The effect of single A1GaN interlayer on the structural properties of GaN epilayers grown on Si （111） substrates

High-quality and nearly crack-free GaN epitaxial layer was obtained by inserting a single AlGaN interlayer between GaN epilayer and high-temperature AlN buffer layer on Si (111) substrate by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. This paper investigates the effect of AlGaN interlayer on the structural properties of the resulting GaN epilayer. It confirms from the optical microscopy and Raman scattering spectroscopy that the AlGaN interlayer has a remarkable effect on introducing relative compressive strain to the top GaN layer and preventing the formation of cracks. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy analysis reveal that a significant reduction in both screw and edge threading dislocations is achieved in GaN epilayer by the insertion of AlGaN interlayer. The process of threading dislocation reduction in both AlGaN interlayer and GaN epilayer is demonstrated.     

高温AlN插入层对AlGaN/GaN异质结材料和HEMTs器件电学特性的影响

研究了在GaN缓冲层中插入40 nm厚高温AlN层的GaN外延层和AlGaN/GaN异质结材料, AlN插入层可以增加GaN层的面内压应力并提高AlGaN/GaN高电子迁移率晶体管（HEMTs）的电学特性. 在精确测量布拉格衍射角的基础上定量计算了压应力的大小. 增加的压应力一方面通过增强GaN层的压电极化电场, 提高了AlGaN/GaN异质结二维电子气（2DEG）面密度, 另一方面使AlGaN势垒层对2DEG面密度产生的两方面影响相互抵消. 同时, 这种AlN插入层的采用降低了GaN与AlGaN层之间的 关键词： 高温AlN插入层 AlGaN/GaN异质结 二维电子气 应力     

N极性GaN/AlGaN异质结二维电子气模拟

通过自洽求解薛定谔方程和泊松方程,较系统地研究了GaN沟道层、AlGaN背势垒层、Si掺杂和AlN插入层对N极性GaN/AlGaN异质结中二维电子气(2DEG)的影响,分析表明,GaN沟道层厚度、AlGaN背势垒层厚度及Al组分变大都能一定程度上提高二维电子气面密度,AlGaN背势垒层的厚度和Al组分变大也可提高二维电子气限阈性,且不同的Si掺杂形式对二维电子气的影响也有差异,而AlN插入层在提高器件二维电子气面密度、限阈性等方面表现都较为突出,在模拟中GaN沟道层厚度小于5nm时无法形成二维电子气,超过20nm后二维电子气面密度趋于饱和,而AlGaN背势垒厚度超过40nm后二维电子气也有饱和趋势,对均匀掺杂和delta掺杂而言AlGaN背势垒层Si掺杂浓度超过5×10~(19)cm~(-3)后2DEG面密度开始饱和,而厚度为2nmAlN插入层的引入会使2DEG面密度从无AlN插入层时的0.93×10~(13)cm~(-2)提高到1.17×10~(13)cm~(-2)。     

蓝宝石衬底上GaN/AlxGa1-xN超晶格插入层对AlxGa1-xN外延薄膜应变及缺陷密度的影响

室温300K下,由于Al_xGa_1-xN的带隙宽度可以从GaN的3.42eV到AlN的6.2eV之间变化,所以Al_xGa_1-xN是紫外光探测器和深紫外LED所必需的外延材料.高质量高铝组分Al_xGa_1-xN材料生长的一大困难就是Al_xGa_1-xN与常用的蓝宝石衬底之间大的晶格失配和热失配.因而采用MOCVD在GaN/蓝宝石上生长的Al_xGa_1-xN薄膜由于受张应力作用非常容易发生龟裂.GaN/Al_xGa_1-xN超晶格插入层技术是释放应力和减少Al_xGa_1-xN薄膜中缺陷的有效方法.研究了GaN/Al_xGa_1-xN超晶格插入层对GaN/蓝宝石上Al_xGa_1-xN外延薄膜应变状态和缺陷密度的影响.通过拉曼散射探测声子频率从而得到材料中的残余应力是一种简便常用的方法,Al_xGa_1-xN外延薄膜的应变状态可通过拉曼光谱测量得到.Al_xGa_1-xN外延薄膜的缺陷密度通过测量X射线衍射得到.对于具有相同阱垒厚度的超晶格,例如4nm/4nm,5nm/5nm,8nm/8nm的GaN/Al_0.3Ga_0.7N超晶格,研究发现随着超晶格周期厚度的增加Al_xGa_1-xN外延薄膜缺陷密度降低,Al_xGa_1-xN外延薄膜处于张应变状态,且5nm/5nmGaN/Al_0.3Ga_0.7N超晶格插入层Al_xGa_1-xN外延薄膜的张应变最小.在保持5nm阱宽不变的情况下,将垒宽增大到8nm,即十个周期的5nm/8nmGaN/Al_0.3Ga_0.7N超晶格插入层使Al_xGa_1-xN外延层应变状态由张应变变为压应变.由X射线衍射结果计算了Al_xGa_1-xN外延薄膜的刃型位错和螺型位错密度,结果表明超晶格插入层对螺型位错和刃型位错都有一定的抑制效果.透射电镜图像表明超晶格插入层使位错发生合并、转向或是使位错终止,且5nm/8nmGaN/Al_0.3Ga_0.7N超晶格插入层导致Al_xGa_1-xN外延薄膜中的刃型位错倾斜30°左右,释放一部分压应变.     

