Modern data center power architecture developing trend is analyzed, efficiency improvement method is also discussed. Literature survey of high frequency isolated power conversion system which is also called solid state transformer is given including application, topology, device and magnetic transformer. Then developing trend of this research area is clearly shown following by research target. State of art wide band gap device including silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) devices are characterized and compared, final selection is made based on comparison result. Mostly used high frequency high power DC/DC converter topology dual active bridge (DAB) is introduced and compared with novel CLLC resonant converter in terms of switching loss and conduction loss point of view. CLLC holds ZVS capability over all load range and smaller turn off current value. This is beneficial for high frequency operation and taken as our candidate. Device loss breakdown of CLLC converter is also given in the end. Medium voltage high frequency transformer is the key element in terms of insulation safety, power density and efficiency. Firstly, two mostly used transformer structures are compared. Then transformer insulation requirement is referred for 4160 V application according to IEEE standard. Solid insulation material are also compared and selected. Material thickness and insulation distance are also determined. Insulation capability is preliminary verified in FEA electric field simulation. Thirdly two transformer magnetic loss model are introduced including core loss model and litz wire winding loss model. Transformer turn number is determined based on core loss and winding loss trade-off. Different core loss density and working frequency impact is carefully analyzed. Different materials show their best performance among different frequency range. Transformer prototype is developed following designed parameter. We test the developed 15 kW 500 kHz transformer under 4160 V dry type transformer IEEE Std. C57.12.01 standard, including basic lightning test, applied voltage test, partial discharge test. 500 kHz 15 kW CLLC converter gate drive is our design challenge in terms of symmetry propagation delay, cross talk phenomenon elimination and shoot through protection. Gate drive IC is carefully selected to achieve symmetrical propagation delay and high common mode dv/dt immunity. Zero turn off resistor is achieved with minimized gate loop inductance to prevent cross talk phenomenon. Desaturation protection is also employed to provide shoot through protection. Finally 15 kW 500 kHz CLLC resonant converter is developed based on 4160V 500 kHz transformer and tested up to full power level with 98% peak efficiency. / Master of Science / Modern data center power architecture developing trend is analyzed, efficiency improvement method is also discussed. At the same time high frequency operation is preferred to reduce reactive component size like transformer and capacitor. To achieve better trade-off between high efficiency and high frequency in our research. Literature survey of high frequency isolated DC/DC power converter is given including application, circuit topology, power electronics device and magnetic transformer. Then developing trend of this research area is clearly shown following by research target. State of art advance material based power electronics devices are characterized and compared, final selection is made based on comparison result. Mostly used high frequency high power DC/DC converter topology dual active bridge (DAB) is introduced and compared with novel CLLC resonant converter in terms of converter loss. CLLC holds smaller converter loss. This is beneficial for high frequency operation and taken as our candidate. Medium voltage high frequency transformer is the key element in terms of insulation safety, power density and efficiency. Firstly, two mostly used transformer structures are compared. Then transformer insulation requirement is referred for 4160 V application according to IEEE standard. Solid insulation material are also compared and selected. Material thickness and insulation distance are also determined. Thirdly transformer loss model are introduced including core loss model and winding loss model. Transformer turn number is determined based on transformer loss and volume trade-off. Transformer prototype is developed following designed parameter. We test the developed transformer under IEEE standard requirement and pass all the test. Converter gate drive is one of our design challenge. We need to achieve symmetrical propagation delay between command signal and final drive circuit output, suppress interference from other high frequency switching devices, and protect device under short circuit condition. Gate drive IC is carefully selected to achieve symmetrical propagation delay and suppress other’s interference. Device conduction voltage is employed to compare with threshold value to determine whether it is under short circuit condition. Finally 15 kW 500 kHz CLLC resonant converter is developed based on 4160V 500 kHz transformer and tested up to full power level with 98% peak efficiency.

