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Biomedical subjects

SB Zhang

Publications and source records attributed to SB Zhang.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Indium-indium pair correlation and surface segregation in InGaAs alloys

In-In pair correlations and In surface segregation in In xGa 1-xAs alloys are studied by first-principles total-energy calculations. By calculating the substitution energy of a single In atom, we find that the near-surface energetics explains the observed In segregation on InGaAs(001)-beta2(2x4) surfaces. Indium surface segregation further enhances the In site selectivity, thus the long-range ordering. We find that the [110] and [001] In-In pair correlations are repulsive and nearly isotropic in bulk but are highly anisotropic near the (001) surface. The sign of the [110] In-In interaction energies vs the distance from the surface is oscillatory. These findings explain the recent puzzling cross-sectional x-STM results.

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Microscopic origin of the phenomenological equilibrium "Doping limit Rule" in n-type III-V semiconductors

The highest equilibrium free-carrier doping concentration possible in a given material is limited by the "pinning energy" which shows a remarkable universal alignment in each class of semiconductors. Our first-principles total energy calculations reveal that equilibrium n-type doping is ultimately limited by the spontaneous formation of close-shell acceptor defects: the (3-)-charged cation vacancy in AlN, GaN, InP, and GaAs and the (1-)-charged DX center in AlAs, AlP, and GaP. This explains the alignment of the pinning energies and predicts the maximum equilibrium doping levels in different materials.

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Nonradiative electron-hole recombination by a low-barrier pathway in hydrogenated silicon semiconductors

A microscopic pathway for nonradiative electron-hole recombination by large structural reconfiguration in hydrogenated Si is found with first-principles calculations. Trapped-biexciton formation leads to a low-barrier reconfiguration of the H atom, accompanied by crossing of doubly occupied electron and hole levels in the band gap. This crossing represents the nonradiative recombination of the carriers, without multiphonon emission. The proposal provides a mechanism for carrier-induced H emission during metastable degradation of hydrogenated amorphous silicon.

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