Open AccessLaser damage mechanisms in conductive widegap semiconductor films
Author(s) -
JaeHyuck Yoo,
Marlon G. Menor,
John J. Adams,
Rajesh N. Raman,
Jonathan R. I. Lee,
Tammy Y. Olson,
Nan Shen,
Joonki Suh,
Stavros G. Demos,
J. Bude,
Selim Elhadj
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.24.017616
Subject(s) - materials science , optoelectronics , laser , semiconductor , photoluminescence , silicon , band gap , indium tin oxide , electrical conductor , transparent conducting film , wide bandgap semiconductor , pulsed laser deposition , optics , thin film , nanotechnology , composite material , physics
Laser damage mechanisms of two conductive wide-bandgap semiconductor films - indium tin oxide (ITO) and silicon doped GaN (Si:GaN) were studied via microscopy, spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL), and elemental analysis. Nanosecond laser pulse exposures with a laser photon energy (1.03 eV, 1064 nm) smaller than the conductive films bandgaps were applied and radically different film damage morphologies were produced. The laser damaged ITO film exhibited deterministic features of thermal degradation. In contrast, laser damage in the Si:GaN film resulted in highly localized eruptions originating at interfaces. For ITO, thermally driven damage was related to free carrier absorption and, for GaN, carbon complexes were proposed as potential damage precursors or markers.