Atomic-scale visualization of defect-induced localized vibrations in GaN

Phonon engineering is crucial for thermal management in GaN-based power devices, where phonon-defect interactions limit performance. However, detecting nanoscale phonon transport constrained by III-nitride defects is challenging due to limited spatial resolution. Here, we used advanced scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy to examine vibrational modes in a prismatic stacking fault in GaN. By comparing experimental results with ab initio calculations, we identified three types of defect-derived modes: localized defect modes, a confined bulk mode, and a fully extended mode. Additionally, the PSF exhibits a smaller phonon energy gap and lower acoustic sound speeds than defect-free GaN, suggesting reduced thermal conductivity. Our study elucidates the vibrational behavior of a GaN defect via advanced characterization methods and highlights properties that may affect thermal behavior.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2024-10-20
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53394-z
Citations
16
Primary Topic
Thermal properties of materials
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.87

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Atomic-scale visualization of defect-induced localized vibrations in GaN

Bowen Sheng, Xinqiang Wang, Bo Sun, Shanshan Sheng et al.
16 citations
Nature Communications
Thermal properties of materials
1.87
article

Atomic-scale visualization of defect-induced localized vibrations in GaN

Bowen Sheng, Xinqiang Wang, Bo Sun, Shanshan Sheng, Ruochen Shi, Lucas Lindsay, Hailing Jiang, Ping Wang, Zhenyu Zhang, Fang Liu, Tao Wang, Peng Dong Gao, Bo Shen, Weikun Ge
article en
16 citations

Abstract

Phonon engineering is crucial for thermal management in GaN-based power devices, where phonon-defect interactions limit performance. However, detecting nanoscale phonon transport constrained by III-nitride defects is challenging due to limited spatial resolution. Here, we used advanced scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy to examine vibrational modes in a prismatic stacking fault in GaN. By comparing experimental results with ab initio calculations, we identified three types of defect-derived modes: localized defect modes, a confined bulk mode, and a fully extended mode. Additionally, the PSF exhibits a smaller phonon energy gap and lower acoustic sound speeds than defect-free GaN, suggesting reduced thermal conductivity. Our study elucidates the vibrational behavior of a GaN defect via advanced characterization methods and highlights properties that may affect thermal behavior.

Nature CommunicationsVol. 15(1)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (US), Peking University (CN), Tsinghua–Berkeley Shenzhen Institute (CN), Tsinghua University (CN)
U.S. Department of Energy, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Peking University, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Climate action
Openalex Percentile: Top 10%
Thermal properties of materials
1.87
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.