We present a method that allows changing the anisotropy and the magnetic characteristics of piezoelectric–ferromagnetic hybrid structures by electric fields, thereby suppressing the need for external or local magnetic fields. We have investigated the magnetic properties of single Co50Fe50 and CoFe80B20 magnetostrictive thin films as well as of high-quality bottom-pinned spin valves (SV) sputtered on piezoelectric substrates [lead zirconate titanate (PZT)] and patterned in an interdigitated transducer (IDT). Induction of a uniaxial anisotropy axis and the changes on coercivity and switching fields as a function of the applied bias voltage on the IDT are analyzed and interpreted. The down-scalability of this hybrid method supports the possibility of achieving low-power/low-voltage control of the switching fields and shows the feasibility of a hybrid ferroelectric magnetic memory cell.

The effect of surface passivation on undoped AlGaN/GaN heterostructures using SiO2, Al2O3, Ta2O5 and Si3N4 as a function of layer thickness is presented. It is found that all of the oxides caused decreased 2DEG carrier concentration with increasing thickness of the respective oxide layers between the gate and AlGaN layer. On the contrary, the 2DEG carrier concentration increased strongly with increasing Si3N4 layer thickness. An elementary polarization model was used to fit the behavior for all materials and thicknesses leading to quantitative results. The fitting suggests that the effect of the oxides and Si3N4 on the 2DEG carrier concentration can be explained by the differences between them with respect to charge accumulation at the AlGaN/dielectric interface. High temperature in-situ deposited Si3N4 especially shows interesting behavior by bowing measurements as it also adds strain which increases piezoelectric polarization charge in AlGaN layer, so that increases the charge density in the 2DEG.

Passivation of AlGaN/GaN HEMT by SiN has been shown by several authors to improve device performance. In this paper we demonstrate a new method of passivating the top AlGaN layer, that leads to a drastic improvement of the device characteristics. On top of the AlGaN/GaN HEMT layer structures, a thin SiN layer is grown at high temperature in-situ, i.e. in the MOCVD reactor prior to unloading the HEMT epiwafers. The quality of the SiN is shown to be very high. As the AlGaN surface is protected against any air contamination, ohmic contacts deposited directly on the SiN layer exhibit better properties than on uncapped AlGaN layers. Transistor performance increases impressively: the source-drain dc current, for a positive gate voltage of 2 V, increases from 0.5 A/mm to 1.2 A/mm for similar AlGaN/GaN HEMT structures by depositing SiN in-situ. RF characteristics also show some improvement. The positive impact of in-situ SiN layer has different origins, some being intrinsically linked: surface protection against oxide formation, better ohmic contact formation, passivation of the surface states, reduction of AlGaN relaxation. All this leads to an increase of the 2DEG carrier concentration.

Numerous experimental studies, mostly based on the time-of flight (TOF) technique, showed that the conductivity in organic crystals can be analysed in terms of (trap-controlled) band transport. However, recent comparative studies of TOF signals and space charge limited currents (SCLCs) in tetracene crystals revealed a striking difference in carrier mobilities estimated from TOF current transients and from SCLC curves. The analysis of the SCLC curves yielded the mobilities wildly varying within 6 orders of magnitude. Therefore, it is not always clear whether the measured current-voltage (IV) device characteristics are controlled by charge injection or by transport in the bulk. In this work, we formulate a model of dopant-assisted carrier injection across a metal/organics interface and use this model for the analysis of IV curves measured on a tetracene and perylene crystal. The model suggests the occurrence of an energetically disordered layer at the surface of an organic crystal. This might be either an amorphous phase of the same material or a crystalline layer with a high density of defects and/or impurities. Since, at variance with bulk properties, the surface of an organic crystal is poorly controlled and can be strongly modified upon the contact deposition, the model of injection-controlled IV characteristics can explain the striking difference between the TOF mobility and the apparent ‘SCLC mobility’ measured in tetracene crystals. In order to give more credence to the role of surface defects states in the dark charge transport, we compare IV characteristics measured on sandwich and coplanar structures. In the latter structure, surface states show a major contribution to the conductivity.

Over the last decade, organic semiconductor thin film transistors have been the focus of many research groups because of their potential application in low-cost integrated circuits. Recently, an organic light-emitting field-effect transistor (OLEFET) was reported. In an OLEFET structure, optimal injection of both holes and electrons into the light-emitting layer are required for maximum quantum efficiency, whereas the gate serves as a controlling electrode. In this work, we achieved an OLFET structure with interdigitated hole-injecting Au and electron-injecting Ca contacts within a submicrometer channel length. Both contacts are bottom contacts to the upper-lying tetracene organic semiconductor. The study of IV-characteristics and light emission from these devices shined light on the underlying physics of the OLEFETs.