Power semiconductor device, as a significant contributor to power electronics industry, plays an indispensable role in energy conversion applications including electric vehicles, data centers, consumer electronics, power grids, etc. The evolution of power semiconductor materials has progressed from traditional silicon (Si) to wide-bandgap materials including silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN). Benefitting from the wide bandgap, high electron mobility and good thermal conductivity of GaN, GaN-based power devices can achieve fast switching speed, high breakdown voltage, and small on-resistance. They have been deployed in numerous power electronics applications, outperforming the Si and SiC counterparts. Nevertheless, despite their inherent advantages, the commercialization of GaN devices, particularly high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs), has predominantly been confined to the low-voltage domain of typically below 650 volts. This limitation blocks GaN HEMTs for medium- and high-voltage applications such as electric vehicles, renewable energy processing, and power grids, which have a total market size over USD$15 billion. The challenge for GaN HEMTs to reach high-voltage applications arises primarily from the highly non-uniform electric field (E-field) distribution within the device structure, predisposing the device to premature breakdown and limiting its operational voltage range. Consequently, the quest for higher voltage capabilities in GaN HEMTs requires the fundamental understanding and effective mitigation of this non-uniform E-field distribution. In this work, the p-type GaN-based Reduced Surface Field (RESURF) structure is proposed to balance the net charge in the two-dimensional-electron gas (2DEG) channel in GaN HEMT. This design enables a uniform distribution of E-field, enabling the voltage upscaling in GaN HEMT up to 10,000 V (i.e., 10 kV), which is the milestone voltage class in unipolar power devices for high-power applications. The first part of this thesis introduces the history, background and mechanism of power semiconductor devices and provides solid reasons for GaN as a competitive participant in power electronics industry. It covers a basic introduction about GaN HEMT devices and their commercialization status and states the challenges GaN HEMTs are facing when dealing with mass production. An innovative RESURF structure is introduced to overcome the existing trade-off between on-resistance and breakdown voltage, and to achieve superior overall performance that would be beneficial for GaN HEMT to upscale the voltage classes. Secondly, the development of a 10 kV unidirectional GaN HEMTs is discussed in detail. An optimized fabrication process flow, including etching, metal deposition, contact formation and dielectric passivation, is established. The RESURF structure is formed through a two-step chlorine-based etching process, with an innovative introduction of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) that enables a self-termination etch stop onto the AlGaN surface without damage to the 2DEG channel beneath. A controlled slow etch recipe has been developed as well, aiming for large-scale manufacturing with improved yields. A detailed analysis of the on-state and off-state I-V characterization of devices with various RESURF thickness and length provides an insight into the device breakdown mechanism, which has been verified with physics-based technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulation. The third part of this work demonstrates a 3.3-kV monolithic bidirectional switch (MBDS), which a novel device concept that can significantly simplify the circuit design in alternative current (AC) power conversion. A symmetrical p-GaN junction termination extension (JTE) design is proposed for electric field management, and the lateral conduction of this GaN-based MBDS enables a state-of-the-art high-voltage bidirectional switch with low on-resistance, achieving considerable performance advantage compared to the conventional bidirectional switch implemented by discrete devices. In summary, this research work covers the design, fabrication, characterization, simulation, and breakdown mechanism analysis of GaN-based unidirectional and bidirectional transistors for multi-kilovolt power conversion applications. The extended p-GaN configuration (RESURF for unidirectional devices and JTE for bidirectional devices) offers a spatially-distributed E-field management, enhancing the breakdown voltage scaling capability of GaN HEMTs to exploit the full material advantages of GaN. / Master of Science / Power semiconductor device, as a significant contributor to power electronics industry, plays an indispensable role in energy conversion applications including electric vehicles, data centers, consumer electronics, power grids. The evolution of power semiconductor materials has progressed from traditional silicon (Si) to wide-bandgap materials including silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN). Benefitting from the wide bandgap, high electron mobility, and good thermal conductivity of GaN, GaN-based power devices can achieve fast switching speed, high breakdown voltage and small on-resistance. They have been deployed in numerous power electronics applications, outperforming the Si and SiC counterparts. Nevertheless, despite their inherent advantages, the commercialization of GaN devices, particularly high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs), has predominantly been confined to the low-voltage domain of typically below 650 volts. This limitation prevents GaN HEMTs from the entry into several critical markets such as renewable energy processing and power grids. In this work, an innovative Reduced Surface Field (RESURF) structure is proposed to enable a uniform distribution of electric field inside the device structure, which would be particularly advantageous for voltage upscaling in GaN HEMTs. This device design enables the demonstration of high-voltage GaN HEMTs up to 10,000 V, the milestone volage class for power devices in medium- and high-voltage applications. The first part of this thesis introduces the history, background, and physics of power semiconductor devices and provides solid reason for GaN as a competitive participant in power electronics industry. Secondly, the development of a 10-kV unidirectional GaN HEMTs is discussed in detail. An optimized fabrication process flow, including etching, metal deposition, contact formation and dielectric passivation, is provided. The breakdown mechanism is also unveiled, which will be verified with physics-based device simulations in future works. The third part of this work demonstrates a 3.3-kV monolithic bidirectional switch (MBDS), a novel device concept for alternative current (AC) power conversion. A symmetrical p-GaN junction termination extension (JTE) design is proposed for electric field management, achieving the highest voltage reported among the MBDS devices. This device can facilitate the development of new circuit topologies in AC power conversion. In summary, this research work covers the design, fabrication, characterization, simulation, and breakdown mechanism analysis of GaN-based unidirectional and bidirectional transistors, achieving an unprecedented breakdown voltage upscaling capability in GaN HEMTs. The p-GaN configuration (RESURF for unidirectional devices and JTE for bidirectional devices) offers a spatially-distributed electric field management, enhancing the breakdown voltage scaling capability of GaN HEMTs to exploit the full material advantages of GaN.

