Depth-resolved X-ray determination of surface strain in free-standing films of HVPE-grown GaN and <Superscript>71</Superscript>Ga NMR characterization

Free-standing GaN films grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) on c-plane sapphire have been studied for in-plane anisotropic strain. Lattice parameters are obtained from high-resolution X-ray diffraction data and the film quality is determined by measuring the rocking curves and by ⁷¹Ga nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The in-plane strain was determined using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction and conventional X-ray measurements. It is found that the in-plane lattice parameter varies with depth and has estimated surface strain anisotropy of 4.0791×10^-3 up to a thickness of 0.3 μm. The ⁷¹Ga NMR experiments reveal different degrees of inhomogeneity amongst the three samples. This is shown by the appearance of an additional broad central-transition peak shifted to higher frequency by a Knight shift from conduction electrons in sample regions having high carrier concentrations. PACS 72.80.Ey; 61.10.-i; 61.72.Hh     

Evaluation of both composition and strain distributions in InGaN epitaxial film using x-ray diffraction techniques

The composition and stain distributions in the InGaN epitaxial films are jointly measured by employing various x-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques, including out-of-plane XRD at special planes, in-plane grazing incidence XRD, and reciprocal space mapping (RSM). It is confirmed that the measurement of (204) reflection allows a rapid access to estimate the composition without considering the influence of biaxial strain. The two-dimensional RSM checks composition and degree of strain relaxation jointly, revealing an inhomogeneous strain distribution profile along the growth direction. As the film thickness increases from 100 nm to 450 nm, the strain status of InGaN films gradually transfers from almost fully strained to fully relaxed state and then more In atoms incorporate into the film, while the near-interface region of InGaN films remains pseudomorphic to GaN.     

应力和掺杂对Mg:GaN薄膜光致发光光谱影响的研究

对化学气相沉积(MOCVD)法在宝石衬底上生长的Mg掺杂GaN薄膜的表面及其GaN缓冲层的光致发光(PL)光谱进行了测量，用Raman光谱和x射线衍射(XRD)对GaN薄膜中的应力进行确定，通过PL光谱中的中性束缚激子跃迁能量的变化确定薄膜中应力的影响，从而研究Mg掺杂对p型GaN的DAP跃迁影响规律. 关键词： 光致发光 应力 Raman光谱     

Characteristics of the crystalline and luminescence properties of a-plane GaN films grown on γ-LiAlO_2(302) substrates

A-plane GaN films are deposited on(302) γ-LiAlO 2 substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition(MOCVD) . The X-ray diffraction(XRD) results indicate that the in-plane orientation relationship between GaN and LAO substrates is [010] LAO [0001] GaN and [203] LAO [1100] GaN with 0.03% and 2.85% lattice mismatch,respectively. Raman scattering results indicate that the strain in the films decreases along with the increase in the thickness of the films. In addition to the band edge emission at 3.42 eV,defects-related luminescence at 3.35 eV is observed in the photoluminescence(PL) spectra. The cathodoluminescence(CL) spectra indicate that the 3.35-eV emission is related to the V pits.     

Strain induced epitaxial relationships of Cr on Co/Pd(111)

The growth and structure of Co ultra-thin films on Pd(111) and Cr on Co/Pd(111) have been analyzed by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction and low energy electron diffraction. It is shown that the in-plane lattice constant of the epitaxial Co film depends on the growth temperature. Although the strain decreases as a function of the Co film thickness, it persists for 20 monolayer (ML) films or even thicker. When Cr is deposited at room temperature on a strained Co film (10 to 20 ML thick) a Kurdjumov–Sachs epitaxial relationship is observed, whereas when Cr is deposited on a Co(0001) single-crystal or on a very thick Co film on Pd(111), a Nishyama–Wassermann orientation is obtained.     

Structural and electronic properties of thin Ni layers on Cu(1 1 1) as investigated by ARPES, STM and GIXD

The growth and the crystalline and electronic structure of Ni deposited on single crystalline Cu(1 1 1) were studied by scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM), grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD) and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). In the early stages of growth monoatomic-high flat Ni islands, partially covered by Cu migrating from the surface, are observed. Starting from a pseudomorphic epitaxial relationship the in-plane lattice parameter progressively relaxes with increasing coverage. For a 20 monolayer (ML) thick deposit the in-plane lattice parameter is still found halfway between the bulk Ni and Cu lattice parameters. ARPES data also rule out the layer-by-layer growth and provide the values of the Ni exchange splitting.     

Effects of Ⅴ/Ⅲ ratio on species diffusion anisotropy inthe MOCVD growth of non-polar a-plane GaN films

Non-polar a-plane (110) GaN films have been grown on r-plane (102) sapphire substrates by metal organic chemical vapour deposition. The influences of Ⅴ/Ⅲ ratio on the species diffusion anisotropy of a-plane GaN films were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, cathodoluminescence and high-resolution x-ray diffraction measurements. The anisotropy of a-plane GaN films may result from the different migration length of adatoms along two in-plane directions. Ⅴ/Ⅲ ratio has an effect on the growth rates of different facets and crystal quality. The stripe feature morphology was obviously observed in the film with a high V/III ratio because of the slow growth rate along the [100] direction. When the Ⅴ/Ⅲ ratio increased from 1000 to 6000, the in-plane crystal quality anisotropy was decreased due to the weakened predominance in migration length of gallium adatoms.     

