Semiconductor Alloys
1. Theory of Spontaneous Long-Range Order in
Semiconductor Alloys
2. Defects on GaAs Surfaces
3. III-V Nitrides
1. Theory of Spontaneous
Long-Range Order in
Semiconductor Alloys
I. BACKGROUND
In the mid eighties, it was known that size mismatch between the
atomic constituents leads to positive mixing enthalpy D
H(R) > 0 of random (R) alloys. The question we posed in
the Fall of 1984 was: Does the fact that D
H(R) > 0 for all random isovalent semiconductor alloys
preclude the formation of long-range order? The time-honored prevailing
paradigm in metal alloys was that D
H(R) > 0 reflects the existence of fundamentally
repulsive interactions between the alloy constituents, and since
ordering requires attractive interactions, D
H(R) > 0 excludes the possibility of ordering.
What we found in what became the first published paper on spontaneous
long-range order of size-mismatched semiconductor alloys [1] was that
this paradigm was incorrect, and that long-range order is, in
principle, consistent even with D
H(R) > 0. The basic insight was that D
H(R) > 0 merely reflects the fact that in a random
alloy, there is a distribution of many different local environments
("clusters," such as PGa2In2, PGa3In1,
PGa1In3), and that the statistical average
of their energies is positive, because some of these clusters are
strained. But if one were to isolate a single cluster type and repeat
it periodically in a strain-minimizing three-dimensional geometric
arrangement, long-range order will ensue. This basic observation
published in early 1985 [1], started the pursuit by theorists, and
experimentalists of long-range order in size-mismatched semiconductor
alloys. The first experimental observations of ordering in
size-mismatched semiconductor alloys were made by the NEC group of
Gomyo and Suzuki, and by the Utah group of G. Stringfellow just a
couple of years later.
In the intervening years since this first discovery, we have learned
a great deal more about this problem, including the role of surface
reconstructions in stabilizing the ordering and the way in which the
optical properties of ordered alloys are distinct from those of random
alloys. Because ordering doubles the crystallographic unit cell, while
altering the point group symmetry from Td to C3V,
new optical transitions, crystal-field splittings and phonon modes have
emerged. This phenomenology created significant experimental and
theoretical excitement.
The fact that by inducing ordering one could alter the materials
properties of an alloy without altering its chemical composition (thus,
retaining its lattice-matching with a given substrate) opened novel
technological opportunities. In 1990, a "2% New Initiative" proposal
was submitted to OER-BES-DMS on a coordinated growth (Olson, III-V’s
and Furdyna, II-VI’s), spectroscopy (Mascarenhas), and theory (Zunger)
study of ordering. Because GaInP was, at the time, the alloy of choice
for photovoltaic application, most of the experimental work has focused
on it.
This section of the write-up summarizes what we have learned from
our theoretical studies of ordering. The theoretical work in this
project had a few distinct functions:
-
Understanding of the "basic physics" (i) driving ordering; and,
(ii) the effects of ordering on material properties.
-
Explaining available experimental observations on
ordered materials (mostly GaInP).
-
Predicting hitherto unmeasured "fingerprints" and novel
properties of ordered materials.
-
Extending our knowledge and predictions to spontaneous ordering
in novel semiconductor/insulator systems, including: (i)
vacancy ordering in oxides
Lix ð 1-x(CoO2);
(ii) ordering in nitrides;
(iii) ordering in chalcopyrites, e.g., CuxIn1-x(Se2).
The theoretical work has thus focused on the following areas of
research:
-
The causes of spontaneous ordering (studying bulk,
epitaxial, and surface thermodynamics).
-
The consequences of spontaneous ordering on material
properties.
-
The prediction of ordering in new systems.
-
Conceiving new ideas for future work on Ordering.
We will next review our progress in these areas, emphasizing
research in the last three years. We will also describe the essential
results from earlier years so as to clarify the evolution of the
research. Each section title includes references to papers published on
that subject.
II. TECHNICAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS
A. THE CAUSES OF ORDERING
(i) Early Work: Bulk and Epitaxial Effects [1-15; 18-20]
Our early work on causes of ordering focused on bulk
ordering [1]–[7], [18, 19, 20, 21] and epitaxial ordering
[8]–[15], [43]. Concerning bulk ordering, we have used the
first-principles pseudopotential method to calculate the total energy
of various assumed bulk ordered phases of many III-V and II-VI alloys,
contrasting the energies with those of the random phase. The latter was
computed as a statistical average of the energies of the various local
environments that exist in a random alloy. These studies have shown
that even though the random alloy has a positive mixing
enthalpy D
H(R)(x)>0, some special 3D ordered atomic arrangements
can remarkably minimize strain and maximize charge-transfer, hence
become stabler! For AlInP2 and AlInAs2 (having
strong charge transfer) the local density approximation (LDA) predicted
[19] D
H(O) < 0 for the ordered (O) chalcopyrite
phase, leading to stability of bulk ordering. For all other
III-V compounds, we found that while the ordered phase has positive
excess enthalpy D
H(O) > 0, for the chalcopyrite (CH) structure D
H(CH) < D
H(R), so this structure can order metastabily in
bulk. We found that other crystal structures (e.g., CuPt) are
"topologically frustrated," i.e., do not possess enough geometrical
degrees of freedom to permit all chemical bonds to attain their ideal
length. Thus, these networks are intrinsically strained and, therefore,
bulk unstable. After this work was published, Stringfellow et
al., have observed chalcopyrite ordering in III-V alloys. These
findings were reviewed in Ref. 29.
Concerning epitaxial ordering [8] – [15],
we have discovered that coherence with the substrate can convert the
previously predicted metastable bulk ordering into stable
epitaxial ordering. The reason is as follows: In the bulk, D
H(CH) > 0, because the relaxed alloy constituents A+B
are lower in energy than the ordered AB phase. But on a coherent
substrate, phase-separation of AB into A+B is discouraged because these
coherently-matched constituents (A-on-substrate and B-on-substrate) are
highly strained. Thus, on a substrate, D
H(CH) < 0 not because the ordered chalcopyrite phase is
stabilized, but because the alternative to ordering (phase separation)
is destabilized! We cause the ordered chalcopyrite phase is stabilized,
but because the alternative to ordering (phase separation) is
destabilized! We applied these novel concepts to Si-Ge, Si-C [8] and
III-V’s [9]-[15] computing, for the first time, temperature-composition
phase diagram of epitaxially ordered alloys. The significance of this
work was the establishment of novel mechanism for epitaxial
stabilization of bulk-metastable structures.
(ii) Recent Work: Reconstruction-induced Ordering
It was clear to us in 1989 that in addition to bulk
and epitaxial effects, there must be other driving forces for ordering,
since the "CuPt ordered phase" discovered experimentally by Gomyo and
Suzuki was shown by us theoretically to be unstable both according to
bulk and epitaxial thermodynamics. We then embarked on a new idea:
calculation of surface-induced ordering mechanism [22, 25, 26, 27, 48,
49, 55, 69]. What we discovered [22] beginning in 1991 was that the
most common feature of semiconductor surfaces – the existing of atomic
dimerization at the surface – creates an energetic incentive for the Ga
and In atoms in the subsurface layers to adopt ordered positions akin
to the CuPt structure. This idea, used earlier by Legous et al., to
explain binary ordering in Si-Ge, was applied by us to ternary III-V
alloys by performing LDA and valence force field calculations. We
considered cation dimerization [22] as well as anion dimerization [25,
26, 27] predicting for the first time a strong surface-thermodynamic
driving force for CuPt ordering. (Phillips and Norman et al., in the
U.K., repeated a similar suggestion a few years later). The
significance of this work was to establish: (i) the first theoretical
calculation of a surface-induced ordering mechanism in III-V alloys;
(ii) a "dictionary," [48] connecting different reconstruction patterns
[(2 x 4); (4 x 2); (4 x 4); (2 x 6)] with different forms of long-range
order (CuPtA, CuPtB, triple-period); (iii)
explaining how surface solubilities can exceed, by many orders of
magnitude, bulk solubility [55], and; (iv) relating surface
reconstruction with surface segregation [49, 69]. Our work explained
the previously observed CuPtB ordering, and was confirmed by
subsequent experiments of Stringfellow et al., and Suzuki et al., who
demonstrated the link between reconstruction and ordering: they
succeeded in altering the ordering patterns by manipulating the surface
reconstruction through changing growth parameters.