This thesis deals with the research work carried out on the properties and applications such as GaN nanoparticles, Graphene etc. Chapter 1 of the thesis gives introduction to nanomaterials and various aspects of the thesis. Chapter 2 of the thesis describes the synthesis of GaN nanocrystals and their use as white light sources and as room temperature gas sensors. It also discusses negative differential resistance above room temperature exhibited by GaN. Electroluminescence from GaN-polymer heterojunction forms the last section of this chapter. Chapter 3 demonstrates the role of defect concentration on the photodetecting properties of ZnO nanorods with different defects prepared at different temperatures. Chapter 4 presents remarkable infrared and ultraviolet photodetector properties of reduced graphene oxide and graphene nanoribbons. Chapter 5 presents the infrared detecting properties of graphene-like few-layer MoS2. The summary of the thesis is given at the end of the thesis.

The present work has been focused on the growth of Group III-nitride epitaxial layers and nanostructures on Si (111) substrates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Silicon is regarded as a promising substrate for III-nitrides, since it is available in large quantity, at low cost and compatible to microelectronics device processing. However, three-dimensional island growth is unavoidable for the direct growth of GaN on Si (111) because of the extreme lattice and thermal expansion coefficient mismatch. To overcome these difficulties, by introducing β-Si3N4 buffer layer, the yellow luminescence free GaN can be grow on Si (111) substrate. The overall research work carried out in the present study comprises of five main parts. In the first part, high quality, crack free and smooth surface of GaN and InN epilayers were grown on Si(111) substrate using the substrate nitridation process. Crystalline quality and surface roughness of the GaN and InN layers are extremely sensitive to nitridation conditions such as nitridation temperature and time. Raman and PL studies indicate that the GaN film obtained by the nitridation sequences has less tensile stress and optically good. The optical band gaps of InN are obtained between ~0.73 to 0.78 eV and the blueshift of absorption edge can be induced by background electron concentration. The higher electron concentration brings in the larger blueshift, due to a possible Burstein–Moss effect. InN epilayers were also grown on GaN/Si(111) substrate by varying the growth parameters such as indium flux, substrate temperature and RF power. In the second part, InGaN/Si, GaN/Si3N4/n-Si and InN/Si3N4/n-Si heterostructures were fabricated and temperature dependent electrical transport behaviors were studied. Current density-voltage plots (J-V-T) of InGaN/Si heterostructure revealed that the ideality factor and Schottky barrier height are temperature dependent and the incorrect values of the Richardson’s constant produced, suggests an inhomogeneous barrier at the heterostructure interface. The higher value of the ideality factor compared to the ideal value and its temperature dependence suggest that the current transport is primarily dominated by thermionic field emission rather than thermionic emission. The valence band offset of GaN/β-Si3N4/Si and InGaN/Si heterojunctions were determined by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy. InN QDs on Si(111) substrate by droplet epitaxy and S-K growth method were grown in the third part. Single-crystalline structure of InN QDs (droplet epitaxy) was verified by TEM and the chemical bonding configurations of InN QDs were examined by XPS. The interdigitated electrode pattern was created and (I-V) characteristics of InN QDs were studied in a metal–semiconductor–metal configuration in the temperature range of 80–300 K. The I-V characteristics of lateral grown InN QDs were explained by using the trap model. A systematic manipulation of the morphology, optical emission and structural properties of InN/Si (111) QDs (S-K method) is demonstrated by changing the growth kinetics parameters such as flux rate and growth time. The growth kinetics of the QDs has been studied through the scaling method and observed that the distribution of dot sizes, for samples grown under varying conditions, has followed the scaling function. In the fourth part, InN nanorods (NRs) were grown on Si(111) and current transport properties of NRs/Si heterojunctions were studied. The rapid rise and decay of infrared on/off characteristics of InN NRs/Si heterojunction indicate that the device is highly sensitive to the IR light. Self-aligned GaN nanodots were grown on semi-insulating Si(111) substrate. The interdigitated electrode pattern was created on nanodots using photolithography and dark as well as UV photocurrent were studied. Surface band gaps of InN QDs were estimated from scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) I-V curves in the last part. It is found that band gap is strongly dependent on the size of InN QDs. The observed size-dependent STS band gap energy blueshifts as the QD’s diameter or height was reduced.

