Structural, electronic and optical properties of (Sc,Y)N solid solutions

The refractory nitrides ScN and YN are candidate semiconductors for optoelectronic and DMS applications. Studies have included alloying ScN with other III-V semiconductors such as GaN to engineer the electronic, optical and structural properties. We suggest that ScN-YN and higher order alloys will lead to further control of these properties. We demonstrate complete solid solubility in the ScN-YN system through analysis of sputter deposited composition-spread thin films. Characterization of electrical, optical and structural properties is presented as a function of composition, demonstrating excellent epitaxy, high mobility, high absorptivity and high energy optical gap across the entire composition range. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.