B. THE CONSEQUENCES OF ORDERING
This part of our study was aimed at understanding
how ordering of the random alloy changes electronic, vibrational,
structural, mechanical and magnetic properties of the material.
- A new formula relates the degree of ordering to the band gap
reduction [29]. As-grown alloys are not perfectly ordered. The degree
of long-range order (LRO) can vary between h
=0 (random) to h
=1 (fully ordered). While it was known that spectroscopic quantities
must depend on h
, it was not known what is this dependence. In 1992, using lattice-gas
statistical mechanic theories [38], we derived [29] the "h 2 rule," leading to simple formulas
that relate the
valence band splitting D
EVB and the band gap reduction D
Eg to h
. The significance of this work was that if D
Eg(h
=1) was given, one could deduce h of a
given sample from the measurement of D
Eg(h
) or D
EVB(h
). A large number of experimental papers used in subsequent years this
theoretical result to determine how different growth conditions result
in different h values. Examples include
Fluegel et al., PRB 55, 13,647 (1997); Wirth et al., APL 71,
2127 (1997); and Shubert et al., PRB 54, 17,616 (1997). Indeed,
the "h 2 rule" became a standard
tool for spectroscopic
interpretation of data.
- Predicting the maximal band gap reduction and valence band
splitting upon ordering: Use of the "h 2
formula" requires knowing D
Eg(h
=1) and D
EVB(h
=1). These quantities are not known experimentally. We predicted them
both at the LDA level and at the LDA-corrected level for many III-V and
II-VI alloys [16, 17, 33, 34, 35, 52, 53, 63]. This work allowed
experimentalists to determine from their measured D
Eg and D
EVB the value of h
. We also provided predictions for many yet-unmeasured materials. Those
predictions show which materials are expected to have the largest band
gap reduction upon ordering, and how different forms of ordering
("CuPt," "chalcopyrite," "CuAu," etc.) leads to different band gaps.
The significance of this work was the establishment of magnitudes and
trends in spectroscopic quantities pertaining to ordering in a wide
range of materials and ordered structures.
- Ordering is predicted to convert GaP0.5As0.5
[23a] and Ga0.5Al0.5As [23b] into direct-band gap
materials. While the respective 50%-50% random alloys, or the (001)
monolayer superlattices of GaP/GaAs and GaAs/AlAs have indirect band
gaps, we predicted that CuPt ordering will convert these materials to
direct band gaps (because the L-folded state repels the G 1c conduction band downwards, so
it becomes lower than X1c).
Our prediction was recently confirmed by Yamashita et al. [PRB 53,
15,713 (1996)] for Alx(GaIn)1-xP, while for GaPAs
it was confirmed by T. Takanohashi and M.Ozeki [JJAP 30, L956
(1991)]. We further showed how deviations from ordering via
"interfacial roughness" can reverse the order of conduction-band levels
in ordered AlGaAs2 [30]. This work is significant because it
demonstrated a qualitative spectroscopic consequence of
ordering.
- Ordering predicted to lower the band gap of InAs-Sb alloys
sufficiently to create far IR detectors [24]. While random
InAsSb alloys already have a small band gap, we predicted that CuPt
ordering can shift significantly the band gap to yet longer wavelengths
[24]. Later, this quantitative prediction was seen by the Sandia group,
Kurtz et al., APL (1992), who observed ordering-induced-band gap
reduction in their IR materials, as described by our theoretical
prediction. The significance of this work is that ordering was shown to
lead to a technically useful spectroscopic effect.
- Ordering is predicted to lead to spin-polarization [36].