In this thesis I present and discuss the results of optical spectroscopy performed on InGaN/GaN single and multiple quantum well (QW) structures. I report on the optical properties of InGaN/GaN single and multiple QW structures, measured at high excitation power densities. I show a correlation exists between the reduction in PL efficiency at high excitation power densities, the phenomenon so-called ``efficiency-droop'', and a broadening of the PL spectra. I also show a distinct change in recombination dynamics, measured by time-resolved photoluminescence (PL), which occurs at the excitation power densities for which efficiency droop is measured. The broadening of the PL spectra at high excitation power densities is shown to occur due to a rapidly redshifting, short-lived high energy emission band. The high energy emission band is proposed to be due to the recombination of weakly localised/delocalised carriers occurring as a consequence of the progressive saturation of the local potential fluctuations responsible for carrier localisation, at high excitation power densities. I report on the effects of varying threading dislocation (TD) density on the optical properties of InGaN/GaN multiple QW structures. No systematic relationship exists between the room temperature internal quantum efficiency (IQE) and the TD density, in a series of nominally identical InGaN/GaN multiple QWs deposited on GaN templates of varying TD density. I also show the excitation power density dependence of the PL efficiency, at room temperatures, is unaffected for variation in the TD density between 2 x107 and 5 x109 cm-2. The independence of the optical properties to TD density is proposed to be a consequence of the strong carrier localisation, and hence short carrier diffusion lengths. I report on the effects of including an InGaN underlayer on the optical and microstructural properties of InGaN/GaN multiple QW structures. I show an increase in the room temperature IQE occurs for the structure containing the InGaN underlayer, compared to the reference. I show using PL excitation spectroscopy that an additional carrier transfer and recombination process occurs on the high energy side of the PL spectrum associated with the InGaN underlayer. Using PL decay time measurements I show the additional recombination process for carriers excited in the underlayer occurs on a faster timescale than the recombination at the peak of the PL spectrum. The additional contribution to the spectrum from the faster recombination process is proposed as responsible for the increase in room temperature IQE.

No description available.

Group III-nitride semiconductors have received much research attention and witnessed a significant development due to their ample applications in solid-state lighting and high-power/high-frequency electronics. Numerous growth methods were explored to achieve device quality epitaxial III-nitride semiconductors. Among the growth methods for III-nitride semiconductors, molecular beam epitaxy provides advantages such as formation of abrupt interfaces and in-situ monitoring of growth. The present research work focuses on the growth and characterizations of III-nitride based epitaxial films, nanostructures and heterostructures on c-sapphire substrate using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy system. The correlation between structural, optical and electrical properties of III-nitride semiconductors would be extremely useful. The interfaces of the metal/semiconductor and semiconductor heterostructures are very important in the performance of semiconductor devices. In this regard, the electrical transport studies of metal/semiconductor and semiconductor heterostructures have been carried out. Besides, studies involved with the defect induced room temperature ferromagnetism of GaN films and InN nano-structures have also been carried out. The thesis is organized in eight different chapters and a brief overview of each chapter is given below. Chapter 1 provides a brief introduction on physical properties of group III-nitride semiconductors. It also describes the importance of III-nitride heterostructures in the operation of optoelectronic devices. In addition, it also includes the current strategy of the emergence of room temperature ferromagnetism in III-nitride semiconductors. Chapter 2 deals with the basic working principles of molecular beam epitaxy system and different characterization tools employed in the present work. Chapter 3 describes the growth of GaN films on c-sapphire by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The effects of N/Ga flux ratio on structural, morphological and optical properties have been studied. The flux ratio plays a major role in controlling crystal quality, morphology and emission