In this work, we study the workfunction alignment of organic compounds and electrodes evaporated on top of these organic materials by means of electroabsorption (EA). The organic materials of this study are poly[2-methoxy-5-(3',7'-dimethyloctyloxyl)]-1,4-phenylene vinylene (MDMO-PPV) and methanofullerene [6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). The electrodes are Al, Au, LiF/Au and LiF/Au, the latter two with a 1 nm thick layer of LiF, as well as with co-evaporation of LiF and the metal. In case of the MDMO-PPV, LiF enhances the built-in potential and thus reduces the electron injection barrier. Equal built-in potentials for a co-evaporated LiF:metal contact suggest doping is happening at the MDMO-PPV/metal interface. Unlike predicted by the Au and Al workfunction value, the built-in potentials for the PCBM/Al and PCBM/Au interface are equal. This suggests that Fermi level pinning occurs at these interfaces. The presence of a thin LiF layer screens the charge transfer from the metal to the PCBM.

The growth of FexNy thin films on GaAs, In0.2Ga0.8As, and Si02/Si substrates using an ultra high-vacuum (UHV) deposition chamber equipped with electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) microwave plasma source is presented. The structural properties of the deposited films have been measured using various techniques as x-ray diffraction (XRD), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results of XRD measurements show that the films consist of a combination of α-Fe, α'-Fe, γ-Fe4N, and α”- Fe16N2 phases. The depth profiles, calculated from the Auger peak intensities, show a uniform nitrogen concentration through the films. The TEM reveals a columnar structure of these films. The properties of the different Fe-N layers have been exploited in the fabrication of Fe(N) / FexNy / Fe trilayer structures, where Fe(N) means a slightly nitrogen doped Fe film. The magneto-transport properties of this trilayer structure grown on In0.2Ga0.8As substrates are presented.

We have studied the magnetic and structural properties of thin electrodeposited Co and Cu layers grown directly onto (100) n-GaAs and have investigated the influence of a buffer layer. A dominant fourfold anisotropy with a uniaxial contribution is observed in 10 nm Co electrodeposited films on GaAs. An easy axis is observed in the [001] GaAs direction with two hard axes of differing coercivities parallel to the [011] and [011] directions. For thicker films the easy axes in the [001] direction becomes less pronounced and the fourfold anisotropy becomes less dominant. Co films of similar thicknesses deposited onto an electrodeposited Cu buffer layer were nearly isotropic. From X-ray diffraction 21 nm Co layers on GaAs were found to be hcp with the c-axis tending to be in the plane of the film. The anisotropy is ascribed to the Co/GaAs interface and is held responsible for the unique spin-valve properties seen recently in electrodeposited Co/Cu films.

The growth of FexNy thin films on GaAs, In0.2Ga0.8As, and SiO2/Si substrates using an ultra high-vacuum (UHV) deposition chamber equipped with electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) microwave plasma source is presented. The structural properties of the deposited films have been measured using various techniques as x-ray diffraction (XRD), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results of XRD measurements show that the films consist of a combination of α-Fe, α'-Fe, y-Fe4N, and α”- Fe16N2 phases. The depth profiles, calculated from the Auger peak intensities, show a uniform nitrogen concentration through the films. The TEM reveals a columnar structure of these films. The properties of the different Fe-N layers have been exploited in the fabrication of Fe(N) / FexNy / Fe trilayer structures, where Fe(N) means a slightly nitrogen doped Fe film. The magneto-transport properties of this trilayer structure grown on In0.2Ga0.8As substrates are presented.

Ga1-xMnxAs is a new III-V diluted magnetic semiconductor that can be grown by MBE with Mn concentrations up to x ∼ 0.09. Below a critical temperature Tc, determined by the Mn concentration (about 50 K for x = 0.05) the material becomes ferromagnetic. This is attributed to the magnetic long-range order of Mn-hole complexes, the latter being the result of the strong antiferromagnetic interaction between the holes and Mn 3d spins. Transport and magnetic properties of the Ga1-xMnxAs system are strongly correlated. Above Tc, all samples show transport behaviour characteristic for materials near the metal insulator transition. Below Tc, resistivity decreases as the magnetic ordering sets in. When the magnetisation has reached its saturation value (below ∼ 20 K), variable range hopping is the main transport mechanism. Also, a negative magnetoresistance is observed below Tc.

τ MnAl / Co superlattices are grown epitaxially on GaAs (100) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. High angle XRD spectra are analysed and indicate that good structural quality is achieved. The behaviour of the superlattice upon annealing is described and compared with inplane and out of plane magnetization data. Extraordinary hall effect measurements show low field switching comparable to MnAl thin films. Arguments on how structural properties are affecting the magnetic properties are discussed.

The Ge/Pd/n-GaAs ohmic contact structure constitutes a near-ideal model system to test the applicability of the different metal/GaAs ohmic contact models. After annealing, an atomically flat interface between the GaAs substrate and a regrown Ge layer is obtained. A main point of discussion is whether the ohmic conduction across this junction either occurs by an enhanced Ge-doping of the GaAs (regrown) substrate surface layers (the doping model), and/or by a degenerate As-doping ot the Ge overlayer (the heterojunction hypothesis). In order to examine the applicability of both models, a Raman study of this system is undertaken. By a backside thinning procedure, a metallization/60 nm GaAs structure is preserved, allowing for a backside optical analysis of the regrown Ge/GaAs interface region.

