Highly reflective and conductive AlInN/GaN distributed Bragg reflectors realized by Ge-doping

We report on the realization of highly conductive and highly reflective n-type AlInN/GaN distributed Bragg reflectors (DBR) for use in vertical cavity surface emitters in a metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy process. While Ge-doping enables low-resistive n-type GaN/AlInN/GaN heterostructures, very high Ge doping levels compromise maximum optical reflectivities of DBRs. Simulations of the Bragg mirror's reflectivities together with structural analysis by X-ray diffraction reveal an increased absorption within the doped AlInN layers and interface roughening as major causes for the observed reduction of the optical reflectivity. By adjusting the Ge doping level in the AlInN layers, this structural degradation was minimized and highly conductive, 45-fold AlInN/GaN DBR structures with a maximum reflectivity of 99 % and vertical specific resistance of 5x10-4 Ωcm2 were realized.

Effects of Ge Doping on the Charge Transport and Thermoelectric Properties of Permingeatites Cu3Sb1−yGeySe4

Permingeatites Cu3Sb1−yGeySe4 (0 ≤ y ≤ 0.14) were synthesized by mechanical alloying and hot pressing. The charge-transport parameters (Hall coefficient, carrier concentration, mobility, and Lorenz number) and thermoelectric properties (electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, power factor, thermal conductivity, and figure of merit) were examined with respect to the Ge doping level. A single permingeatite phase with a tetragonal structure was obtained without subsequent heat treatment, but a small amount of the secondary phase Cu2GeSe3 was found for the specimens with y ≥ 0.08. All hot-pressed compacts exhibited a relative density of 97.5%–98.3%. The lattice constants of the a-axis and c-axis were decreased by the substitution of Ge at the Sb sites. As the Ge content increased, the carrier concentration increased from 5.2 × 1018 to 1.1 × 1020 cm−3, but the mobility decreased from 92 to 25 cm2·V−1·s−1. The Lorenz number of the undoped Cu3SbSe4 implied a non-degenerate semiconductor behavior, ranging from (1.57–1.56) × 10−8 V2·K−2 at 323–623 K. The thermoelectric figure of merit was 0.39 at 623 K, resulting from a power factor of 0.49 mW·m−1·K−2 and a thermal conductivity of 0.76 W·m−1·K−1. However, the Lorenz numbers of the Gedoped specimens indicated degenerate semiconductor characteristics, increasing to (1.63–1.94) × 10−8 V2·K−2 at 323–623 K. The highest thermoelectric figure of merit of 0.65 was at 623 K for Cu3Sb0.86Ge0.14Se4, resulting from the significantly improved power factor of 0.93 mW·m−1·K−2 and the thermal conductivity of 0.89W·m−1·K−1. As a result, the thermoelectric properties were remarkably enhanced by doping Ge into the Sb sites of the permingeatite.

Nanoscale continuous transition from monoclinic to ferroelectric orthorhombic inside HfO2 nanocrystals stabilized by HfO2 capping and self-controlled Ge doping

Orthorhombic HfO2 exhibits nanoscale ferroelectricity that opens the perspective of ultra-scalable CMOS integration of ferroelectric memories. However, many aspects of the metastable orthorhombic crystallization mechanisms need still to be elucidated...

Ge-doped Hematite for an Unassisted Water Splitting System with Enhanced Efficiency

To boost the photoelectrochemical water oxidation performance of a hematite photoanode, high temperature annealing has been widely applied to enhance crystallinity and remove the physical interface between the hematite and the fluorine doped thin oxide (FTO) substrate. However, the high temperature also results in unintentional Sn-doping due to thermal diffusion from the bottom FTO substrate. Therefore, when using additional dopants and the subsequent high temperature annealing process to enhance performance, the procedure should more precisely be considered co-doping of the hematite photoanode. However, at present, the interaction between the unintentional Sn and intentional dopant is poorly understood. Here, using germanium (Ge), which has been proven a promising dopant in previously reported simulations, we investigated how Sn diffusion affects overall PEC performance in Sn:Ge co-doped systems. After revealing the negative interaction of Sn and Ge dopants, we developed a facile Ge-doping method which suppresses Sn diffusion from the FTO substrate, significantly improving hematite performance. The Sn:Ge-hematite photoanode showed a photocurrent density of 4.6 mA cm− 2 at 1.23 VRHE with an excellent low turn-on voltage. After combining with a perovskite solar cell, our tandem system achieved outstanding 4.8% solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency (3.9 mA cm− 2 in an unassisted water splitting system). Our work provides important insights on a promising diagnostic tool for future co-doping system design.