properties of GaN films. The dislocation density is found to increase with increase in N/Ga flux ratio. The surface morphologies of the films as seen by scanning electron microscopy show pits on the surface and found that the pit density on the surface increases with flux ratio. The room temperature photoluminescence study reveals the shift in band-edge emission towards the lower energy with increase in N/Ga flux ratio. This is believed to arise from the reduction in compressive stress in the GaN films as it is evidenced by room temperature Raman study. The transport studies on the Pt/GaN Schottky diodes showed a significant increase in leakage current with an increase in N/Ga ratio and is found to be caused by the increase in dislocation density in the GaN films. Chapter 4 deals with the fabrication and characterization of Au/GaN Schottky diodes. The temperature dependent current–voltage measurements have been used to determine the current transport mechanism in Schottky diodes. The barrier height (φb) and the ideality factor (η) are estimated from the thermionic emission model and are found to be temperature dependent in nature, indicating the existence of barrier height inhomogeneities at the Au/GaN interface. The conventional Richardson plot of ln(Is/T2) versus 1/kT gives Richardson constant value of 3.23×10-5 Acm-2 K-2, which is much lower than the known value of 26.4 Acm-2 K-2 for GaN. Such discrepancy of Richardson constant value was attributed to the existence of barrier height inhomogeneities at the Au/GaN interface. The modified Richardson plot of ln(Is/T2)-q2σs2/2k2T2 versus q/kT, by assuming a Gaussian distribution of barrier heights at the Au/GaN interface, provides the Schottky barrier height of 1.47 eV and Richardson constant value of 38.8 Acm-2 K-2 which is very close to the theatrical value of Richardson constant. The temperature dependence of barrier height is interpreted on the basis of existence of the Gaussian distribution of the barrier heights due to the barrier height inhomogeneities at the Au/GaN interface. Chapter 5 addresses on the influence of GaN underlayer thickness on structural, electrical and optical properties of InN thin films grown using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The high resolution X-ray diffraction study reveals superior crystalline quality for the InN film grown on thicker GaN film. The electronic and optical properties seem to be greatly influenced by the structural quality of the films, as can be evidenced from Hall measurement and optical absorption spectroscopy. Also, we present the studies involving the dependence of structural, electrical and optical properties of InN films, grown on thicker GaN films, on growth temperature. The optical absorption edge of InN film is found to be strongly dependent on carrier concentration. Kane’s k.p model is used to describe the dependence of optical absorption edge on carrier concentration by considering the non-parabolic dispersion relation for carrier in the conduction band. Chapter 6 deals with the analysis of the temperature dependent current transport mechanisms in InN/GaN heterostructure based Schottky junctions. The barrier height (φb) and the ideality factor (η) of the InN/GaN Schottky junctions are found to be temperature dependent. The temperature dependence of the barrier height indicates that the Schottky barrier height is inhomogeneous in nature at the heterostructure interface. The higher value of the ideality factor and its temperature dependence suggest that the current transport is primarily dominated by thermionic field emission (TFE) other than thermionic emission (TE). The room temperature barrier height and the ideality factor obtained by TFE model are 1.43 eV and 1.21, respectively. Chapter 7 focuses on the defect induced room temperature ferromagnetism in Ga deficient GaN epitaxial films and InN nano-structures grown on c-sapphire substrate by using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The observed yellow emission peak in room temperature photoluminescence spectra and the peak positioning at 300 cm-1 in Raman spectra confirms the existence of Ga vacancies in GaN films. The ferromagnetism in Ga deficient GaN films is believed to originate from the polarization of the unpaired 2p electrons of nitrogen surrounding the Ga vacancy. The InN nano-structures of different size are grown on sapphire substrate, the structural and magnetic properties are studied. The room temperature magnetization measurement of InN nano-structures exhibits the ferromagnetic behavior. The saturation magnetization is found to be strongly dependent on the size of the nano-structures. Finally, Chapter 8 gives the summary of the present work and the scope for future work in this area of research.