Structural characterization of Al_(0.55)Ga_(0.45)N epitaxial layer determined by high resolution x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy

Structural characteristics of Alo.55 Gao.45N epilayer were investigated by high resolution x-ray diffraction(HRXRD)and transmission electron microscopy(TEM);the epilayer was grown on GaN/sapphire substrates using a high-temperature A1 N interlayer by metal organic chemical vapor deposition technique.The mosaic characteristics including tilt,twist,heterogeneous strain,and correlation lengths were extracted by symmetric and asymmetric XRD rocking curves as well as reciprocal space map(RSM).According to Williamson-Hall plots,the vertical coherence length of AlGaN epilayer was calculated,which is consistent with the thickness of AlGaN layer measured by cross section TEM.Besides,the lateral coherence length was determined from RSM as well.Deducing from the tilt and twist results,the screw-type and edge-type dislocation densities are 1.0×10~8 cm~(-2) and 1.8×10~(10) cm~(-2),which agree with the results observed from TEM.     

The effect of low temperature AlN interlayers on the growth of GaN epilayer on Si (111) by MOCVD

Low temperature (LT) AlN interlayers were used to effectively reduce the tension stress and micro-cracks on the surface of the GaN epilayer grown on Si (111) substrate. Optical Microscopy (OM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Surface Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) were employed to characterize these samples grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). In addition, wet etching method was used to evaluate the defect of the GaN epilayer. The results demonstrate that the morphology and crystalline properties of the GaN epilayer strongly depend on the thickness, interlayer number and growth temperature of the LT AlN interlayer. With the optimized LT AlN interlayer structures, high quality GaN epilayers with a low crack density can be obtained.     

The influence of AlN/GaN superlattice intermediate layer on the properties of GaN grown on Si（111） substrates

AlN/GaN superlattice buffer is inserted between GaN epitaxial layer and Si substrate before epitaxial growth of GaN layer. High-quality and crack-free GaN epitaxial layers can be obtained by inserting AlN/GaN superlattice buffer layer. The influence of AlN/GaN superlattice buffer layer on the properties of GaN films are investigated in this paper. One of the important roles of the superlattice is to release tensile strain between Si substrate and epilayer. Raman spectra show a substantial decrease of in-plane tensile strain in GaN layers by using AlN/GaN superlattice buffer layer. Moreover, TEM cross-sectional images show that the densities of both screw and edge dislocations are significantly reduced. The GaN films grown on Si with the superlattice buffer also have better surface morphology and optical properties.     

The influence of SixNy interlayer on GaN film grown on Si(111) substrate

A method to drastically reduce dislocation density in a GaN film grown on an Si(111) substrate is newly developed. In this method, the Si_xN_y interlayer which is deposited on an AlN buffer layer in situ is introduced to grow the GaN film laterally. The crack-free GaN film with thickness over 1.7 micron is grown on an Si(111) substrate successfully. Synthesized GaN epilayer is characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscope (AFM), and Raman spectrum. The test results show that the GaN crystal reveals a wurtzite structure with the <0001> crystal orientation and the full width at half maximum of the X-ray diffraction curve in the (0002) plane is as low as 403 arcsec for the GaN film grown on the Si substrate with an Si_xN_y interlayer. In addition, Raman scattering is used to study the stress in the sample. The results indicate that the Si_xN_y interlayer can more effectively accommodate the strain energy. So the dislocation density can be reduced drastically, and the crystal quality of GaN film can be greatly improved by introducing Si_xN_y interlayer.     

