J. Krueger

Effect of Si doping on the dislocation structure of GaN grown on the A‐face of sapphire

Transmission electron microscopy, x‐ray diffraction, low‐temperature photoluminescence, and Raman spectroscopy were applied to study stress relaxation and the dislocation structure in a Si‐doped GaN layer in comparison with an undoped layer grown under the same conditions by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy on (11.0) Al2O3. Doping of the GaN by Si to a concentration of 3×1018 cm−3 was found to improve the layer quality. It decreases dislocation density from 5×109 (undoped layer) to 7×108 cm−2 and changes the dislocation arrangement toward a more random distribution. Both samples were shown to be under biaxial compressive stress which was slightly higher in the undoped layer. The stress results in a blue shift of the emission energy and E2 phonon peaks in the photoluminescence and Raman spectra. Thermal stress was partly relaxed by bending of threading dislocations into the basal plane. This leads to the formation of a three‐dimensional dislocation network and a strain gradient along the c axis of the layer.

Effect of internal absorption on cathodoluminescence from GaN

We have studied optical properties of GaN grown on sapphire by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition in the near band-edge energy range by cathodoluminescence. A large shift of the band-edge luminescence to lower energies is induced by increasing the beam energy. The free exciton position shifts about 20 meV when the beam energy is increased from 5 keV to 25 keV at room-temperature. The effect is explained by internal absorption caused by an exponential absorption tail at the band-edge. An Urbach parameter of about 30 to 40 meV for the exponential band-tail in our samples is estimated by comparing experimental with simulated spectra.

ANNEALING DYNAMICS OF ARSENIC-RICH GAAS FORMED BY ION IMPLANTATION

We have investigated the annealing temperature dependence of structural and electrical properties in heavily arsenic implanted GaAs which has a similar amount of excess arsenic to low temperature GaAs (LT‐GaAs). The fundamental properties of this material are quite similar to those of LT‐GaAs. High resolution x‐ray diffraction measurements have revealed that it has an increased lattice constant, which is reduced to the value of bulk GaAs by annealing between 300 and 400 °C. Electrical conduction in this material is dominated by hopping between deep states, which is also reduced by annealing above 350 °C. In samples annealed at temperatures ranging from 600 to 850 °C, the dominant electron trap is EL2; it has been confirmed by resistivity measurements with n‐i‐n structures that the Fermi level is pinned by EL2. In samples annealed below 500 °C, the dominant electron trap is not EL2 but the U‐band, although electron paramagnetic resonance measurements show the existence of a large concentration of the ioniz...

X-Ray Photoemission Spectromicroscopy Of Gan And AIGan

We investigate here for the first time GaN and AIGaN films by using x-ray photoemission spectromicroscopy. As compared to conventional x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), spectromicroscopy can provide spatially resolved information on the chemical composition of the sample surface. The experimental results where obtained by using MAXIMUM, a scanning photoemission microscope installed on 12.0 undulator beamline at the Advanced Light Source (ALS), Berkelely, allowing for a spatial resolution of 100 nm. We investigate here GaN and AlGaN thin films grown on sapphire substrate by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The results clearly indicate the great potential of spectromicroscopy in investigating chemical inhomogeneity, inpurities and localization in GaN and AlGaN thin films.

Improved heteroepitaxial MBE GaN growth with a Ga metal buffer layer

We demonstrate that the use of pure gallium (Ga) as a buffer layer results in improved crystal quality of GaN epilayers grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on c-plane sapphire. The resulting epilayers show electron Hall mobilities as high as 400 cm 2 /Vs at a background carrier concentration of 4 x 10 17 cm -3 , an outstanding value for an MBE-grown GaN layer on sapphire. Structural properties are also improved; the asymmetric (101) X-ray rocking curve width is drastically reduced with respect to that of the reference GaN epilayer grown on a low-temperature GaN buffer layer. Nitrided Ga metal layers were investigated for different Ga deposition time. These layers can be regarded as templates for the subsequent Ga main layer growth. It was found that there is an optimum Ga metal layer deposition time for improving the electron mobility in the epilayer. Heating of the Ga metal layer to the epilayer growth temperature under nitrogen plasma is found to be sufficient to produce highly oriented GaN crystals. However, nonuniform surface morphology and incomplete surface coverage were observed after nitridation of comparatively thick Ga metal layers. This is shown to be the reason for the decreasing electron mobility of the epilayers as the Ga metal layer thickness exceeds the optimum value.

Effect of N/Ga Flux Ratio in GaN Buffer Layer Growth by MBE on (0001) Sapphire on Defect Formation in the GaN Main Layer

Transmission electron microscopy was employed to study the effect of N/Ga flux ratio in the growth of GaN buffer layers on the structure of GaN epitaxial layers grown by molecular-beamepitaxy (MBE) on sapphire. The dislocation density in GaN layers was found to increase from 1×10 10 to 6×10 10 cm −2 with increase of the nitrogen flux from 5 to 35 sccm during the growth of the GaN buffer layer with otherwise the same growth conditions. All GaN layers were found to contain inversion domain boundaries (IDBs) originated at the interface with sapphire and propagated up to the layer surface. Formation of IDBs was often associated with specific defects at the interface with the substrate. Dislocation generation and annihilation were shown to be mainly growth-related processes and, hence, can be controlled by the growth conditions, especially during the first growth stages. The decrease of electron Hall mobility and the simultaneous increase of the intensity of “green” luminescence with increasing dislocation density suggest that dislocation-related deep levels are created in the bandgap.