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Defect Microstructure of Thin Wurtzite GaN Films Grown by MBE

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2011

B.N. Sverdlov
Affiliation:
Materials Research Laboratory and Coordinated Science Laboratory, University of Illinois, 104 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL 61801
A. Botchkarev
Affiliation:
Materials Research Laboratory and Coordinated Science Laboratory, University of Illinois, 104 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL 61801
G.A. Martin
Affiliation:
Materials Research Laboratory and Coordinated Science Laboratory, University of Illinois, 104 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL 61801
A. Salvador
Affiliation:
Materials Research Laboratory and Coordinated Science Laboratory, University of Illinois, 104 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL 61801
H. MorkoÇ
Affiliation:
Materials Research Laboratory and Coordinated Science Laboratory, University of Illinois, 104 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL 61801
S.-C.Y. Tsen
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy and Center for Solid State Science, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287
David J. Smith
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy and Center for Solid State Science, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287
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Abstract

Thin films of wurtzite GaN have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy on 6H SiC (basal plane), Si {111} and sapphire (c-plane) substrates with and without various buffer layers. The defect microstructure of the films and the substrate/buffer/GaN interfacial quality have been characterized by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. The morphology was dominated by threading defects that originated at the substrate/buffer and/or buffer/film interfaces. Typical defect densities dropped rapidly with distance from the substrate but remained ∼108–109/cm2, depending on the particular substrate, for film thicknesses approaching one micron or more. The best quality films were grown at 770°C on sapphire with A1N buffer layers, and had X-ray rocking curve full-width at half-maximum values of ∼ 55arc-sec.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1996

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References

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