Journal
PHYSICA SCRIPTA
Volume 98, Issue 8, Pages -Publisher
IOP Publishing Ltd
DOI: 10.1088/1402-4896/ace5eb
Keywords
GaN superlattices; topological phonon; first principle calculations; strain
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
In order to effectively regulate thermal transport for the near-junction thermal management of GaN electronics, this study comprehensively investigates the phonon characteristics and topological phonon properties of GaN nanostructures. The phonon modes, including the dispersion relation, density of states, and participation ratio, are calculated for six GaN superlattices. Weyl phonons with a Chern number of 1(-1) are found in all six GaN superlattices, and their distribution in the Brillouin zone increases with the number of phonon branches. The effects of strain on Weyl phonons in GaN/AlN and AlGaN/GaN superlattices are also investigated, revealing the persistence of Weyl phonons in large strain states. The findings of this work contribute to a deeper understanding of phonon properties and the topological effects in GaN nanostructures.
To effectively regulate thermal transport for the near-junction thermal management of GaN electronics, it is imperative to gain an understanding of the phonon characteristics of GaN nanostructures, particularly the topological phonon properties connected to low-dissipation surface phonon states. In this work, a comprehensive study on phonon modes and topological phonon properties is performed from first principles in (GaN)( x )/(AlN)( x ) and (AlGaN)( x )/(GaN)( x ) (x = 1,2,3) superlattices. Phonon modes, including the dispersion relation, density of states, and participation ratio, were calculated for six GaN superlattices. The participation ratio results did not reveal the localized phonon mode. In topological phonon analyses, it is found that Weyl phonons with a Chern number of 1(-1) are present in all six GaN superlattices, consisting of trivial (GaN) and nontrivial (AlN and AlGaN) combinations. These phonons are located on either side of the k ( z ) = 0 plane symmetrically in the Brillouin zone. With the increase in the number of phonon branches in superlattices, the number of Weyl phonon points also increases from dozens to hundreds. One Weyl phonon with significant and clean surface states is selected and analyzed for each GaN superlattice. Among them, the Weyl phonon in (GaN)(2)/(AlN)(2) superlattice mainly results from the lattice vibrations of Al and Ga atoms, while the Weyl phonons in other superlattices mainly result from the lattice vibrations of N atoms. The Weyl phonons at opposite k ( z ) planes form pairs in (GaN)(2)/(AlN)(2), AlGaN/GaN, and (AlGaN)(2)/(GaN)(2). Effects of strain including biaxial and uniaxial strain on Weyl phonons in GaN/AlN and AlGaN/GaN superlattices are investigated. Results indicate that Weyl phonons persist in large strain states, however, no monoclinic trend is observed due to the accidental degeneracy of these superlattices. The investigation in this work is promising to provide a deeper understanding of phonon properties and the topological effects of phonons in GaN nanostructures.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available