用卢瑟福背散射/沟道技术及高分辨X射线衍射技术分析不同Al和In含量的AlInGaN薄膜的应变

利用卢瑟福背散射/沟道技术对在蓝宝石衬底上用金属有机化学气相沉积方法生长的有GaN缓冲层(>2μm)的一系列不同Al和In含量的AlInGaN薄膜进行组分及结晶品质的测量；并结合高分辨X射线衍射技术，通过对AlInGaN的对称(0002)面，及非对称(1015)面的θ—2θ扫描及倒空间扫描，可以精确测定AlInGaN外延层的晶格常数及水平和垂直方向的应变.实验结果表明AlInGaN 薄膜中不同含量Al和In对其应变有较大的影响，结合Vegard定理，对这一现象给出了理论的解释. 关键词： AlInGaN 高分辨X射线衍射 卢瑟福背散射/沟道 弹性应变     

Hg1－xCdxTe分子束外延薄膜晶格参数与组分关系的研究

高分辨率x射线衍射技术被应用于Hg_1-xCd_xTe分子束外延薄膜晶格 参数的测量及其晶格应变状态的研究，研究发现Hg_1-xCd_xTe分子束外延薄膜 内既存在正应变也存在剪切应变. 通过应用晶体弹性理论，对Hg_1-xCd_x Te分子束外延薄膜的应变状态进行了定量的分析与计算，获得了Hg_1-xCd _xTe 分子束外延薄膜在完全弛豫状态下的晶格参数，从而得到了Hg_1-xCd_xTe分子束外延薄膜晶格参数与组分的关系，该关系符合Vegard’s定律，而不是早期研究所给出的Hig gins公式. 研究还发现，根据对称衍射测量所得到的(224)晶面间距，可直接计算出Hg _1-xCd_xTe分子束外延薄膜晶格参数，并用Vegard’s定律确定组分的方 法，可作为估算Hg_1-xCd_xTe分子束外延材料组分的常规技术，其 组分的测量误差在0.01左右. 关键词： 1-xCd_xTe薄膜')" href="#">Hg_1-xCd_xTe薄膜 晶格参数 组分 应变     

Anomalous ion channeling in AlInN/GaN bilayers: determination of the strain state

Monte Carlo simulations of anomalous ion channeling in near-lattice-matched AlInN/GaN bilayers allow an accurate determination of the strain state of AlInN by Rutherford backscattering or channeling. Although these strain estimates agree well with x-ray diffraction (XRD) results, XRD composition estimates are shown to have limited accuracy, due to a possible deviation from Vegard's law, which we quantify for this alloy. As the InN fraction increases from 13% to 19%, the strain in AlInN films changes from tensile to compressive with lattice matching predicted to occur at [InN] = 17.1%.     

Structural properties of GaN(0001) epitaxial layers revealed by high resolution X-ray diffraction

High-resolution X-ray diffraction has been used to analyze GaN(0001) epitaxial layers on sapphire substrates. Several structural properties of GaN, including the lattice constants, strains, and dislocation densities are revealed by the technique of X-ray dffraction (XRD). Lattice constants calculated from the omega/2theta scan are c=0.5185 nm and a=0.3157 nm. Also, the in-plane strain is -1.003%, while out of the plane, the epitaxial film is almost relaxed. Several methods are used to deduce the mosaicity a...     

Interplay between anisotropic strain relaxation and uniaxial interface magnetic anisotropy in epitaxial Fe films on (001) GaAs

Grazing incidence x-ray diffraction study of Fe epitaxial ultrathin films (1.5-13 nm) on GaAs (001) reveals an anisotropy of both domain shape and strain, with [110] and [1-10] as the principal directions. It is shown that the observed thickness-dependent strain anisotropy, together with a uniaxial interface term, can provide an unambiguous explanation to the usual in-plane magnetic anisotropy and its thickness dependence observed in this magnetic thin-film system.     

Thin-film characterization by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction and multiple beam interference

An overview is given of the application of two-beam and multiple-beam approach to grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD) for single-crystal thin film characterization. Crystallographic orientation, lattice mismatch, order parameter, and phase of in-plane reflection for various thin film systems are determined by using conventional two-beam GIXD and resonance three-beam GIXD. The diffraction technique, analysis procedure, and theoretical consideration are also presented and discussed.     

