The thesis is aimed at gaining new knowledge on carrier localization and recombination in InGaN epilayers and structures by using photoluminescence spectroscopy with sub-micrometer spatial resolution. Optical characterization is combined with the structural analysis to provide a deeper insight into peculiarities of InGaN luminescence. Studies of InGaN epitaxial layers showed the relaxed layers to contain nanocolumn-like structures that additionally contribute to inhomogeneous photoluminescence distribution in InGaN layers. The feasibility of suppressing the defect-related emission in InGaN epilayers by laser annealing is demonstrated. The influence of unintentional annealing at elevated temperatures during fabrication of InGaN structures is revealed. A novel interpretation for negative correlation between photoluminescence intensity and band peak wavelength in high-indium-content InGaN multiple quantum wells is suggested. The enhancement of emission efficiency in InGaN quantum wells due to coupling of the optical dipole with localized surface plasmons in silver nanoparticles is investigated and the influence of potential fluctuations on the coupling with localized surface plasmons is revealed. / Disertacija yra skirta krūvininkų lokalizacijos ir rekombinacijos tyrimams InGaN epitaksiniuose sluoksniuose ir dariniuose panaudojant fotoliuminescencinę spektroskopiją su submikrometrine erdvine skyra. Optinius bandinių tyrimus papildo struktūrinė analizė. Darbe parodyta, jog relaksavusiuose InGaN sluoksniuose egzistuoja į nanokolonas panašūs dariniai, kurie papildomai prisideda prie netolygaus fotoliuminescencijos pasiskirstymo InGaN epitaksiniuose sluoksniuose. Pademonstruota galimybė nuslopinti priemaišinės kilmės liuminescenciją InGaN sluoksnyje jį iškaitinus lazerio spinduliuote. Atskleistas netyčinis InGaN darinių aktyviojo sluoksnio iškaitinimas, vykstantis formuojant p tipo sluoksnius, kuris keičia InGaN kvantinių darinių optines sąvybes. Išnagrinėta neigiama koreliacja tarp fotoliuminescencijos intensyvumo ir juostos viršūnės bangos ilgio InGaN kvantiniuose dariniuose ir pasiūlytas naujas šios ypatybės interpretavimo modelis. Lokaliai stebėtas liuminescencijos intensyvumo padidėjimas dėl sąveikos su lokalizuotais paviršiniais plazmonais, indukuotais sidabro nanodalelėse. Parodytas potencialo fliuktuacijų daromas poveikis rezonansinei sąveikai tarp optinių dipolių kvantinėse duobėse ir lokalizuotų paviršinių plazmonų.

Disertacija yra skirta krūvininkų lokalizacijos ir rekombinacijos tyrimams InGaN epitaksiniuose sluoksniuose ir dariniuose panaudojant fotoliuminescencinę spektroskopiją su submikrometrine erdvine skyra. Optinius bandinių tyrimus papildo struktūrinė analizė. Darbe parodyta, jog relaksavusiuose InGaN sluoksniuose egzistuoja į nanokolonas panašūs dariniai, kurie papildomai prisideda prie netolygaus fotoliuminescencijos pasiskirstymo InGaN epitaksiniuose sluoksniuose. Pademonstruota galimybė nuslopinti priemaišinės kilmės liuminescenciją InGaN sluoksnyje jį iškaitinus lazerio spinduliuote. Atskleistas netyčinis InGaN darinių aktyviojo sluoksnio iškaitinimas, vykstantis formuojant p tipo sluoksnius, kuris keičia InGaN kvantinių darinių optines sąvybes. Išnagrinėta neigiama koreliacja tarp fotoliuminescencijos intensyvumo ir juostos viršūnės bangos ilgio InGaN kvantiniuose dariniuose ir pasiūlytas naujas šios ypatybės interpretavimo modelis. Lokaliai stebėtas liuminescencijos intensyvumo padidėjimas dėl sąveikos su lokalizuotais paviršiniais plazmonais, indukuotais sidabro nanodalelėse. Parodytas potencialo fliuktuacijų daromas poveikis rezonansinei sąveikai tarp optinių dipolių kvantinėse duobėse ir lokalizuotų paviršinių plazmonų. / The thesis is aimed at gaining new knowledge on carrier localization and recombination in InGaN epilayers and structures by using photoluminescence spectroscopy with sub-micrometer spatial resolution. Optical characterization is combined with the structural analysis to provide a deeper insight into peculiarities of InGaN luminescence. Studies of InGaN epitaxial layers showed the relaxed layers to contain nanocolumn-like structures that additionally contribute to inhomogeneous photoluminescence distribution in InGaN layers. The feasibility of suppressing the defect-related emission in InGaN epilayers by laser annealing is demonstrated. The influence of unintentional annealing at elevated temperatures during fabrication of InGaN structures is revealed. A novel interpretation for negative correlation between photoluminescence intensity and band peak wavelength in high-indium-content InGaN multiple quantum wells is suggested. The enhancement of emission efficiency in InGaN quantum wells due to coupling of the optical dipole with localized surface plasmons in silver nanoparticles is investigated and the influence of potential fluctuations on the coupling with localized surface plasmons is revealed.

