 and 80%) were provided to the two-dimensional electron gas in AlGaN/GaN heterostructures in order to measure the plasmon dispersion and the coupling efficiency with THz radiation. Comparative analysis of experimental data revealed that the resonant plasmon features in the amplitude spectrum are related to those in the phase spectrum by a simple integral relation, paving the way for phase spectroscopy of the plasmon phenomena in fields of THz physics and engineering.

We present the results of experimental and theoretical studies of the surface plasmon polariton excitations in heavily doped GaN epitaxial layers. Reflection and emission of radiation in the frequency range of 2-20 THz including the Reststrahlen band were investigated for samples with grating etched on the sample surface, as well as for samples with flat surface. The reflectivity spectrum for p-polarized radiation measured for the sample with the surface-relief grating demonstrates a set of resonances associated with excitations of different surface plasmon polariton modes. Spectral peculiarities due to the diffraction effect have been also revealed. The characteristic features of the reflectivity spectrum, namely, frequencies, amplitudes, and widths of the resonance dips, are well described theoretically by a modified technique of rigorous coupled-wave analysis of Maxwell equations. The emissivity spectra of the samples were measured under epilayer temperature modulation by pulsed electric field. The emissivity spectrum of the sample with surface-relief grating shows emission peaks in the frequency ranges corresponding to the decay of the surface plasmon polariton modes. Theoretical analysis based on the blackbody-like radiation theory well describes the main peculiarities of the observed THz emission. V

We derive at first-order the carrier and velocity conservation equations and a pseudo-2D (P2D) Poisson equation in order to obtain an analytical model suitable for the study of the optical and electrical excitations of the plasma modes in a gated semiconductor channel of arbitrary thickness. We calculate the dispersion relation of the plasma waves appearing in the channel and the frequencies of the eigen modes for different boundary conditions (BCs). Then, we obtain and comment different THz-range frequency responses to an uniform optical beating or to an electrical excitation applied on the gate or the drain contacts. The effects of the different stimulations and boundary conditions are compared, and the responses, characterized by sharp resonances in the THz range, are interpreted as the sum of the contribution of the different hybrid plasma modes excited in the slab.