Strain- and electric field-induced band gap modulation in nitride nanomembranes

• Published in: Journal of physics. Condensed matter Vol. 25; no. 19; pp. 195801 - 7
• Main Authors: Amorim, Rodrigo G, Zhong, Xiaoliang, Mukhopadhyay, Saikat, Pandey, Ravindra, Rocha, Alexandre R, Karna, Shashi P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bristol IOP Publishing 15.05.2013; Institute of Physics
• Subjects: Aluminum nitride; Computer Simulation; Condensed matter; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Density functional theory; Elastic Modulus - radiation effects; Electric Conductivity; Electromagnetic Fields; Electron density of states and band structure of crystalline solids; Electron states; Electron Transport - radiation effects; Electronics; Energy gaps (solid state); Exact sciences and technology; Gallium nitrides; Materials Testing; Membranes, Artificial; Metal-insulator transitions and other electronic transitions; Models, Chemical; Models, Molecular; Modulation; Nanostructure; Nanostructures - chemistry; Nanostructures - radiation effects; Nanostructures - ultrastructure; Nitrogen - chemistry; Nitrogen - radiation effects; Particle Size; Physics; Semiconductor compounds; Semiconductors; Charge density; Band structure; Energy gap; Electric field effects; Modulation; Aluminium nitride; Density functional method; Strain distribution; Nanostructures; Gallium nitride; Semiconductor metal transition
• ISSN: 0953-8984; 1361-648X; 1361-648X
• DOI: 10.1088/0953-8984/25/19/195801

The hexagonal nanomembranes of the group III-nitrides are a subject of interest due to their novel technological applications. In this paper, we investigate the strain- and electric field-induced modulation of their band gaps in the framework of density functional theory. For AlN, the field-dependent modulation of the bandgap is found to be significant whereas the strain-induced semiconductor-metal transition is predicted for GaN. A relatively flat conduction band in AlN and GaN nanomembranes leads to an enhancement of their electronic mobility compared to that of their bulk counterparts.