Publication de Guislain Hector

"β-Ga₂O₃ microrods have attracted increasing attention for their integration into solar blind/UV photodetectors and gas sensors. However, their synthesis using a low-temperature chemical route in aqueous solution is still under development, and the physicochemical processes at work have not yet been elucidated. Here, we develop a double-step process involving the growth of α-GaOOH microrods on silicon using chemical bath deposition and their further structural conversion to β-Ga₂O₃ microrods by postdeposition thermal treatment. It is revealed that the concentration of gallium nitrate has a drastic effect on tuning the morphology, dimensions (i.e., diameter and length), and density of α-GaOOH microrods over a broad range, in turn governing the morphological properties of β-Ga₂O₃ microrods. The physicochemical processes in aqueous solution are investigated by thermodynamic computations yielding speciation diagrams of Ga(III) species and theoretical solubility plots of GaOOH(s). In particular, the qualitative evolution of the morphological properties of α-GaOOH microrods with the concentration of gallium nitrate is found to be correlated with the supersaturation in the bath and discussed in light of the standard nucleation and growth theory. Interestingly, the structural conversion following the thermal treatment at 900 °C in air results in the formation of pure β-Ga₂O₃ microrods without any residual minor phases and with tunable morphology and improved structural ordering. These findings reporting a double-step process for forming high-quality pure β-Ga₂O₃ microrods on silicon open many perspectives for their integration onto a large number of substrates for solar blind/UV photodetection and gas sensing."