Determination of InN/Diamond Heterojunction Band Offset by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

Diamond is not only a free standing highly transparent window but also a promising carrier confinement layer for InN based devices, yet little is known of the band offsets in InN/diamond system. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to measure the energy discontinuity in the valence band offset (VBO) of InN/diamond heterostructure. The value of VBO was determined to be 0.39 +/- 0.08 eV and a type-I heterojunction with a conduction band offset (CBO) of 4.42 +/- 0.08 eV was obtained. The accurate determination of VBO and CBO is important for the application of III-N alloys based electronic devices.