Thesis (MScEng (Electrical and Electronic Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The main focus of this thesis is to document the formulation, extraction and validation of nonlinear models for the on-wafer gallium nitride (GaN) high-electron mobility (HEMT) devices manufactured at the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC) in Leuven, Belgium. GaN semiconductor technology is fast emerging and it is expected that these devices will play an important role in RF and microwave power amplifier applications. One of the main advantages of the new GaN semiconductor technology is that it combines a very wide band-gap with high electron mobility, which amounts to higher levels of gain at very high frequencies. HEMT devices based on GaN, is a fairly new technology and not many nonlinear models have been proposed in literature. This thesis details the design of hardware and software used in the development of the nonlinear models. An intermodulation distortion (IMD) measurement setup was developed to measure the second and higher-order derivative of the nonlinear drain current. The derivatives are extracted directly from measurements and are required to improve the nonlinear model IMD predictions. Nonlinear model extraction software was developed to automate the modelling process, which was fundamental in the nonlinear model investigation. The models are implemented in Agilent’s Advanced Design System (ADS) and it is shown that the models are capable of accurately predicting the measured S-parameters, large-signal singletone and two-tone behaviour of the GaN devices. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die hoofdoel van hierdie tesis is om die formulering, ontrekking en validasie van nie-lineêre modelle vir onverpakte gallium nitraat (GaN) hoë-elektronmobilisering transistors (HEMTs) te dokumenteer. Die transistors is vervaaardig by die Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC) in Leuven, België. GaN-halfgeleier tegnologie is besig om vinnig veld te wen en daar word voorspel dat hierdie transistors ʼn belangrike rol gaan speel in RF en mikrogolf kragversterker toepassings. Een van die hoof voordele van die nuwe GaN-halfgeleier tegnologie is dat dit 'n baie wyd band-gaping het met hoë-elektronmobilisering, wat lei tot hoë aanwins by mikrogolf frekwensies. GaN HEMTs is 'n redelik nuwe tegnologie en nie baie nie-lineêre modelle is al voorgestel in literatuur nie. Hierdie tesis ondersoek die ontwerp van die hardeware en sagteware soos gebruik in die ontwikkeling van nie-lineêre modelle. 'n Intermodulasie distorsie-opstelling (IMD-opstelling) is ontwikkel vir die meting van die tweede en hoër orde afgeleides van die nie-lineêre stroom. Die afgeleides is direk uit die metings onttrek en moet die nie-lineêre IMD-voorspellings te verbeter. Nie-lineêre onttrekking sagteware is ontwikkel om die modellerings proses te outomatiseer. Die modelle word geïmplementeer in Agilent se Advanced Design System (ADS) en bewys dat die modelle in staat is om akkurate afgemete S-parameters, grootsein enkeltoon en tweetoon gedrag van die GaN-transistors te kan voorspel.

Le domaine du spectre électromagnétique correspondant aux fréquences térahertz est encore peu exploité, pourtant, les applications nécessitant la génération, l’amplification ou la détection d’un signal térahertz sont nombreuses et intéressantes. Dans ce travail, nous nous intéressons tout particulièrement au détecteurs plasmoniques, qui constituent une alternative prometteuse à la montée en fréquence des capteurs électroniques et à l’utilisation de capteurs thermiques pour les photons de faible énergie. Les capteurs plasmoniques fonctionnent grâce au couplage entre le photon térahertz et un plasmon au sein d’un gaz d’électrons bidimensionnel (2DEG). Le plasmon-polariton est ensuite transformé en un signal continu et détectable. Nous utilisons pour cela le 2DEG présent dans l’hétérostructure AlGaN/GaN. Le couplage entre le photon et le plasmon-polariton est réalisé par un réseau métallique déposé sur la structure semi-conductrice. Tout d’abord, l’étude du couplage photon/plasmon par des simulations électromagnétiques nous a permis de connaître les fréquences de résonance des plasmons-polaritons en fonction des dimensions du réseau. Le motif de réseau composé de deux bandes de métal de largeurs différentes a été plus particulièrement étudié. Ce motif permettant aux détecteurs d’atteindre une très haute sensibilité [Coquillat et al., 2010] et n’avait pas encore été étudié du point de vue de son efficacité de couplage. Des détecteurs, dimensionnés pour notre montage de test à 0,65 THz, ont ensuite été fabriqués puis mesurés avec un réseau non-polarisé, à température ambiante et refroidis à l’azote. La correspondance entre la variation de la sensibilité en fonction de la fréquence et les spectres d’absorption mesurés au spectromètre infrarouge à transformée de Fourier (FTIR) montre l’importance de l’étape de couplage dans le processus de détection. Contrôler la densité électronique dans le 2DEG permet de modifier la