Growth kinetics of AlN and GaN films grown by molecular beam epitaxy on R-plane sapphire substrates
Abstract
This paper reports the growth by molecular beam epitaxy of AlN and GaN thin films on R-plane sapphire substrates. Contrary to previous findings that GaN grows with its (1120) A-plane parallel to the (1102) R-plane of sapphire, our results indicate that the crystallographic orientation of the III-nitride films is strongly dependent on the kinetic conditions of growth for the GaN or AlN buffer layers. Thus, group III-rich conditions for growth of either GaN or AlN buffers result in nitride films having (1120) planes parallel to the sapphire surface, and basal-plane stacking faults parallel to the growth direction. The growth of these buffers under N-rich conditions instead leads to nitride films with (1126) planes parallel to the sapphire surface, with inclined c-plane stacking faults that often terminate threading dislocations. Moreover, electron microscope observations indicate that slight miscut ({approx}0.5 deg. ) of the R-plane sapphire substrate almost completely suppresses the formation of twinning defects in the (1126) GaN films.
- Authors:
-
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215 (United States)
- Physics Department, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215 (United States)
- Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287 (United States)
- Publication Date:
- OSTI Identifier:
- 21476421
- Resource Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Applied Physics
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 108; Journal Issue: 4; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3475521; (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; Journal ID: ISSN 0021-8979
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; ALUMINIUM NITRIDES; CRYSTAL GROWTH; CRYSTALS; DISLOCATIONS; ELECTRON MICROSCOPY; GALLIUM NITRIDES; LAYERS; MOLECULAR BEAM EPITAXY; ORIENTATION; SAPPHIRE; SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS; STACKING FAULTS; SUBSTRATES; SURFACES; THIN FILMS; TWINNING; ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS; CORUNDUM; CRYSTAL DEFECTS; CRYSTAL GROWTH METHODS; CRYSTAL STRUCTURE; EPITAXY; FILMS; GALLIUM COMPOUNDS; LINE DEFECTS; MATERIALS; MICROSCOPY; MINERALS; NITRIDES; NITROGEN COMPOUNDS; OXIDE MINERALS; PNICTIDES
Citation Formats
Chandrasekaran, R, Moustakas, T D, Ozcan, A S, Ludwig, K F, Zhou, L, and Smith, David J. Growth kinetics of AlN and GaN films grown by molecular beam epitaxy on R-plane sapphire substrates. United States: N. p., 2010.
Web. doi:10.1063/1.3475521.
Chandrasekaran, R, Moustakas, T D, Ozcan, A S, Ludwig, K F, Zhou, L, & Smith, David J. Growth kinetics of AlN and GaN films grown by molecular beam epitaxy on R-plane sapphire substrates. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3475521
Chandrasekaran, R, Moustakas, T D, Ozcan, A S, Ludwig, K F, Zhou, L, and Smith, David J. 2010.
"Growth kinetics of AlN and GaN films grown by molecular beam epitaxy on R-plane sapphire substrates". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3475521.
@article{osti_21476421,
title = {Growth kinetics of AlN and GaN films grown by molecular beam epitaxy on R-plane sapphire substrates},
author = {Chandrasekaran, R and Moustakas, T D and Ozcan, A S and Ludwig, K F and Zhou, L and Smith, David J},
abstractNote = {This paper reports the growth by molecular beam epitaxy of AlN and GaN thin films on R-plane sapphire substrates. Contrary to previous findings that GaN grows with its (1120) A-plane parallel to the (1102) R-plane of sapphire, our results indicate that the crystallographic orientation of the III-nitride films is strongly dependent on the kinetic conditions of growth for the GaN or AlN buffer layers. Thus, group III-rich conditions for growth of either GaN or AlN buffers result in nitride films having (1120) planes parallel to the sapphire surface, and basal-plane stacking faults parallel to the growth direction. The growth of these buffers under N-rich conditions instead leads to nitride films with (1126) planes parallel to the sapphire surface, with inclined c-plane stacking faults that often terminate threading dislocations. Moreover, electron microscope observations indicate that slight miscut ({approx}0.5 deg. ) of the R-plane sapphire substrate almost completely suppresses the formation of twinning defects in the (1126) GaN films.},
doi = {10.1063/1.3475521},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/21476421},
journal = {Journal of Applied Physics},
issn = {0021-8979},
number = 4,
volume = 108,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Aug 15 00:00:00 EDT 2010},
month = {Sun Aug 15 00:00:00 EDT 2010}
}