Despite enormous efforts and investments, the efficiency of InGaN-based green and yellow-green light emitters remains relatively low, and that limits progress in developing full color display, laser diodes, and bright light sources for general lighting. The low efficiency of light emitting devices in the green-to-yellow spectral range, also known as the “Green Gap”, is considered a global concern in the LED industry. The polar c-plane orientation of GaN, which is the mainstay in the LED industry, suffers from polarization-induced separation of electrons and hole wavefunctions (also known as the “quantum confined Stark effect”) and low indium incorporation efficiency that are the two main factors that contribute to the Green Gap phenomenon. One possible approach that holds promise for a new generation of green and yellow light emitting devices with higher efficiency is the deployment of nonpolar and semi-polar crystallographic orientations of GaN to eliminate or mitigate polarization fields. In theory, the use of other GaN planes for light emitters could also enhance the efficiency of indium incorporation compared to c-plane. In this thesis, I present a systematic exploration of the suitable GaN orientation for future lighting technologies. First, in order to lay the groundwork for further studies, it is important to discuss the analysis of processes limiting LED efficiency and some novel designs of active regions to overcome these limitations. Afterwards, the choice of nonpolar orientations as an alternative is discussed. For nonpolar orientation, the (1-100)-oriented (m-plane) structures on patterned Si (112) and freestanding m-GaN are studied. The semi-polar orientations having substantially reduced polarization field are found to be more promising for light-emitting diodes (LEDs) owing to high indium incorporation efficiency predicted by theoretical studies. Thus, the semi-polar orientations are given close attention as alternatives for future LED technology. One of the obstacles impeding the development of this technology is the lack of suitable substrates for high quality materials having semi-polar and nonpolar orientations. Even though the growth of free-standing GaN substrates (homoepitaxy) could produce material of reasonable quality, the native nonpolar and semi-polar substrates are very expensive and small in size. On the other hand, GaN growth of semi-polar and nonpolar orientations on inexpensive, large-size foreign substrates (heteroepitaxy), including silicon (Si) and sapphire (Al2O3), usually leads to high density of extended defects (dislocations and stacking faults). Therefore, it is imperative to explore approaches that allow the reduction of defect density in the semi-polar GaN layers grown on foreign substrates. In the presented work, I develop a cost-effective preparation technique of high performance light emitting structures (GaN-on-Si, and GaN-on-Sapphire technologies). Based on theoretical calculations predicting the maximum indium incorporation efficiency at θ ~ 62º (θ being the tilt angle of the orientation with respect to c-plane), I investigate (11-22) and (1-101) semi-polar orientations featured by θ = 58º and θ = 62º, respectively, as promising candidates for green emitters. The (11-22)-oriented GaN layers are grown on planar m-plane sapphire, while the semi-polar (1-101) GaN are grown on patterned Si (001). The in-situ epitaxial lateral overgrowth techniques using SiNx nanoporous interlayers are utilized to improve the crystal quality of the layers. The data indicates the improvement of photoluminescence intensity by a factor of 5, as well as the improvement carrier lifetime by up to 85% by employing the in-situ ELO technique. The electronic and optoelectronic properties of these nonpolar and semi-polar planes include excitonic recombination dynamics, optical anisotropy, exciton localization, indium incorporation efficiency, defect-related optical activities, and some challenges associated with these new technologies are discussed. A polarized emission from GaN quantum wells (with a degree of polarization close to 58%) with low non-radiative components is demonstrated for semi-polar (1-101) structure grown on patterned Si (001). We also demonstrated that indium incorporation efficiency is around 20% higher for the semi-polar (11-22) InGaN quantum wells compared to its c-plane counterpart. The spatially resolved cathodoluminescence spectroscopy demonstrates the uniform distribution of indium in the growth plane. The uniformity of indium is also supported by the relatively low exciton localization energy of Eloc = 7meV at 15 K for these semi-polar (11-22) InGaN quantum wells compared to several other literature reports on c-plane. The excitons are observed to undergo radiative recombination in the quantum wells in basal-plane stacking faults at room temperature. The wurtzite/zincblende electronic band-alignment of BSFs is proven to be of type II using the time-resolved differential transmission (TRDT) method. The knowledge of band alignment and degree of carrier localization in BSFs are extremely important for evaluating their effects on device properties. Future research for better understanding and potential developments of the semi-polar LEDs is pointed out at the end.

