GaN remote epitaxy on a pristine graphene buffer layer via controlled graphitization of SiC

Freestanding semiconductor membranes hold significant potential for heterogeneous integration technology and flexible electronics. Remote epitaxy, which leverages electrostatic interactions between epilayers and substrates through two-dimensional (2D) materials such as graphene, offers a promising solution for fabricating freestanding single-crystal membranes. Although the thinness, uniformity, and cleanness of 2D materials need to be meticulously controlled to enable the remote epitaxy of high-quality thin films, attaining such ideal growth templates has been challenging thus far. In this study, we demonstrate a controlled graphitization method to form a pristine graphene buffer layer (GBL) directly on SiC substrates and utilize this GBL template for GaN remote epitaxy. The quasi-two-dimensional GBL layer obtained by the method is completely free of damage or contamination, facilitating strong epitaxial interaction between the GaN epilayer and the SiC substrate. Furthermore, we reveal that a two-step growth of GaN on this GBL template enables the formation of single-crystal GaN epilayers and their exfoliation. Thus, this study represents an important step toward developing high-quality, freestanding semiconductor membranes.

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Publication Details

Journal
Applied Physics Letters
Published
2024-12-16
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0235653
Citations
3
Primary Topic
GaN-based semiconductor devices and materials
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.93

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article

GaN remote epitaxy on a pristine graphene buffer layer via controlled graphitization of SiC

Joonghoon Choi, Young Joon Hong, Jeehwan Kim, Bo‐In Park et al.
3 citations
Applied Physics Letters
GaN-based semiconductor devices and materials
0.93
article

GaN remote epitaxy on a pristine graphene buffer layer via controlled graphitization of SiC

Joonghoon Choi, Young Joon Hong, Jeehwan Kim, Bo‐In Park, Gyu‐Chul Yi, Celesta S. Chang, Seokje Lee, Kyusang Lee, Eunsu Lee, Jekyung Kim, Han Ik Kim, Jeong Yong Yang, Hyun S. Kum, Hyunseok Kim, Changhyun Lim
article en
3 citations

Abstract

Freestanding semiconductor membranes hold significant potential for heterogeneous integration technology and flexible electronics. Remote epitaxy, which leverages electrostatic interactions between epilayers and substrates through two-dimensional (2D) materials such as graphene, offers a promising solution for fabricating freestanding single-crystal membranes. Although the thinness, uniformity, and cleanness of 2D materials need to be meticulously controlled to enable the remote epitaxy of high-quality thin films, attaining such ideal growth templates has been challenging thus far. In this study, we demonstrate a controlled graphitization method to form a pristine graphene buffer layer (GBL) directly on SiC substrates and utilize this GBL template for GaN remote epitaxy. The quasi-two-dimensional GBL layer obtained by the method is completely free of damage or contamination, facilitating strong epitaxial interaction between the GaN epilayer and the SiC substrate. Furthermore, we reveal that a two-step growth of GaN on this GBL template enables the formation of single-crystal GaN epilayers and their exfoliation. Thus, this study represents an important step toward developing high-quality, freestanding semiconductor membranes.

Applied Physics LettersVol. 125(25)
Seoul National University (KR), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US), Yonsei University (KR), Institute of Nanotechnology (GB), University of Virginia (US), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US), Sungkyunkwan University (KR)
National Science Foundation, National Research Foundation of Korea, Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology, Air Force Office of Scientific Research
Industry, innovation and infrastructure
Openalex Percentile: Top 25%
GaN-based semiconductor devices and materials
0.93
DOISourceOpenAlex
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