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/ima
ges/galliumnitride.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
.
Structure
Stability

Cubic (Beta) GaN

.
Zinc Blende
Meta-stable

Lattice Parameter(s) at 300K

0.450 nm

Density at 300K
Nature of Energy Gap Eg

6.10 g.cm-3
Direct

Energy Gap Eg at 293-1237 K

Hexagonal (Alpha) GaN

.
Wurzite
Stable
a0 = 0.3189 nm
c0 = 0.5185 nm
6.095 g.cm-3
Direct
3.556 - 9.9x10-4T2 /
(T+600) eV
Ching-Hua Su et al, 2002

Properties
3.44 eV
3.23 eV
Ramirez-Flores et al 1994

Energy Gap Eg at 300 K

.
3.25 eV
Logothetidis et al 1994

Monemar 1974

.
3.45 eV
Koide et al 1987

.
3.457 eV
Ching-Hua Su et al, 2002

Energy Gap Eg at ca. 0 K

3.30 eV

3.50 eV

Ramirez-Flores et al1994
Ploog et al 1995

Dingle et al 1971
Monemar 1974

Properties
Comparison between Common Semiconductor Material Properties
and GaN
Hole
Mobility
(cm2/Vs)

Critical Field Ec
(V/cm)

Thermal
Conductivity T
(W/mK)

Coefficient
of Thermal
Expansion
(ppm/K)

Material

Bandgap (eV)

Electron
Mobility
(cm2/Vs)

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

5.46-5.6, I

2,200

6,000,000

1,300

0.8

C
(diamond)

1,800

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 system

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I
mage:Wurtzite-unit-cell-3Dballs.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
Several

favorable

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:S
phalerite-unit-cell-depth-fade-3Dballs.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 Paulings definition

http://www.bcpl.net/~kdrews/bonding/bonding2.html
Modern definition

GaN Bonding Properties

Based on calculations using both methods, typical

valuesCompound
are
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)

Bond Character dependent on

electronegativity

J.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
GaP
AlSb
InP

3.2 eV/3.4 eV
2.3 eV
1.5 eV
1.3 eV

Applications
Gallium
New

Nitride Typical Applications:

Kind of Nanotube

Laser

diodes

High-resolution Printings
Microwave

amplifiers

Solar

Cells

radio-frequency power

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
range from 0.7eV
3.4eV

http://www.lbl.gov/ScienceArticles/Archive/assets/images/2002/Dec17-2002/indium_LED.jpg

GaN Laser Diodes

Applications

in:

Blu-Ray
technology
http://www.aeropause.com/archives/Blu-raycover_plat.jpg

Laser Printing

Indium doped (InGaN)

Conversion of many wavelengths for
energy

GaN Solar Cells

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-galliumnitride-nanotube.html

http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/MSD-fullspectrum-solar-cell.html

http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/blue-lightdiodes.html

http://www.ioffe.ru/SVA/NSM/Semicond/GaN/bandstr.html#B
asic

http://nsr.mij.mrs.org/4S1/G6.3/article.pdf
http://nsr.mij.mrs.org/news/industapp97.html