In this research, a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) sensor was investigated for specific detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for point-of-care (POC) diagnosis of the physiological conditions of humans. A PEMFC is an electrochemical transducer that converts chemical energy into electrical energy. A Redox reaction takes place at its electrodes whereas the volatile biomolecules (e.g. ethanol) are oxidized at the anode and ambient oxygen is reduced at the cathode. The compounds which were the focus of this investigation were ethanol (C2H5OH) and isoflurane (C3H2ClF5O), but theoretically, the sensor is not limited to only those VOCs given proper calibration. Detection in biosensing, which needs to be carried out in a controlled system, becomes complex in a multivariate environment. Major limitations of all types of biosensors would include poor selectivity, drifting, overlapping, and degradation of signals. Specific detection of VOCs in multi-dimensional environments is also a challenge in fuel cell sensing. Humidity, temperature, and the presence of other analytes interfere with the functionality of the fuel cell and provide false readings. Hence, accurate and precise quantification of VOC(s) and calibration are the major challenges when using PEMFC biosensor. To resolve this problem, a statistical model was derived for the calibration of PEMFC employing multivariate analysis, such as the “Principal Component Regression (PCR)” method for the sensing of VOC(s). PCR can correlate larger data sets and provides an accurate fitting between a known and an unknown data set. PCR improves calibration for multivariate conditions as compared to the overlapping signals obtained when using linear (univariate) regression models. Results show that this biosensor investigated has a 75% accuracy improvement over the commercial alcohol breathalyzer used in this study when detecting ethanol. When detecting isoflurane, this sensor has an average deviation in the steady-state response of ~14.29% from the gold-standard infrared spectroscopy system used in hospital operating theaters. The significance of this research lies in its versatility in dealing with the existing challenge of the accuracy and precision of the calibration of the PEMFC sensor. Also, this research may improve the diagnosis of several diseases through the detection of concerned biomarkers.

L’utilisation des semi-conducteurs à large bande interdite (wide bandgap ou WBG) tels que le carbure de silicium SiC, le nitrure de gallium GaN, le diamant, etc… s’est répandue dans le domaine de l’électronique de puissance ces dernières décennies. Leurs caractéristiques électroniques et mécaniques font des WBGs des solutions alternatives pour remplacer le traditionnel silicium. Cependant, des études supplémentaires sont indispensables pour améliorer la tenue en tension, les pertes statiques et dynamiques et les performances en fonctionnement à haute température des composants WBGs. Dans ce cadre, deux bancs expérimentaux OBIC (Optical Beam Induced Current) spécifiques « en cours de développement » sont mis en place pendant cette thèse. L’OBIC consiste à éclairer avec un faisceau laser de longueur d’onde appropriée une jonction polarisée en inverse, des porteurs de charge sont alors créés par absorption photonique. On peut alors mesurer un courant induit par faisceau optique (OBIC) lorsque les porteurs sont générés dans la zone de charge d’espace. Après une première phase de préparation et d’adaptation de l’environnement expérimental, des essais ont mené à la démonstration du principe de génération multi-photonique en éclairant une jonction SiC avec un faisceau vert (532 nm). L’analyse des différentes mesures OBIC nous a permis de construire une image du champ électrique à la surface de la diode : une analyse non destructive pour étudier l’efficacité des protections périphériques des jonctions et pour détecter les défauts dans la structure cristalline. Egalement, la durée de vie des porteurs minoritaires a été déduite par l’analyse de la décroissance du courant OBIC au bord de la jonction. Les coefficients d’ionisation sont également déterminés par la méthode OBIC, ces coefficients sont des paramètres clés pour la prévision de la tension de claquage des composants. Nous avons réalisé des mesures OBIC dans le GaN, et nous avons observé un effet d’absorption bi-photonique dans le diamant avec un faisceau UV (349 nm). / In the last few decades, the use of wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors (silicon carbide SiC, gallium nitride GaN, diamond, etc…) has become popular in the domain of power electronics. Their electronic and mechanical characteristics made of the WBGs a good alternative to the traditional silicon. However, additional studies are mandatory to improve the breakdown voltage, static and dynamic losses, and the performance at high temperature of the WBG devices. In this context, two specific experimental benches OBIC (Optical Beam Induced Current) -under development- are set up during this thesis. OBIC method consists to generate free charge carriers in a reverse biased junction by illuminating the device with an appropriate wavelength. An OBIC signal is measured if the charge carriers are generated in the space charge region. After a first phase of preparation and adaptation of the experimental environment, OBIC measurements led to demonstrate the multi-photonic generation by illuminating a SiC junction with a green laser (532 nm). OBIC measurements allowed giving an image of the electric field at the surface of the diode: OBIC presents a non-destructive analysis to study the efficiency of the peripheral protection and to detect the defects in the semi-conductor. Minority carrier lifetime was also deduced by studying the OBIC decrease at the edge of the space charge region. Ionization rates were extracted using OBIC method; these coefficients are key parameters to predict the breakdown voltage of the devices. OBIC measurements were also realized on the GaN, and two-photon generation was highlighted by measuring an OBIC current in the diamond when illuminating it with a UV laser beam (349 nm).