fréquence de résonance des plasmons-polaritons et d’augmenter la sensibilité des détecteurs. Nous avons mené des développements technologiques de manière à pouvoir contrôler la densité électronique du 2DEG en appliquant une tension sur le réseau. Cette étape constitue un défi technologique compte tenu de la surface très étendue des réseaux (plusieurs mm²). Nous avons finalement fabriqué des détecteurs pour lesquels la fréquence de résonance de couplage peut être contrôlée grâce à la tension appliquée sur le réseau. / Abstract: The objectives of this thesis were the fabrication, the measurement and the study of gallium nitride THz detectors. These detectors are working as follows : first the incident THz photon is coupled to a plasmon in the quantum well at the interface AlGaN/GaN. This plasmon is then turned into a continuous measurable current. One of the key-components in this type of detectors is the grating coupling the incident photon and the plasmon. Electromagnetic simulations have been made to determine the dimensions of the grating depending on the detection frequency. Detectors were then fabricated using the precendently calculated grating patterns. Their working frequency depending on their dimensions were measured with a good agreement with the previously led simulations. The grating is not used only as coupling element, but can be used to monitor the electron density in the quatum well as well, what should allow an exaltation of the rectification phenomenon and a frequency tunability. A technological development was needed to achieve grating actually monitoring the electron density over a wide range. It was a real challenge to fabricate such wide grating (36 mm²) with such small periods (about one micrometer) using epitaxies developped for devices with a much smaller area.

Ces travaux de thèse portent sur l'évaluation des propriétés de nanofils InGaN/GaN en vue de la réalisation de diodes électroluminescentes (LEDs). Deux types d'architecture, obtenus par des techniques de croissance différentes, ont été étudiés. La technique MBE a conduit à la réalisation de LEDs en structure axiale émettant du domaine spectral bleu au rouge. Les émetteurs uniques présentent dans ce cas des diamètres typiquement inférieurs à 100 nm. La technique MOCVD a conduit quant à elle la fabrication de LEDs émettant des longueurs d'onde plus courtes à partir d'hétérostructures InGaN/GaN en Coeur/Coquille présentant des dimensions micrométriques. Dans les deux cas, la croissance est réalisée de manière spontanée sur un substrat Silicium (111) de conductivité élevée permettant l'injection verticale du courant dans les dispositifs intégrés à l'échelle macroscopique. L'ensemble des briques technologiques nécessaires à la fabrication de LEDs a été évalué par un panel important de techniques expérimentales adaptées aux structures à fort rapport de forme. Ainsi, l'effet de l'incorporation d'espèces dopantes de type n (Silicium) et de type p (Magnésium) a été caractérisé par des expériences de spectroscopie optique couplées à des mesures électriques sur fils uniques. De plus, la cathodoluminescence basse température a été largement utilisée afin d'étudier les propriétés optiques de la zone active à base d'InGaN dans les deux architectures considérées. Après intégration technologique, des caractérisations électro-optiques résolues à l'échelle du fil unique ont montré que les performances des LEDs à nanofils restent principalement limitées par la fluctuation des propriétés électriques et optiques entre émetteurs uniques. / This thesis aims at studying the intrinsic properties of InGaN/GaN nanowires (NWs) in order to fabricate efficient light emitting diodes (LEDs). Two active region designs, obtained through different growth techniques, have been extensively investigated. Axial NW-based LEDs emitting from the blue to the red spectral range have been grown by MBE. In this case, single emitters present diameters typically smaller than 100 nm. MOCVD allowed the fabrication of LEDs emitting shorter wavelengths from Core/Shell heterostructures with typical dimensions in the micrometre range. In both cases, the spontaneous growth has been conducted on Silicon (111) highly conductive substrates in order to inject the current vertically into macroscopically contacted devices. Technological building blocks needed to fabricate LEDs have been investigated using a wide range of characterization techniques adapted for high aspect ratio structures. Thus, n-type (Silicon) and p-type (Magnesium) dopings have been assessed thanks to optical spectroscopy techniques, and these results have been confirmed by electrical measurements carried out on single wires. Furthermore, low temperature cathodoluminescence has been widely used to study the optical properties of InGaN-based active regions. After technological integration, electro-optical characterizations with spatial resolution down to the single wire level have revealed that device performances are mainly limited by the fluctuation of electrical and optical properties between single emitters.