Spin-polarized photoelectrons are needed in a variety of
high-energy-physics experiments. They are usually obtained from
strained GaAs. It occurred to us that ordering (which leads to a
natural crystal-field splitting) can also lead to spin-polarization
even without strain. We calculated [Ref. 36] this effect predicting
strong spin-polarization in (single-variant) ordered GaInP2.
It was later observed by Kita et al. [PRB 57, R 15,044 (1998)].
- Ordering is predicted to change the X-ray structure factors
[63]. In principle, high-precision x-ray diffraction can be used to
directly measure t In principle, high-precision x-ray diffraction can
be used to directly measure the degree h of
LRO. This requires comparison with h
=1, fully ordered x-ray structure factors that are not accessible
experimentally. To this end, we have computed the Fourier transform of
the LDA charge density, thus providing the x-ray fingerprints of full
ordering. Recent x-ray measurements of ordered alloys include the data
of Forrest et al. The x-ray measured h
[Forrest et al., PRB 58, 15355 (1998)] agrees reasonably well
with the value deduced optically via fitting the band gap reduction
data to our predicted D
Eg values.
- Deduction of the degree of ordering from measurement of the
polarization anistropy [34, 35]. Ordering leads to an anistropy of
the optical transitions [34]. We predicted that the measured anistropy
would be fit to our theory of spectral anisotropy, thus deducing via
the fit the degree of LRO. The experiment of Kanata et al. [APL 63,
26 (1993)], provided the data that led to a successful determination of
h via this method.
- Ordering predicted to alter the pressure dependence of
semiconductor band gaps [31]. Since ordering folds L or X states
into the Brillouin zone center, and since admixture of these states
alters the band gap pressure dependence, we offered that measurement of
this effect can serve as a new fingerprint of ordering. We predicted
[31] significant changes in pressure coefficient of the first two
conduction bands on pressure. These predictions await experimental
testing.
- Ordering predicted to increase the electron effective
mass, even though k·
p models predict the mass to be reduced [47]. The band gap reduction
attendant upon ordering will contribute to a reduction of the
electron mass. At the same time, the folding and consequent admixture
of the heavier L1c mass into the G
1c state will increase the mass.
First-principles calculations [47], which include both effects predict
a net increase in mass. Earlier k·
p calculations included only the first effect, predicting a reduction.
Subsequent experiments by Ernst et al., [JAP, 81, 2814 (1997)]
predict an increase in mass, in agreement with first-principles
calculations.
- Theory examines whether NMR can be used to determine the
degree of ordering [59]. A paper by Mao et al. [PRL 76,
4769 (1996)] offered to combine NMR measurements of the electric field
gradient (EFG), with a point-ion model of the effect to deduce the
degree of h of LRO. We examined this
intriguing possibility by performing all-electron first-principles
calculations of the electric field gradients [59] seen by NMR.
Unfortunately, we find that the point-ion model used by Mao et al.,
does not capture correctly the EFG which, according to our calculation,
is dominated by covalency effects. Hence, measurement of EFG alone
cannot be used to determine h without the
intervention of (a complicated first-principles) theoretical model.
- Theory predicts the phonon fingerprints of ordering [61].
Recent experiments in Spain, France, and at NREL showed clear evidence
of effects of ordering on the phonon spectra. Using ab-initio linear
response theory (LRT), we have calculated phonon frequencies and phonon
eigen modes of both ordered and disordered GaInP. While part of our
calculation has confirmed previous assignments of phonon modes, we have
also offered new assignments of previously observed modes, based on our
access to computed polarizations and mode frequencies. Some of
our suggested new assignments were contested by experimentalists
(Alsina et al.) who offered another sequence of modes ("model 1C"). We
have recently shown (unpublished results) that this model is incorrect,
and proposed instead a "model 1b". The significance of this work was in
providing the first theoretical prediction of phonon signature of
ordering, and assisting in experimental assignment.
- Theory predicts Reflectance Difference Spectroscopy (RDS)
effects in ordered alloys [41]. The existence of a natural
polarization of the interband transitions due to the symmetry reduction
attendant upon ordering, suggested to Olson et al., using RDS as a
measure of ordering. A theory of RDS for CuPt ordering was developed
[41]. It points to the relationships between measured RDS anisotropy
and the degree h or LRO. This improves over
previous RDS theories, thus allowing a better connection between RDS
measurements and the degree of LRO.
