Electrical characterization of InGaN quantum well p-n heterostructures

Abstract In this work, two methods for electrical characterization of InGaN quantum well p–n heterostructures at the nanometer level are presented. Cross-sectional Electrical Force Microscopy and High Resolution Electron Beam Induced Current (HR-EBIC) are used to study and identify regions of the cross-sectional surface of InGaN heterostructures with different types of electrical conductivity, the location of the InGaN quantum well, the location of the p–n junction, and the depletion layer. HR-EBIC was implemented in a Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope to take advantage of the high resolution chemical imaging capabilities of this microscope, such as Z-Contrast and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, and the small spread of the high energy electron beam in the electron transparent thin sample that allows electron beam induced current imaging with nanometer resolution.