Collection of scientific works Nanosystems, nanomaterials, nanotechnologies
Year 2025 Volume 23, Issue 4
Download the full version of the article (PDF) Open Access

O. M. BORDUN1, I. Yo. KUKHARSKYY1, I. O. BORDUN1, I. I. MEDVID1, I. M. KOFLIUK1, O. N. KUZ'2, M. S. KARKULOVSKA2, D. S. LEONOV3, and M. V. PROTSAK1

1Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, 50, Drahomanov Str., UA-79005 Lviv, Ukraine
2Lviv Polytechnic National University, 12, Stepana Bandery Str., UA-79013 Lviv, Ukraine
3Technical Centre, N.A.S. of Ukraine, 13, Pokrovska Str., UA-04070 Kyiv, Ukraine

Density of States and Interband Light Absorption in Ga1-xAlxN (x = 0, 0.03, 0.07) Thin Films

1085–1093 (2025)

PACS numbers: 61.05.cp, 68.55.jd, 78.20.Bh, 78.20.Ci, 78.40.Fy, 81.05.Ea, 81.15.Cd

Received 1 December, 2025

The long-wave edge of the fundamental absorption band of thin Ga1-xAlxN films (x = 0, 0.03, 0.07) obtained by radio-frequency (RF) ion-plasma sputtering in a nitrogen atmosphere is investigated. As shown, the empirical Urbach's rule well approximates the edge of interband absorption in the studied films. To analyse the experimental results, a model of a heavily doped or defective semiconductor within the quasi-classical approximation is used. The use of this model enables, depending on the films' chemical composition, the determination of the radius of the ground electronic state a, the screening radius rs, and the root-mean-square potential Δ. The obtained results are analysed.