- Calculation of fingerprints of ordering on high-energy optical
transitions [42]. Although it was first customary to measure the
effects of LRO only on the lower energy direct gap E0, other
high-energy transitions (E1, E2, E'0)
occurring in the UV could also hold the key to understanding ordering.
We have developed a theory that shows how the change in symmetry due to
ordering shifts and splits these high energy transitions [42], finding
very unusual effects. Recent experiments started probing these high
energy transitions, e.g., Alsina et al. [22nd ICPS
Conference Proceedings], and Kita et al. [PRB 54, (1996)],
finding good agreement with our calculations.
- Theory contrasts the effects of short-range-order (SRO) vs.
long-range-order (LRO) on optical properties [44-46]. While many
have focused on detecting the effects of LRO on various optical
properties, it is also possible that SRO (e.g., clustering of like
atoms, or "anti-clustering" of dissimilar atoms) could have a similar
effect on optical properties. In a series of papers [44-46], we
constructed models of SRO in semiconductor alloys, establishing the
spectroscopic distinguishing features between LRO and SRO. The
significance of this research was in theoretically establishing, for
the first time, how SRO affects carrier localization and band gap
reduction, and how these effects differ from LRO effects.
- Prediction of ordering-induced polarization electric fields
and their effects on band offsets [49]. The existence of a unique
[111] axis in CuPt ordered alloys suggests the possibility of a
piezoelectric field. We have calculated this field for perfect
ordering, finding that in the absence of screening of this field by
free carriers, it will have a non-negligible magnitude. While
experiments by Ernst et al. [ICPS 23 Proceedings, p. 469 (96)] have
confirmed the presence of a large field, Perkins et al. [JAP 84,
4502 (98)] place a considerably lower bound on the magnitude of this
field (however, their sample had many free-carriers that might have
screened part of the field). The question of the magnitude of
ordering-induced electric fields is thus still open, awaiting new
experiments. In addition to this calculation, we have also predicted
the band offset between GaAs and GaInP with varying degrees of LRO.
Interestingly, the band offset D
E(h
) can change from type-I to type-II by changing h
! Recent experiments by Martinez and Yu have used these results to
analyze their data. The significance of discovering that there is a
finite band offset between ordered and disordered GaInP2 is
that this suggested the possibility of forming quantum wells and
barriers with the same material. This was accomplished experimentally
by Stringfellow et al. [APL, 73, 3905 (1998)].
[APL, 73, 3905 (1998)].
C. THE PREDICTION OF ORDERING IN NEW SYSTEMS
Much of the experimental work on ordering has
centered around GaInP, largely because of the availability of good
samples, produced in studies of high-efficiency photovoltaic solar
cells. A significant part of our theoretical work has, therefore, also
centered around GaInP. However, as theorists, we feel that we should
attempt to understand a broader set of "generic materials." To this
end, we have extended our interest to "ordering in new systems."
Examples follow:
- Ordering in conventional III-V’s other than GaInP and in II-VI
alloys [6, 16, 17, 18, 19, 37, 52, 63]. The theoretical work
described above on optical and structural properties of ordered alloys
were extended to conventional III-V alloys other than GaInP2.
These included AlGaAs2; GaInAs2; AlInP2;
AlInAs2; GaInSb2; Ga2PAs and Ga2AsSb;
although we have not repeated all calculations for each and
every system, we did investigate the main chemical trends in ordering
characteristics. While some experimental measurements exist
sporadically on such non-GaInP2 systems (e.g., GaInAs2),
there are no systematic studies in the literature to compare
with our calculations. In addition, we extended calculations on
ordering-induced optical properties to the II-VI alloys CdZnX2
(X=Se, Te), HgCdTe2 and HgZnTe2. Experiments are
unavailable. The significance of these theoretical studies is that they
create a "menu" for experimentalists to choose novel systems for
studying ordering.
- Ordering in chalcopyrites [28, 32, 57, 68]. We found four
types of ordering in CuInSe2-type chalcopyrite systems: (a)
the disorder-order (zincblende to chalcopyrite) transition as a
function of temperature [28]; (b) the order-disorder transitions
existing in the quaternary system (CuInSe2)x(ZnSe)1-x,
predicted in [32] in which the system transforms from chalcopyrite to
zincblende as the composition x diminishes; (c) the three-dimensional
ordering of Cu vacancies in CuInSe2-based structures,
studied in [57]; and, (d) the ordering of polytypes studied in Ref.
[68]. In all cases, we have studied theoretically these ordering
transitions using a combination of first-principles total-energy
calculations for ordered structures (which yields "effective
interactions") with Ising-like description (solved via Monte-Carlo) for
the statistical description of order/disorder mediated by the
"effective-interactions". The basic computational method is described
in Ref. [38]. These studies were partially conducted in collaboration
with the PV program. These systems are fascinating, revealing novel
types of ordering effects in semiconductor alloys which are very
different from those seen in GaInP2. As part of our future
plans (see below), we would like to expand in this direction.
- Ordering in nitride alloys [54, 60]. Nitride alloys such
as GaAs-GaN and GaN-InN became very popular because of their importance
for blue lasers and photovoltaics. Current experiments have not reached
the 50%-50% composition range, where CuPt ordering might be maximal.
Nevertheless, we decided to predict theoretically what will ordering
do. We find that in random GaAs1-xNx, the
band gap drops very fast as the nitrogen composition increases, but
that it is always positive. However, if we assume CuPt ordering
at x = 0.5, we find a negative band gap (metallic system!) This
exciting prediction deserves further theoretical and experimental study.
- Vacancy ordering in oxides [64, 65]. LiCoO2 is
a very interesting novel battery material. The electrochemical action
is afforded by moving Li ions in-and-out of the lattice. The system is,
thus, a "binary alloy" Li1-x €
x, where "€ " denotes
a vacancy, and where Co and oxygen are fixed "spectator atoms". We
speculated that one can find on this lattice ordering of vacancies. We
have thus applied to this system the same method [38] we used for GaInP2
ordering, namely perform total energy calculations on a set of assumed,
vacancy-ordered configurations, extract from these calculations
"effective interactions," and then solve the ensuing Ising model via
Monte-Carlo techniques. We find a fascinating series of
vacancy-ordering transitions as a function of temperature [64]. The
significance of this work is that a new type of ordering transitions
were found in a ABX2 "semiconducting" system, and that
unlike the case of GaInP2, where the ordering had primarily
optical consequences, here ordering has important electrochemical
consequences [64, 65]. The results of this theoretical research are
pursued experimentally by the battery research group at NREL.
PAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE THEORY PROGRAM ON ORDERING:
-
Published 23 papers in 1984-1991 (before the start of the BES
initiative), and 45 papers 1991– Present (during the initiative). This
includes:
-
Presented two APS March meeting Invited Talks.
-
Delivered sixteen other Invited Talks.
-
Outstanding sustained achievement award in Solid State Physics,"
given to A. Zunger in 1998 by BES-DMS, in part due to this work on
theory of ordering.
-
Cover page of "MRS Bulletin" (Vol. 22, 1997) on our work.
-
Was invited to organize symposia on "ordering in
semiconductors," in the Electronics Materials Conference – 1997, 1998,
1999.
-
Published a highly cited book-size review article on the subject
[Ref. 37].
References
For a listing of all SST references on the topic "Spontaneous
Ordering
in Semiconductor Alloys", click on the "Get References" button below.
2. Defects on GaAs Surfaces
In order to determine the structural properties of defects on
semiconductor surfaces using STM, it is crucial to properly interpret
the STM images using, for example, state-of-art first principles
calculations. The case considered here in the above figures (click on
small figures
above to see full-size versions) is As vacancies on the GaAs(110)
surface. STM images were generated using ab-initio wavefunctions and
supercells, which probe the isosurface of the wavefunctions squared
over a given energy window. The two figures here were calculated with a
negative sample bias of about 2 eV to
reveal states associated with surface As atoms. They show, on the
appearance, that surface As atoms near the vacancy are displaced
towards the underlying bulk. In calculations with large enough surface
supercells (see the 2nd figure),
significant As displacements in the STM images due to As vacancy were
found while in fact the vacancy causes little As atomic motion.