No description available.

No description available.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

ZnO material based hetero-junctions are a potential candidate for the design andrealization of intrinsic white light emitting devices (WLEDs) due to several advantages overthe nitride based material system. During the last few years the lack of a reliable andreproducible p-type doping in ZnO material with sufficiently high conductivity and carrierconcentration has initiated an alternative approach to grow n-ZnO nanorods (NRs) on other ptypeinorganic and organic substrates. This thesis deals with ZnO NRs-hetero-junctions basedintrinsic WLEDs grown on p-SiC, n-SiC and p-type polymers. The NRs were grown by thelow temperature aqueous chemical growth (ACG) and the high temperature vapor liquid solid(VLS) method. The structural, electrical and optical properties of these WLEDs wereinvestigated and analyzed by means of scanning electron microscope (SEM), current voltage(I-V), photoluminescence (PL), cathodoluminescence (CL), electroluminescence (EL) anddeep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS). Room temperature (RT) PL spectra of ZnOtypically exhibit one sharp UV peak and possibly one or two broad deep level emissions(DLE) due to deep level defects in the bandgap. For obtaining detailed information about thephysical origin, growth dependence of optically active defects and their spatial distribution,especially to study the re-absorption of the UV in hetero-junction WLEDs structure depthresolved CL spectroscopy, is performed. At room temperature the CL intensity of the DLEband is increased with the increase of the electron beam penetration depth due to the increaseof the defect concentration at the ZnO NRs/substrate interface. The intensity ratio of the DLEto the UV emission, which is very useful in exploring the origin of the deep level emissionand the distribution of the recombination centers, is monitored. It was found that the deepcenters are distributed exponentially along the ZnO NRs and that there are more deep defectsat the root of ZnO NRs compared to the upper part. The RT-EL spectra of WLEDs illustrateemission band covering the whole visible range from 420 nm and up to 800 nm. The whitelightcomponents are distinguished using a Gaussian function and the components were foundto be violet, blue, green, orange and red emission lines. The origin of these emission lines wasfurther identified. Color coordinates measurement of the WLEDs reveals that the emitted lighthas a white impression. The color rendering index (CRI) and the correlated color temperature(CCT) of the fabricated WLEDs were calculated to be 80-92 and 3300-4200 K, respectively.

