Gallium Nitride (GaN)

PHYS 571
Gugun Gunardi
Heath Kersell
Damilola Daramola
Gallium Nitride (GaN)

 Introduction
 Properties
 Crystal Structure
 Bonding Type
 Application
 Introduction
 The next important semiconductor
material after silicon. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/yap/images/g
alliumnitride.jpg

 Can be operated at high temperatures.

 The key material for the next generation

of high frequency and high power
transistors.

 Wide band gap energy.

Properties
PROPERTY / MATERIAL Cubic (Beta) GaN Hexagonal (Alpha) GaN
. . .
Structure Zinc Blende Wurzite
Stability Meta-stable Stable
a0 = 0.3189 nm
Lattice Parameter(s) at 300K 0.450 nm
c0 = 0.5185 nm
Density at 300K 6.10 g.cm-3 6.095 g.cm-3
Nature of Energy Gap Eg Direct Direct

3.556 - 9.9x10-4T2 /
Energy Gap Eg at 293-1237 K (T+600) eV
Ching-Hua Su et al, 2002
Properties

3.44 eV
Monemar 1974
3.23 eV
.
Ramirez-Flores et al 1994
3.45 eV
Energy Gap Eg at 300 K .
Koide et al 1987
3.25 eV
.
Logothetidis et al 1994
3.457 eV
Ching-Hua Su et al, 2002

3.30 eV 3.50 eV
Energy Gap Eg at ca. 0 K Ramirez-Flores et al1994 Dingle et al 1971
Ploog et al 1995 Monemar 1974
 Properties
Comparison between Common Semiconductor Material Properties and GaN

Coefficient of
Electron Thermal
Hole Mobility Critical Field Ec Thermal
Material Bandgap (eV) Mobility Conductivity sT
(cm2/Vs) (V/cm) Expansion
(cm2/Vs) (W/mK)
(ppm/K)

InSb 0.17, D 77,000 850 1,000 18 5.37

InAs 0.354, D 44,000 500 40,000 27 4.52

GaSb 0.726, D 3,000 1,000 50,000 32 7.75

InP 1.344, D 5,400 200 500,000 68 4.6

GaAs 1.424, D 8500 400 400,000 55 5.73

GaN 3.44, D 900 10 3,000,000 110 (200 Film) 5.4-7.2

Ge 0.661, I 3,900 1,900 100,000 58 5.9

Si 1.12, I 1,400 450 300,000 130 2.6

GaP 2.26, I 250 150 1,000,000 110 4.65

SiC (3C, b) 2.36, I 300-900 10-30 1,300,000 700 2.77

SiC (6H, a) 2.86, I 330 - 400 75 2,400,000 700 5.12

SiC (4H, a) 3.25, I 700 3,180,000 700 5.12

C (diamond) 5.46-5.6, I 2,200 1,800 6,000,000 1,300 0.8

Crystal Structure
 GaN grown in
◦ Wurtzite crystal structure

◦ Zinc-blende crystal structure

 The band gap, Eg, effected by crystal

structure
Wurtzite
Crystal Structure
•Wurtzite crystal structure is a
member of the hexagonal crystal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:
system Wurtzite-unit-cell-3D-balls.png

•The structure is closely related to the

structure of hexagonal diamond.
• Energy gap: 3.4 eV
Wurtzite
Crystal Structure
 An ideal angle: 1090
 Nearest neighbor: 19.5 nm
 Energetically favorable
 Several other compounds can take the wurtzite
structure, including Agl, ZnO, CdS, CdSe, and other
semiconductors.
 Zinc-blende
Crystal Structure
• Energy gap 3.2 eV
• An ideal angle: 109.470
• Nearest neighbor: 19.5 nm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Sphalerite-
unit-cell-depth-fade-3D-balls.png
GaN Bonding Properties
 Tetrahedral bonds
◦ sp3 hybridization
◦ Bonding angle: 109.47°
◦ Bond Length: 19.5 nm
 Ga-N bonds significantly stronger than Ga-Ga
interactions (based on distance)
Ionicity
•GaN exhibits mixed ionic-covalent bonding
•Ionicity of a bond is the fraction fi of ionic character
compared to the fraction of fh of covalent character
•By Pauling’s definition

•Modern definition
• is the ionicity phase angle
1http://www.bcpl.net/~kdrews/bonding/bonding2.html
 GaN Bonding Properties
Based on calculations using both methods, typical values are
Compound Pauling ionicity Modern ionicity2
AlN 0.430 0.449
AlP 0.086 0.307
AlAs 0.061 0.274
GaN 0.387 0.500
GaP 0.061 0.327
GaAs 0.039 0.310
InN 0.345 0.578
InP 0.039 0.421
InAs 0.022 0.357
NaCl 0.668 > 0.9
C (Diamond) 0 0
Bond Character dependent on electronegativity
χN >> χP > χAs > χSb
2J.C. Phillips, Bonds and Bands in Semiconductors 1973
 GaN Bonding Properties
• Bonding strength determines energy gap
size
• Large band gap evidence of strong
bonding in GaN
• Strongly Ionic Compounds (also insulators)
LiF – 11eV; NaCl – 8.5eV; KBr – 7.5 eV
• Other III-V compounds
e.g. GaN – 3.2 eV/3.4 eV
GaP – 2.3 eV
AlSb – 1.5 eV
InP – 1.3 eV
Applications
 Gallium Nitride Typical Applications:
 New Kind of Nanotube

 Laser diodes

 High-resolution Printings

 Microwave radio-frequency power amplifiers

 Solar Cells
New Kind of Nanotube
• Single Crystal Nanotubes
Fabricated

• Gallium Nitride nanotubes have

diameter between 30 – 200 nm

• Potential for mimicking ion

channels
GaN Laser Diode
 Normally emit
ultraviolet radiation
 Indium doping allows
variation in band gap
size
 Band gap energies http://www.lbl.gov/Science-
Articles/Archive/assets/images/2002/Dec-

range from 0.7eV – 17-2002/indium_LED.jpg

3.4eV
GaN Laser Diodes
 Applications in:

◦ ‘Blu-Ray’ technology

◦ Laser Printing
http://www.aeropause.com/archives/Blu-ray-
cover_plat.jpg
GaN Solar Cells
 Indium doped (InGaN)
 Conversion of many wavelengths for
energy

 Theoretical 70% maximum

conversion rate.
 Multiple layers attain higher efficiency.
 Need many layers to attain 70%

 Lattice matching not an issue

GaN Solar Cells
Advantages:
 High heat capacity
 Resistant to effects of strong radiation
 High efficiency

Difficulties:
 Too many crystal layers create system damaging
stress
 Too expensive
References
 http://www.reade.com/Products/Nitrides/Gallium-Nitride-(GaN)-
Powder-&-Crystals.html
 http://www.semiconductors.co.uk/nitrides.htm#GaN
 http://www.onr.navy.mil/sci_tech/31/312/ncsr/materials/gan.asp
 http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/MSD-gallium-nitride-
nanotube.html
 http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/MSD-full-spectrum-
solar-cell.html
 http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/blue-light-diodes.html
 http://www.ioffe.ru/SVA/NSM/Semicond/GaN/bandstr.html#Basic
 http://nsr.mij.mrs.org/4S1/G6.3/article.pdf
 http://nsr.mij.mrs.org/news/industapp97.html