Crystal Growth Research Center

The Crystal Growth Research Center was found on the base of The PhysTech WBG Research Group at Ioffe Institute in 1996. Group has been performing work in the area of wide bandgap semiconductor-based devices for over 20 years. This Partner has equipment and capabilities for performing research in the field of group III nitride compounds and visible and UVLEDs. Using modified HVPE and LPE technology, this team fabricated the first 4H-SiC violet and UVLED, the first n-GaN/p-SiC heterojunction, the first MOCVD AlGaN-based UV emitter, the first optically pumped AlGaN laser operating at high temperature, the first HVPE AlGaN heterostructure as well as the first HVPE AlGaInN-based blue and UVLED.

Key ongoing R&D activities are:

Research personnel- 20 people, 8 Ph D's.

Research links - Cooperation with largest research and production institutes (Moscow State

University, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg State Technical University and St.

Petersburg Electrotechnical University) in the Former Soviet Union (FSU).

Collaboration with Howard University, Technologies and Devices International, Inc, Erlangen University, Texas Tech University, and a number of western institutions and companies.

Patents and publications - more than 100 scientific papers; 11 USSR patents.

Existing infrastructure: The CGRC has two HVPE growth machines, bulk growth machine for nitrides, two metallization systems for Ohmic and Schottky contacts, reactive ion etching system, photolithography system, automated probe for Ohmic and Schottky contacts, UV- visible range EL/PL/CL spectroscopy set-up, X-ray diffraction apparatus, Auger-SIMS and DLTS characterization units. The CGRC is also equipped with substrate preparation facilities including wafer cutting, polishing, and cleaning. It also has post growth equipment for AlGaN metallization (two evaporators) and reactive ion etching (a 130 MHz plasmatron)

Characterization capabilities of the CGRC include:

- crystal structure characterization (double crystal X-ray diffractometer, X-ray topography),

- surface analysis High Energy Electron Diffraction (HEED);

- optical characterization (PL and CL mapping);

- compositional analysis (AES and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS)),

- electrical characterization (DLTS setup, I-V and C-V characterization for the temperature range from 77 to 700K).

In addition CGRC has access to different characterization techniques available at Ioffe Institute such as EBIC, Electron Probe MicroAnalysis (EPMA), Raman spectroscopy, AFM, Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM).

Relevant publications

  1. A.S. Zubrilov, V.I. Nikolaev, D.V. Tsvetkov, V.A. Dmitiev, K.G. Ivine, J.A. Edmond, and C.H. Carter, Jr. "Spontaneous and stimulated emission from photo-pumped GaN grown on SiC.", Appl. Phis. Lett., 16 (1995).

  2. A.S.Zubrilov, D.V.Tsvetkov, V.I.Nikolaev, and I.P.Nikitina, “Edge Luminescence of AlN-GaN solid solutions” Semiconductors 30(11), 1069 (1996).

  3. V.Dmitriev, K.Irvine, C.H. Carter, Jr., A.S. Zubrilov, and D.V. Tsvetkov. "AlGaN pn junctions", Appl. Phis. Lett. 67, 115 (1995).

  4. V.A.Dmitriev, K.G.Irvine, J.A.Edmond, C.H.Carter, Jr., N.I.Kuznetsov, A.S.Zubrilov, E.V.Kalinina, D.V.Tsvetkov, “Nitride p-n junctions grown on SiC substrates”, Inst. Phys. Conf. Ser. No 142: Chapter 6, 1019 (1996).

  5. V.A. Dmitriev, K.G. Irvine, G.Bulman, J.Edmond, A.Zubrilov, V.Nikolaev, D.Tsvetkov, A.Babanin, I.Nikitina, A.Sitnikova, Yu.Muzikhin, N.Bert. "Growth and characterisation of GaN layers on SiC substrates", J. of Crystal Growth, 166, 601 (1996).

  6. V.E.Bugrov, and A.S.Zubrilov, “Waveguide properties of gallium, aluminium, and indium heterostructures”, Semiconductors 31(1), 51 (1997).

  7. A.E. Nikolaev, Yu.V. Melnik, N.I. Kuznetsov, A.M. Strelchuk, A.P. Kovarsky, K.V. Vassilevski, and V.A. Dmitriev, GaN pn-Structures Grown by Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy, Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 482, pp. 251-256, (1998).
  8. Yu. Melnik, A. Nikolaev, I. Nikitina, K. Vassilevski, V. Dmitriev, Properties of Free-Standing GaN Bulk Crystals Grown by HVPE, Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 482, pp.269-274, (1998).
  9. Yu.V. Melnik, A.E. Nikolaev, S.I. Stepanov, A.S. Zubrilov, I.P. Nikitina, K.V. Vassilevski, D.V. Tsvetkov, A.I. Babanin, Yu.G. Musihin, V.V. Tretyakov and V.A. Dmitriev, AlN/GaN and AlGaN/GaN Heterostructures Grown by HVPE on SiC Substrates, Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 482, pp.245-249, (1998).
  10. A.E.Nikolaev, D.V.Tsvetkov, A.E.Cherenkov, Yu.V.Melnik, A.S.Zubrilov, M.G.Minbaeva, N.I.Kuznetsov, I.P.Nikitina, V.A.Dmitriev, “GaN-Based Device Structures Grown by HVPE”, “Technical Digest of the 3rd Russian Workshop “Gallium Nitride, Indium Nitride, Aluminum Nitride: Structures and Devices” (Moscow, 1999) p. 12 (1999), [in russian]