Discrepancies between
the actual atomic positions and those inferred from the STM images for
Ga atoms
are even more pronounced. A detailed analysis explaining this paradox
is the subject of the reference below
References
For a listing of all SST references on the topic "Clean
Semiconductor Surfaces
and Surface Steps", click on the "Get References" button below.
3. III-V Nitrides
Conventional (e.g. InxGa1-xN)
isovalent substitution in III-V semiconductor compounds does not
lead to appearance of deep electronic levels inside the band gap.
However, P and As substituted
for N in GaN induce deep triply
degenerate levels well above the valence band
maximum. The impurity-surrounding Ga atoms relax outwards and the
defect level wavefunction is strongly localized, as shown in
Figure 1.

Figure 1. Atomic
relaxation (percent) and deep level electronic wavefunction for
As-impurity in GaN.
An impurity pair is formed, when two P or As
impurities occupy nearby N sites. As a result of the interaction
of the electronic levels and elastic strain fields, the deep
defect levels experience a large splitting. The resulting
wavefunctions for the nearest-neighbor As-As pair are illustrated
in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Gap
wavefunctions for As-As impurity pair in GaN.
These results were derived using the
state-of-the-art computational tools, utilizing ab initio
total energy calculations and empirical plane-wave
pseudopotential method.
Selected References on Nitrides:
-
L. Bellaiche, S.H. Wei and A. Zunger, "Localization and
Percolation in Semiconductor Alloys: GaAsN vs. GaAsP," Phys. Rev. B. 54,
17568-17576 (1996).
-
L. Bellaiche, S.H. Wei and Alex Zunger, "Composition-dependence
of I
nterband Transition Intensities in Isoalent Semiconductor Alloys: GaPN vs
GaPAs," Phys. Rev. B. 56, 10233-10240 (1997).
-
L. Bellaiche, S. H. Wei and A. Zunger, "Band gaps of GaPN and
GaAsN Alloys," Appl. Phys. Lett. 70, 3558-3560 (1997).
-
L. Bellaiche, S.H. Wei and A. Zunger, "Bond Length Distribution
in Tetrahedral vs. Octahedral Semiconductor Alloys: the Case of GaInN,"
Phys. Rev. B. 56, 13872-13877 (1997).
-
L. Bellaiche and A. Zunger, "Effect of atomic short range order
on the electronic and optical properties of GaAsN, GaInN and GaInAs
alloys,"
Phys. Rev. B. 57, 4425 (1998).
-
T. Mattila and A. Zunger, "Deep electronic gap levels induced by
isovalent P and As impurities in GaN," Phys. Rev. B.
58, 1367 (1998).
-
T. Mattila and A. Zunger, "P-P and As-As isovalent impurity
pairs in GaN," Phys. Rev. B. 59, 9943-9953 (1999).
-
T. Mattila and A. Zunger, "Predicted bond length variation in
Wurtzite and Zinc-blende InGaN and AlGaN Alloys," J. Appl. Phys. 85,
160-167 (1999).
-
T. Mattila, S.H. Wei and A. Zunger, "Electronic structure of
sequence mutations in ordered GaInP2," Physical Review
Letters 83, 2010-2013 (1999).
-
T. Mattila, S.H. Wei and A. Zunger, "Localization and
anticrossing of electron levels in GaAsN alloys," Phys. Rev. B 60,
R11245-R11248, (1999).
-
P. R. C. Kent and A. Zunger, " Evolution of III-V Nitride Alloy
Electronic Structure: The Localized to Delocalized Transition
" Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 2613-2616 (2001).
-
P. R. C. Kent and A. Zunger, "Theory of Electronic Structure
Evolution of GaAsN and GaPN Alloys," Phys. Rev. B, in press,
(2001).
Other References
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