III-N Based Material Structures and Circuit Modules Based on Strain Management

Current state-of-the-art optoelectronic devices are based on either lattice-matched or biaxially strained wurtzite III-nitride materials. Their performance is limited by the low hole conductivity in group-III nitride materials, which is due in part to the high relative hole mass in nitrides, resulting in a very low hole mobility. Decreasing the holes’ effective mass provides for higher hole mobility, resulting in significant performance improvements in photonic devices, suggesting a need for new methods to increase hole mobility.

Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara have developed a novel approach to incorporate strain into III-Nitride photonic and electronic heterostructures. This strain causes an upward shift in the light hole band, producing holes with a mass lower than that of electrons, which results in increased hole mobility and reduced electron scattering. The innovation enables enhanced performance of p-type and n-type III-Nitride devices, including reduced threshold carrier density in lasers and LEDs, as well as enabling the fabrication of GaN-based CMOS integrated circuits combining electron and hole transistors. Furthermore, this technique is applicable to materials beyond III-Nitride materials in all polarities and crystal planes.

Patent: https://patents.google.com/patent/US12230678