Highly Strained AlGaAs-GaAsP Nanomembranes-Based High-Performance Diode

Abstract

Nanomembranes (NMs) made from single-crystalline inorganic semiconductors offer unique properties, such as flexibility, transparency, and tunable bandgaps, making them suitable for complex device integration and next-generation high-power devices. In this study, the fabrication of a high-performing emitter and base (E-B) diode using transferable NMs of n-AlGaAs/p-GaAsP is demonstrated. Using a modified epitaxial lift-off and transfer method, a single-crystalline n-AlGaAs/p-GaAsP fragile NMs transfer onto ultrathin oxide (UO) grown GaN and Si substrates. The crystalline quality of the NMs is characterized by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy techniques before and after transfer, no noticeable degradation has been found in its crystalline quality. In addition, atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy images confirm the smooth surface and uniformity of the NMs over the whole substrate without any formation of cracks, respectively. Kelvin probe force microscopy demonstrates the formation of a nanoscale contact potential barrier at the interface of the E-B diode. Furthermore, current–voltage (I–V) measurements demonstrate that the performance of the NM-based E-B diode is comparable to that of a rigid diode on the as-grown sample. The findings highlight the potential of the epitaxial lift-off and transfer method for the heterogeneous integration of III–V semiconductor materials to overcome the lattice-mismatch limitations.