This thesis concerns new hydrogen- and polarity-related effects in the photoluminescence of ZnO single crystal wafers and the relationship between surface electron accumulation and surface hydroxyl coverage on different ZnO surfaces. A comparative study of the low temperature photoluminescence of various types of hydrothermal and melt-grown ZnO wafers revealed several new hydrogen-related exciton recombination lines and a number of consistent polarity-related differences in the PL emission from different crystallographic surfaces. Temperature-dependent PL measurements were extensively used to distinguish the ground and excited state transitions involved in these effects. ZnO samples of different surface polarity were annealed in oxygen and nitrogen gases and in hydrogen-containing forming gas mixtures in an attempt to identify the origin of these new PL features. The well known aluminium-related I_₆ recombination line was resolved into two separate features in hydrothermal ZnO, and the new component I6-H (3.36081 eV) was found to repeatedly quench and then re-emerge after annealing in oxygen and forming gas, respectively. A model involving an aluminium - lithium - hydrogen defect complex was proposed for I6-H and further tested via hydrogen and deuterium implantation experiments on hydrothermal ZnO wafers with different lithium concentrations. These experiments also provided evidence for the involvement of a different lithium-hydrogen defect complex in other hydrogen-related emission lines I₄b,c (3.36219 eV and 3.36237 eV) unique to hydrothermal ZnO. In addition, a broad Gaussian-shaped feature observed in the near-band-edge PL emission from the O-polar (000‾1), a-plane (11‾20) and r-plane (1‾102) faces of ZnO was shown to be surface sensitive and also related to hydrogen. The involvement of hydrogen in the chemical and electronic properties of different ZnO surfaces was also investigated. The thermal stability of the hydroxyl termination and the associated downward surface band bending on the polar and non-polar surfaces of ZnO was studied by synchrotron and real-time photoelectron spectroscopy, both during and after annealing and subsequent H₂O/H₂ dosing in ultra-high vacuum conditions. On the O-polar face, the band bending could be reversibly switched over a range of approximately 0.8 eV by adjusting the surface H-coverage using simple UHV heat treatments and atmospheric exposure. A transition from electron accumulation to electron depletion on the O-polar face was observed at a H-coverage of approximately 0.9 monolayers. In contrast, the downward band bending on the Zn-polar face was significantly more resilient and electron-depleted surfaces could not be prepared by heat treatment alone. This was also the case for in situ cleaving in UHV conditions which failed to produce hydroxyl-free surfaces due to migration of hydrogen from the bulk to the cleaved surface. Interestingly, the thermal stability of the hydroxyl termination on the a-plane (11‾20) and m-plane (10‾10) surfaces was signiifcantly lower than on the polar faces due to the availability of a lower energy desorption pathway and the electrostatic stability of these non-polar surfaces in their clean, bulk terminated form. The surface band bending on the non-polar ZnO surfaces was also found to be directly related to their OH coverage with a transition from downward to upward band bending, similar to that observed on the O-polar face, as the OH coverage was reduced. Thermal admittance spectroscopy and deep level transient spectroscopy was used to investigate the effect of lithium removal on the defect nature of hydrothermal ZnO. A number of new defects were introduced by the high temperature (1100-1400°C) annealing/re-polishing process used to reduce the lithium concentration, particularly E₁₉₀ (also known as T2) which is thought to be related to Zn vacancies. Significantly, both the E₅₀ defect level and the I6-H PL emission line were absent after lithium (and hydrogen) removal suggesting an association of both these features with the same aluminium - lithium - hydrogen defect complex.

No description available.

No description available.

In this thesis, a novel method of reducing the rear surface recombination in copper indium gallium (di) selenide (CIGS) thin film solar cells, using atomic layer deposited (ALD) Al2O3, has been evaluated via qualitative opto-electrical characterization. The idea stems from the silicon (Si) industry, where rear surface passivation layers are used to boost the open-circuit voltage and, hence, the cell efficiency. To enable a qualitative assessment of the passivation effect, Al/Al2O3/CIGS metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices with 3-50 nm oxide thickness, some post-deposition treated (i.e. annealed), have been fabricated. Room temperature capacitance-voltage (CV) measurements on the MOS devices indicated a negative fixed charge density (Qf) within the Al2O3 layer, resulting in a reduced CIGS surface recombination due to field effect passivation. After annealing the Al2O3 passivation layers, the field effect passivation appeared to increase due to a more negative Qf. After annealing have also indications of a lower density of interface traps been seen, possibly due to a stronger or activated chemical passivation. Additionally, the feasibility of using ALD Al2O3 to passivate the surface of CIGS absorber layers has also been demonstrated by room temperature photoluminescence (PL) measurements, where the PL intensity was about 20 times stronger for a structure passivated with 25 nm Al2O3 compared to an unpassivated structure. The strong PL intensity for all passivated devices suggests that both the chemical and field effect passivation were active, also for the passivated as-deposited CIGS absorbers.