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Title: Step-flow anisotropy of the m-plane GaN (1100) grown under nitrogen-rich conditions by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy

Journal Article · · Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
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  1. Institute of High Pressure Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sokolowska 29/37, PL-01-142 Warszawa (Poland)

The homoepitaxial growth of m-plane (1100) GaN was investigated by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy under nitrogen-rich conditions. The surface morphologies as a function of sample miscut were studied, providing evidence for a strong growth anisotropy that is a consequence of the anisotropy of Ga adatom diffusion barriers on the m-plane surface recently calculated ab initio[Lymperakis and Neugebauer, Phys. Rev. B 79, 241308(R) (2009)]. We found that substrate miscut toward [0001] implies a step flow toward <1126> while substrate miscut toward [0001] causes formation of atomic steps either perpendicular or parallel to the [0001] direction, under N-rich conditions at 730 deg C. We describe the growth conditions for achieving atomically flat m-plane GaN layers with parallel atomic steps.

OSTI ID:
21544793
Journal Information:
Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, Vol. 83, Issue 24; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.83.245434; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 1098-0121
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English