Correlation of electron self-energy with geometric structure in low-energy electron diffraction

In low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) studies of surface geometries where the energy dependence of the intensities is analyzed, the in-plane lattice parameter of the surface is usually set to a value determined by x-ray diffraction for the bulk crystal. In cases where it is not known, for instance in films that are incommensurate with the substrate, it is desirable to fit the in-plane lattice parameters in the same analysis as the perpendicular interlayer spacings. We show that this is not possible in a conventional LEED I(E) analysis because the inner potential, which is typically treated as an adjustable parameter, is correlated with the geometrical structure. Therefore, without having prior knowledge of the inner potential, it is not possible to determine the complete surface structure simply from LEED I(E) spectra, and the in-plane lattice parameter must be determined independently before the I(E) analysis is performed. This can be accomplished by establishing a more precise experimental geometry. Further, it is shown that the convention of omitting the energy dependency of the real part of the inner potential means geometrical LEED results cannot be trusted beyond a precision of approximately 0.01 ?.     

Synchrotron X-ray diffraction study of SrRuO<Subscript>3</Subscript>/SrTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript>/SrRuO<Subscript>3</Subscript> nano-sized heterostructures grown by laser MBE

Structural investigation using X-ray synchrotron radiation has been performed on SrRuO₃/SrTiO₃/SrRuO₃ epitaxial heterostructures, with each constituent layer a few unit cell thick grown on (001) SrTiO₃ substrate. Detailed information on the evolution of the in-plane lattice structure has been obtained, in these heterostructures, by grazing incidence diffraction measurements. The samples have been grown by low-pressure pulsed laser deposition. Under our deposition conditions, SrRuO₃ layers grow with an elongated cell perpendicular to the substrate surface. The in-plane pseudocubic lattice parameters do not match the in-plane square SrTiO₃ structure even in the case of very thin SrRuO₃ layers. Such a distortion was found to decrease with increasing the thickness of the SrTiO₃ barrier layer.     

The structure of strained perovskite KTaO(3) thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

Epitaxial perovskite potassium tantalate (KTaO(3)) films with thicknesses of 7.4-36?nm are grown on SrTiO(3)(001) substrates by pulsed laser deposition. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis reveals evolution of lattice strain with increasing film thickness. A biaxial compressive in-plane strain as large as -?2.1% is obtained in the 7.4?nm-thick film. A bi-layer microstructure is detected in the 18?nm-thick film, suggesting the possibility for an abrupt strain relaxation.     

La0.8Ca0.2MnO3/SrTiO3薄膜厚度对其结构及磁学性能的影响

采用多种X射线衍射技术和磁电阻测量技术研究了不同厚度的La_0.8Ca_0.2MnO₃/SrTiO₃ (LCMO/STO)薄膜的应变状态及其对磁电阻性能的影响.结果表明，在STO(001)单晶衬底上生长的LCMO薄膜沿［00l］取向生长.LCMO薄膜具有伪立方钙钛矿结构，随着薄膜厚度的增加，面内晶格参数增加，垂直于面内的晶格参数减小,晶格参数a和b相近，略小于c.LC 关键词： X射线衍射 微结构 应变 物理性能     

Step-controlled strain relaxation in the vicinal surface epitaxy of nitrides

On-axis and vicinal GaN/AlN/6H-SiC structures grown under identical conditions have been studied by x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy to demonstrate the distinctive features of vicinal surface epitaxy (VSE) of nitrides on SiC. In VSE, the epilayers are tilted from the substrate due to the out-of-plane lattice mismatch (Nagai tilts), and the in-plane mismatch strains are more relaxed. The majority of misfit dislocations (MDs) at the vicinal AlN/6H-SiC interface are found to be unpaired partial MDs that are geometrically necessary to correct the stacking sequences from 6H to 2H. This mechanism indicates that it is possible to develop "step-controlled-epitaxy" strategies to control strain relaxation by adjusting the substrate offcut angles.     

Microstructure and strain films using in-plane grazing analysis of GaN epitaxial incidence x-ray diffraction

This paper investigates the major structural parameters, such as crystal quality and strain state of （001）-oriented GaN thin films grown on sapphire substrates by metalorganic chemical vapour deposition, using an in-plane grazing incidence x-ray diffraction technique. The results are analysed and compared with a complementary out-of-plane x- ray diffraction technique. The twist of the GaN mosaic structure is determined through the direct grazing incidence t of （100） reflection which agrees well with the result obtained by extrapolation method. The method for directly determining the in-plane lattice parameters of the GaN layers is also presented. Combined with the biaxial strain model, it derives the lattice parameters corresponding to fully relaxed GaN films. The GaN epilayers show an increasing residual compressive stress with increasing layer thickness when the two dimensional growth stage is established, reaching to a maximum level of-0.89 GPa.     

Influence of AlN buffer layer thickness on structural properties of GaN epilayer grown on Si (111) substrate with AlGaN interlayer

We present the growth of GaN epilayer on Si (111) substrate with a single AlGaN interlayer sandwiched between the GaN epilayer and AlN buffer layer by using the metalorganic chemical vapour deposition. The influence of the AlN buffer layer thickness on structural properties of the GaN epilayer has been investigated by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, optical microscopy and high-resolution x-ray diffraction. It is found that an AlN buffer layer with the appropriate thickness plays an important role in increasing compressive strain and improving crystal quality during the growth of AlGaN interlayer, which can introduce a more compressive strain into the subsequent grown GaN layer, and reduce the crack density and threading dislocation density in GaN film.