Energy gaps and bowing parameters of InAlGaN ternary and quaternary alloys

Abstract

Abstract We report a study of band gap energies and bowing parameters of all possible families of ternary and quaternary nitride alloys. The experimental band gap energies ( E g ) measured by photoluminescence, optical transmission and reflection methods, were strain‐corrected in order to obtain for every sample the unstrained value of its E g . For Al x Ga 1– x N the bowing parameter is equal to 1 eV, but the alloys In x Ga 1– x N and In x Al 1– x N exhibited strong dependence of the bowing parameter on alloy composition. Finally, we investigated many quaternaries alloys In x Al y Ga 1– x – y N and we observed that the bowing parameter appears also to be very sensitive on In content. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)