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research article

Smooth GaN membranes by polarization-assisted electrochemical etching

Ciers, J.  
•
Bergmann, M. A.
•
Hjort, F.
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February 8, 2021
Applied Physics Letters

III-nitride membranes offer promising perspectives and improved device designs in photonics, electronics, and optomechanics. However, the removal of the growth substrate often leads to a rough membrane surface, which increases scattering losses in optical devices. In this work, we demonstrate membranes with etched surface roughness comparable to that of the as-grown epitaxial material, accomplished by the implementation of a properly designed built-in polarization field near the top of the sacrificial layer from an AlInN interlayer, which is polarization-mismatched to GaN. This leads to a steeper reduction in free carrier density during the electrochemical etching of the sacrificial layer, limiting the etching current and thus causing an abrupter etch stop. As a result, the root mean square roughness is reduced to 0.4nm over 5x5 mu m(2). These smooth membranes open attractive pathways for the fabrication of high-quality optical cavities and waveguides operating in the ultraviolet and visible spectral regions.

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Type
research article
DOI
10.1063/5.0034898
Web of Science ID

WOS:000630411100002

Author(s)
Ciers, J.  
Bergmann, M. A.
Hjort, F.
Carlin, J-F  
Grandjean, N.  
Haglund, A.
Date Issued

2021-02-08

Publisher

AMER INST PHYSICS

Published in
Applied Physics Letters
Volume

118

Issue

6

Article Number

062107

Subjects

Physics, Applied

•

Physics

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

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LASPE  
Available on Infoscience
March 26, 2021
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/176329
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