KEY WORDS: gallium nitride, thin films, fundamental absorption edge

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15407/nnn.23.04.1085

Citation:
O. M. Bordun, I. Yo. Kukharskyy, I. O. Bordun, I. I. Medvid, I. M. Kofliuk, O. N. Kuz', M. S. Karkulovska, D. S. Leonov, and M. V. Protsak, Density of States and Interband Light Absorption in Ga1-xAlxN (x = 0, 0.03, 0.07) Thin Films, Nanosistemi, Nanomateriali, Nanotehnologii, 23, No. 4: 1085–1093 (2025); https://doi.org/10.15407/nnn.23.04.1085
REFERENCES
  1. Lakshman Srinivasan, Cyril Jadaud, François Silva, Jean-Charles Vanel, Jean-Luc Maurice, Erik Johnson, Pere Roca i Cabarrocas, and Karim Quaras, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A, 41, Iss. 5: 053407 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1116/6.0002718
  2. F. Roccaforte and M. Leszczynski, Nitride Semiconductor Technology. Power Electronics and Optoelectronic Devices (Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA: 2020).
  3. C. M. Furqan, Jacob Y. L. Ho, and H. S. Kwok, Surfaces and Interfaces, 26: 101364 (2021); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surfin.2021.101364
  4. Sujan Rajbhandari, Jonathan J. D. McKendry, Johannes Herrnsdorf, Hyunchae Chun, Grahame Faulkner, Harald Haas, Ian M. Watson, Dominic O'Brien and Martin D. Dawson, Semicond. Sci. Technol., 32: 023001 (2017); https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6641/32/2/023001
  5. Bing Xiong, Lai Wang, Zhibiao Hao, Jian Wang, Yanjun Han, Hongtao Li, Jiadong Yu, and Yi Luo, Laser Photonics Rev., 16, Iss. 1: 2100071 (2022); https://doi.org/10.1002/lpor.202100071
  6. Michael A. Reshchikov, Solids, 6, Iss. 3: 52 (2025); https://doi.org/10.3390/solids60300
  7. M. Monisha, Shyam Mohana, D. S. Sutarb, and S. S. Majora, Semicond. Sci. Technol., 35, Iss. 4: 045011 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6641/ab73ec
  8. Aoxue Zhong, Lei Wang, Yun Tang, Yongtao Yang, Jinjin Wang, Huiping Zhu, Zhenping Wu, Weihua Tang, and Bo Li, Chin. Phys. B, 32: 076102 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1088/1674-1056/accb8a
  9. V. Bondar, I. Kucharsky, B. Simkiv, L. Akselrud, V. Davydov, Yu. Dubov, and S. Popovich, phys. stat. sol. (a), 176, No. 1: 329 (1999); https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1521-396X(199911)176:1<329::AID-PSSA329>3.0.CO;2-E
  10. Sarmad Fawzi Hamza Alhasan, Mothana A. Hassan, Zaid T. Salim, Reem M. Khalaf, Makram A. Fakhri, Motahher A. Qaeed, Ahmed A. Al-Amiery, and Subash C. B. Gopinath, Int. J. of Nanoelectronics and Materials, 18: 227 (2025); https://doi.org/10.58915/ijneam.v18iJune.2358
  11. Salvatore Musumeci and Vincenzo Barba, Energies, 16: 3894 (2023); https://doi.org/10.3390/en16093894
  12. Nanxi Li, Chong Pei Ho, Shiyang Zhu, Yuan Hsing Fu, Yao Zhu, and Lennon Yao Ting Lee, Nanophotonics, 10, No. 9: 2347 (2021); https://doi.org/10.1515/nanoph-2021-0130
  13. W. Alan Doolittle, Christopher M. Matthews, Habib Ahmad, Keisuke Motoki, Sangho Lee, Aheli Ghosh, Emily N. Marshall, Amanda L. Tang, Pratyush Manocha, and P. Douglas Yoder, Appl. Phys. Lett., 123: 070501 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0156691
  14. Milena Beshkova and Rositsa Yakimova, Vacuum, 176: 109231 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vacuum.2020.109231
  15. Kiyotaka Wasa, Makoto Kitabatake, and Hideaki Adachi, Thin Film Materials Technology: Sputtering of Compound Materials (William Andrew Inc. publishing-Springer-Verlag GmbH&Co. KG: 2004).
  16. O. M. Bordun, I. Yo. Kukharskyy, M. V. Protsak, I. I. Medvid, I. M. Kofliuk, Zh. Ya. Tsapovska, and D. S. Leonov, Nanosistemi, Nanomateriali, Nanotehnologii, 22, Iss. 2: 287 (2024); https://doi.org/10.15407/nnn.22.02.287
  17. Franz Urbach, Phys. Rev., 92, Iss. 5: 1324 (1953); https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRev.92.1324
  18. M. V. Kurik, phys. stat. sol. (a), 8, Iss. 1: 9 (1971); https://doi.org/10.1002/pssa.2210080102
  19. J. I. Pankove, Optical Processes in Semiconductors (New York: Dover Publications, Inc.: 1971).
  20. O. M. Bordun, I. Yo. Kukharskyy, I. M. Kofliuk, I. I. Medvid, and M. V. Protsak, Physics and Chemistry of Solid State, 26, No. 2: 203 (2025); https://doi.org/10.15330/pcss.26.2.203-208
  21. E. F. Schubert, Physical Foundations of Solid-State Devices (New York: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy: 2006); http://nadirpoint.de/Physik_Lit_PDF/65.pdf
  22. A. L. Éfros, Soviet Phys. Uspekhi, 16, No. 6: 789 (1974); https://doi.org/10.1070/PU1974v016n06ABEH004090
  23. N. D. Dovga, Phys. Electron., 33: 86 (1986) (in Russian).
  24. O. M. Bordun, B. O. Bordun, I. Yo. Kukharskyy, and I. I. Medvid, J. Appl. Spectrosc., 88, Iss. 2: 257 (2021); https://doi.org/10.1007/s10812-021-01166-8
  25. O. M. Bordun, I. O. Bordun, I. M. Kofliuk, I. Yo. Kukharskyy, and I. I. Medvid, J. Appl. Spectrosc., 88, Iss. 6: 1152 (2022); https://doi.org/10.1007/s10812-022-01292-x