Surface origin and control of resonance Raman scattering and surface band gap in indium nitride

Resonance Raman scattering measurements were performed on indium nitride thin films under conditions where the surface electron concentration was controlled by an electrolyte gate. As the surface condition is tuned from electron depletion to accumulation, the spectral feature at the expected position of the (E₁, A₁) longitudinal optical (LO) near 590 cm^-1 shifts to lower frequency. The shift is reversibly controlled with the applied gate potential, which clearly demonstrates the surface origin of this feature. The result is interpreted within the framework of a Martin double resonance, where the surface functions as a planar defect, allowing the scattering of long wavevector phonons. The allowed wavevector range, and hence the frequency, is modulated by the electron accumulation due to band gap narrowing. A surface band gap reduction of over 500 meV is estimated for the conditions of maximum electron accumulation. Under conditions of electron depletion, the full InN bandgap (Eg = 0.65 eV) is expected at the surface. The drastic change in the surface band gap is expected to influence the transport properties of devices which utilize the surface electron accumulation layer.