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Optical absorption enhancement in GaN nanowire arrays with hexagonal periodic arrangement for UV photocathode

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Abstract

We investigated the influence of geometric parameters on the light absorption of gallium nitride (GaN) nanoarrays with hexagonal periodic arrangement by the finite element analysis method. In this article, we simulated the various structural parameters of GaN nanostructure to obtain the optimum optical efficiency over the substrate filling rates (FRs) ranging from 0.2 to 0.9. It was found that non-uniform hexagonal pyramid nanostructure achieved more significant and broadband light absorption than that of uniform structures in ultraviolet wavelength range from 200 to 400 nm. Simulation results indicate that the non-uniform hexagonal pyramid nanostructure can reduce the reflection on the substrate surface and increase the optical absorption. The distribution non-uniformity can be used as an attempt to improve the light absorption efficiency for optoelectronic device performance. We also analyzed the effects of cross- sectional shape, angles of incident light, and wire-to-wire spacing on the optical absorption of various GaN structures. In conclusion, non-uniform hexagonal pyramid nanostructure (FR = 0.8) with hexagonal periodic arrangement shows significant enhancement of optical absorption. All the results provide an effective solution to enhance optical properties for GaN ultraviolet photocathode.

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Acknowledgments

Qinghua Lv of Hubei University of Technology is greatly appreciated for the help of COMSOL Multiphysics Business Package calculations.

Funding

This work is supported by Qing Lan Project of Jiangsu Province, China (Grant No. 2017-AD41779) and the Six Talent Peaks Project in Jiangsu Province, China (Grant No. 2015-XCL-008).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of optoelectronic technology, School of Electronic and Optical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, China

    Zhisheng Lv, Lei Liu, Xingyue Zhangyang, Feifei Lu & Jian Tian

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  1. Zhisheng Lv
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  2. Lei Liu
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  3. Xingyue Zhangyang
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  4. Feifei Lu
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Correspondence to Lei Liu.

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Lv, Z., Liu, L., Zhangyang, X. et al. Optical absorption enhancement in GaN nanowire arrays with hexagonal periodic arrangement for UV photocathode. J Nanopart Res 23, 24 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-020-05128-7

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