Lattice and electronic structure of ScN observed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements

Scandium nitride (ScN) has recently attracted much attention for its potential applications in thermoelectric energy conversion, as a semiconductor in epitaxial metal/semiconductor superlattices, as a substrate for GaN growth, and alloying it with AlN for 5G technology. This study was undertaken to better understand its stoichiometry and electronic structure. ScN (100) single crystals 2 mm thick were grown on a single crystal tungsten (100) substrate by a physical vapor transport method over a temperature range of 1900-2000 & DEG;C and a pressure of 20 Torr. The core level spectra of Sc 2p(3/2,1/2) and N 1s were obtained by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The XPS core levels were shifted by 1.1 eV toward higher values as the [Sc]:[N] ratio varied from 1.4 at 1900 & DEG;C to & SIM;1.0 at 2000 & DEG;C due to the higher binding energies in stoichiometric ScN. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements confirmed that ScN has an indirect bandgap of & SIM;1.2 eV. Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.

Automated summary

This study aims to investigate the stoichiometry and electronic structure of scandium nitride (ScN) by growing ScN (100) single crystals under specific conditions and obtaining core level spectra data using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.