Liquid metal fabrication of ultrathin Ga2O3 and GaN layers for integrated optics

Abstract We report on the synthesis of 2D GaN materials by the so-called liquid metal chemistry and tuning of their composition between oxide and nitride materials. This technique promises easier integration of 2D materials onto photonic devices compared to traditional "top-down" and "bottom-up" methods. Our fabrication method is carried out via a two-step liquid metal-based printing method followed by a microwave plasma-enhanced nitridation reaction. The synthesis of GaN relies on plasma-treated liquid metal-derived two-dimensional (2D) sheets that were squeeze-transferred onto desired substrates. We characterized the composition and optical properties of the resulting nm-thick GaN films using AFM, XPS, and ellipsometry measurements. Finally, the optical indices measured by ellipsometry are compared with theoretical results obtained by density functional theory (DFT). Our results represent a first step toward integrating 2D materials and semiconductors into electronics and optical devices. © 2023 SPIE.