Coherent and dislocated three-dimensional islands of In{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}N self-assembled on GaN(0001) during molecular-beam epitaxy

Journal Article · Fri Apr 15 04:00:00 EDT 2005 · Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.71.153406· OSTI ID:20666321

Liu, Y; Cao, Y G; Wu, H S; Xie, M H; Tong, S Y ^[1]

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1. Physics Department and the HKU-CAS Joint Laboratory on New Materials, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong (China)

Molecular-beam epitaxy of In{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}N alloy on GaN(0001) is investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy. The Stranski-Krastanov mode of growth of the alloy is followed, where the newly nucleated three-dimensional islands are initially coherent to the underlying GaN and the wetting layer, but then become dislocated when grown bigger than about 20 nm in the lateral dimension. Two types of islands show different shapes, where the coherent ones are cone shaped and the dislocated ones are pillar like, having flat-tops. Within a certain range of material coverage, the surface contains both coherent and dislocated islands, showing an overall bimodal island-size distribution. The continued deposition on such surfaces leads to the pronounced growth of dislocated islands, whereas the sizes of the coherent islands change very little.

• OSTI ID: 20666321
• Journal Information: Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, Journal Name: Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics Journal Issue: 15 Vol. 71; ISSN 1098-0121
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
DEPOSITION
DISLOCATIONS
GALLIUM ALLOYS
GALLIUM NITRIDES
INDIUM ALLOYS
LAYERS
MOLECULAR BEAM EPITAXY
NITROGEN ADDITIONS
SCANNING TUNNELING MICROSCOPY
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
SURFACES