Exploiting Phonon-Resonant Near-Field Interaction for the Nanoscale Investigation of Extended Defects
Abstract
The evolution of wide bandgap semiconductor materials has led to dramatic improvements for electronic applications at high powers and temperatures. However, the propensity of extended defects provides significant challenges for implementing these materials in commercial electronic and optical applications. While a range of spectroscopic and microscopic tools have been developed for identifying and characterizing these defects, such techniques typically offer either technique exclusively, and/or may be destructive. Scatteringtype scanning nearfield optical microscopy (sSNOM) is a nondestructive method capable of simultaneously collecting topographic and spectroscopic information with frequencyindependent nanoscale spatial precision (20 nm). Here, how extended defects within 4HSiC manifest in the infrared phonon response using sSNOM is investigated and the response with UVphotoluminescence, secondary electron and electron channeling contrast imaging, and transmission electron microscopy is correlated. The sSNOM technique identifies evidence of stepbunching, recombinationinduced stacking faults, and threading screw dislocations, and demonstrates interaction of surface phonon polaritons with extended defects. The results demonstrate that phononenhanced infrared nanospectroscopy and spatial mapping via sSNOM provide a complementary, nondestructive technique offering significant insights into extended defects within emerging semiconductor materials and devices and thus serves as an important diagnostic tool to help advance material growth efforts for electronic, photonic, phononic, and quantum optical applications.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 20, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1095821
Entities
People
- Alexander J. Giles
- Benedikt Hauer
- Claire E. Marvinney
- Jennifer K Hite
- Joshua D Caldwell
- Martin Lewin
- Nabil Bassim
- Nadeemullah A. Mahadik
- Robert E. Stahlbush
- Thomas Taubner
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory