Metal organic chemical vapor deposition of m-plane GaN epi-layer using a three-step approach towards enhanced surface morphology
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2018
Abstract
Specular m-plane (101¯0) gallium nitride (m-GaN) epi-layer are grown on m-plane (101¯0) sapphire substrates by metal organic chemical vapor deposition using a three-step approach. A two-step approach was used to grow m-GaN buffer layer (BL), while a three-step approach was applied to improve the surface morphology of the top m-GaN epi-layer at high temperature. The three-step approach started with growing m-aluminum nitride nucleation layer with an optimized ammonia flux during the growth of aluminum nitride. Then the temperature was ramped up during the recrystallization step before the m-GaN BL deposition at low-temperature and the growth of m-GaN layer at high-temperature for the final step. Unexpectedly, when ammonia flow was intentionally halted during the recrystallization step, the surface morphology of the BL drastically changed from three- to two- dimensional with an abrupt cross-sectional structure. This in turn facilitated the complete coalescence of the m-GaN layer as revealed by field emission scanning electron microscopy. The three-step technique was found to affect the quality of m-GaN epi-layer as the samples exhibit improved crystallinity with X-ray diffraction rocking curves widths of 4680 and 1980 arcsec along the azimuth, perpendicular and parallel to [101¯0] directions, respectively.
Keywords
Cross-sectional structures, Field emission scanning electron microscopy, GaN buffer layers, Low temperatures, Nucleation layers, Sapphire substrates, Three-step approach, Two-step approach
Divisions
PHYSICS
Funders
Postgraduate Research Grant (PPP) project no: PG117-2015B,University Malaya Research Grant (UMRG) project no: RP039A-18AFR,Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) for the financial support under Long Term Research Grant (LRGS) project no: LR001A-2016A
Publication Title
Thin Solid Films
Volume
667
Publisher
Elsevier