The realisation of resonant tunneling transistors with a quantum-well base layer requires good Ohmic contacts on a two-dimensional electron gas. Both a good base-emitter separation and a good base-collector separation without the depletion of the base layer are essential requirements. The depletion of the base layer would prevent the injection of base current. Also the penetration of the contact metal needs to be restricted to prevent destruction of the two-dimensional electron gas layer. A 100 nm base-emitter separation can be obtained using a self-aligned base etching combined with the PdGe non-alloyed contact technology. A 10 nm wide quantum well spacer layer prevents the quantum-well consumption by the PdGe regrowth and allows the charging of the base layer.

The damage introduced by CH4/H2 reactive ion etching (RIE) on Si-doped AlGaAs layers is studied by X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Auger electron spectrocopy (AES) and electrical measurements on Schottky contacts. The XPS analysis of the surface stoichiometry after RIE exposure shows arsenic depletion and adsorbed carbon as the main characteristics. The carbon spectrum consists of a component due to atmospheric contamination and an additional photoelectron peak at 283 eV, which we correlate with the formation of Ga-C radicals at the AlGaAs surface during RIE. The reaction process at the Au/TiW/Ti/AlGaAs interface after RIE exposure and subsequent thermal annealing is monitored by AES. Also by this technique, carbon was detected at the Ti/AlGaAs interface and no interdiffusion was observed. The electrical behaviour of the contacts is characterized by capacitance-voltage (CV) and current-voltage (IV) measurements. Schottky barrier height, ideality factor and reverse breakdown were determined. The barrier height extracted from CV measurements of the samples exposed to RIE shows increased values (1.1 to 1.4 eV) compared to the reference samples (1.0 to 1.1 eV), depending on the aluminium concentration. The same behaviour was observed in the ideality factor. The results are explained by the formation of a p-n junction below the metal/AlGaAs barrier. Good agreement between experimental and theoretical values is found when the compensation of Si donors was taken into account.

GaAs is grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on composite GaAs-SiO2 nucleation layers fabricated on Si substrates. The composite surface (CS) is formed by an initial deposition of GaAs islands by MBE, followed by oxidation of the bare Si regions surrounding the islands. The oxidation is performed at 265°C in the afterglow of a microwave induced plasma. The fabrication of the composite GaAs-SiO2 nucleation layer is compatible with the epitaxy process. GaAs growth on CS's is performed to study the seeded lateral overgrowth of GaAs on the SiO2. We find single crystal GaAs on SiO2 regions up to 50 nm wide. On the SiO2 a large density of twins is present. The GaAs seeds are not pseudomorphic and misfit dislocation segments constitute a source of threading defects. The potential of the technique for GaAs-on-Si improvement is discussed.

The damage introduced by CH4/H2 reactive ion etching (RIE) and its recovery after thermal annealing has been investigated by Hall measurements and low temperature photoluminescence (PL) on pseudomorphic AlGaAs/InGaAs modulation doped structures. After plasma exposure, the PL intensity has significantly decreased and shifted in energy. In order to study the recovery of the damage introduced by the plasma, thermal annealing was done at temperatures between 350 and 500°C. We observed that the luminescence emission is totally recovered after annealing at 450°C. Hall measurements at room temperature (RT) and at 77K showed that the electrical characteristics of these structures can be restored only after thermal annealing at 500°C.

The optimised etching conditions have been applied in a fabrication process for submicron dry gate recessed pseudomorphic delta-doped AlGaAs/InGaAs modulation doped field effect transistors (MODFETs). For a 0.25 mm gatelength device the maximum DC transconductance value was as high as 680 mS/mm. The same value was extracted from measurements at 15 GHz.

InAs and InAs0.85Sb0.15p-“i”-n structures were grown on InAs, GaAs and Si substrates by Molecular Beam Epitaxy. The structural quality of the layers is discussed using Transmission Electron Microscopy and Rutherford Back Scattering. The influence of the material quality on the 77 K current-voltage measurements is explained. The spectral response of the devices was measured demonstrating peak responsivities of 2.1 A/W at 3.5μm wavelength for InAs0.85Sb0.15 detectors with a 4.3 μm cut-off wavelength.

The behavior of Si and Be impurities in InAsx Sb1−x (0.05<x<0.45) heteroepitaxial layers grown on GaAs-coated Si by MBE is characterised. Siis found to act as an n-type dopant for the growth conditions used. The calibration of the Si n-type doping as a function of the Sisource temperature is obtained by infrared absorption spectrometry, stripping Hall and SIMS depth profiling. At high doping levels the amphoterical characterof the Si impurities becomes evident. SIMS is used to investigate the dopant incorporation and the formation of diode structures. The influence of the mismatched epitaxy on the transport properties is investigated by stripping Hall measurements. In order to establish the correlation between crystalline properties of the epilayers and the ability to fabricate diodes, we compare the defect structure of InAs and In(As)Sb p-'i'-n diodes.