Epitaxial Growth of p-Type Cu-Doped Ga₂O₃ Nanoarrays on MgO Substrates

Abstract

This study reports the successful growth of aligned Cu-doped β-Ga2O3 nanoarrays using the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. A MgO substrate was employed for epitaxial growth of Ga2O3 due to the lower lattice mismatch compared to sapphire and silicon. The morphology, growth mechanism, and optical and photoelectrochemical properties of Cu-doped β-Ga2O3 nanoarrays were thoroughly characterized. The experimental results indicate that doped Cu exists in the form of monovalent cuprous ions Cu+. Additionally, the β-Ga2O3 nanoarrays will exhibit p-type semiconductor properties after Cu doping at certain conditions. Therefore, this material has great potential for applications, particularly in the fields of photoelectrocatalysis and photoluminescence. These research findings provide an important reference for expanding the new application areas of Ga2O3.