What question did this study set out to answer?

To examine how strain engineering influences doping levels in aluminum nitride (AlN).

May 6, 2026Applied Physics Letters0 citations

Strain effects on n -type doping in AlN

HWHaochen WangUniversity of California, Santa Barbara CWChris G. Van de WalleUniversity of California, Santa Barbara

Key Points

To examine how strain engineering influences doping levels in aluminum nitride (AlN).
Utilized first-principles calculations to analyze ionization energies and donor levels.
Studied the impact of in-plane tensile strains on conduction-band minimum (CBM).
Considered different donors, including SiAl, SN, and SeN, in the analysis.
Strain engineering results in lower ionization energies for SN and SeN as they shift closer to the CBM.
A 2.5% in-plane tensile strain reduces the (+/−) transition level from 271 to 98 meV below the CBM.
This enhancement can increase electron concentration by three orders of magnitude.

Abstract

Controllable doping in aluminum nitride (AlN) and its alloys is essential for deep-ultraviolet light sources. Ionization energies for donors in AlN (SiAl, SN, and SeN) are high. We report first-principles calculations demonstrating that strain engineering can result in a reduction in ionization energies. The donor levels for SN and SeN shift closer to the conduction-band minimum (CBM) under in-plane tensile strains, driven by a downward shift of the CBM. The most widely used donor, SiAl, forms a DX center in AlN. We find that a 2.5% in-plane tensile strain (which would be induced by pseudomorphic growth on GaN in experiment) shifts the (+/−) transition level from 271 to 98 meV below the CBM, which would enhance the electron concentration by three orders of magnitude. These results demonstrate that strain engineering offers an effective route to enhance doping levels in AlN.

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