Date of Completion

5-5-2016

Embargo Period

5-4-2016

Advisors

Rajeev Bansal and Faquir Jain

Field of Study

Engineering

Degree

Master of Science

Open Access

Open Access

Abstract

This work provides a computational tool for predicting strain and dislocation density in nitride-based heterostructures at equilibrium. The framework and computational tool reviewed in this thesis has yielded critical layer thickness (CLT) results for nitride-based heterostructures such as InxGa1-xN/GaN (0001), InxGa1-xN/GaN (11-22) and AlxGa1-xN/GaN (0001). The presented CLT results are compared with calculations via established CLT models and empirical data. Dislocation density and strain profiles calculated for InxGa1-xN/GaN (0001) and InxGa1-xN/GaN (11-22) in linearly graded configurations are provided. These results demonstrate that with modification J. Tersoff’s zinc-blende based analysis of dislocation confinement to compositionally graded layers in multi-layer heterostructures is applicable to nitrides.

Major Advisor

John E. Ayers

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