Effect of double AlN buffer layer on the qualities of GaN films grown by radio-frequency molecular beam epitaxy

This paper reports that the GaN thin films with Ga-polarity and high quality were grown by radio-frequency molecular beam epitaxy on sapphire （0001） substrate with a double A1N buffer layer. The buffer layer consists of a high-temperature （HT） A1N layer and a low-temperature （LT） A1N layer grown at 800℃ and 600℃, respectively. It is demonstrated that the HT-A1N layer can result in the growth of GaN epilayer in Ga-polarity and the LT-A1N layer is helpful for the improvement of the epilayer quality. It is observed that the carrier mobility of the GaN epilayer increases from 458 to 858cm^2/V.s at room temperature when the thickness of LT-A1N layer varies from 0 to 20nm. The full width at half maximum of x-ray rocking curves also demonstrates a substantial improvement in the quality of GaN epilavers by the utilization of LT-A1N layer.     

AlN缓冲层对Si基GaN外延薄膜性质的影响

采用金属有机化合物化学气相沉积（MOCVD）方法制备了不同AlN缓冲层厚度的GaN样品,研究了AlN缓冲层厚度对GaN外延层的应力、表面形貌和晶体质量的影响。研究结果表明：厚度为15 nm的AlN缓冲层不仅可以有效抑制Si扩散,而且还给GaN外延层提供了一个较大的压应力,避免GaN薄膜出现裂纹。在该厚度AlN缓冲层上制备的GaN薄膜表面光亮、无裂纹,受到的张应力为0.3 GPa,（0002）和（1012）面的高分辨X射线衍射摇摆曲线峰值半高宽分别为536 arcsec和594 arcsec,原子力显微镜测试得到表面粗糙度为0.2 nm。     

AlGaN插入层对InAlN/AlGaN/GaN异质结散射机制的影响

InAlN/AlN/GaN异质结中,名义上的AlN插入层实为Ga含量很高的AlGaN层, Al, Ga摩尔百分比决定了电子波函数与隧穿几率,因此影响与InAlN/AlGaN势垒层有关的散射机制.本文通过求解薛定谔-泊松方程与输运方程,研究了AlGaN层Al摩尔百分含量对InAlN组分不均匀导致的子带能级波动散射、导带波动散射以及合金无序散射三种散射机制的影响.结果显示:当Al含量由0增大到1,子带能级波动散射强度与合金无序散射强度先增大后减小,导带波动散射强度单调减小;在Al含量为0.1附近的小组分范围内,合金无序散射是限制迁移率的主要散射机制,该组分范围之外,子带能级波动散射是限制迁移率的主要散射机制;当Al摩尔百分含量超过0.52,三种散射机制共同限制的迁移率超过无插入层结构的迁移率, AlGaN层显示出对迁移率的提升作用.     

Effect of high-temperature buffer thickness on quality of AlN epilayer grown on sapphire substrate by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

The effect of an initially grown high-temperature AlN buffer (HT-AlN) layer's thickness on the quality of an AlN epilayer grown on sapphire substrate by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) in a two-step growth process is investigated. The characteristics of AlN epilayers are analyzed by using triple-axis crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). It is shown that the crystal quality of the AlN epilayer is closely related to its correlation length. The correlation length is determined by the thickness of the initially grown HT-AlN buffer layer. We find that the optimal HT-AlN buffer thickness for obtaining a high-quality AlN epilayer grown on sapphire substrate is about 20 nm.     

Effects of the strain relaxation of an AlGaN barrier layer induced by various cap layers on the transport properties in AlGaN/GaN heterostructures

The strain relaxation of an AlGaN barrier layer may be influenced by a thin cap layer above, and affects the transport properties of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures. Compared with the slight strain relaxation found in AlGaN barrier layer without cap layer, it is found that a thin cap layer can induce considerable changes of strain state in the AlGaN barrier layer. The degree of relaxation of the AlGaN layer significantly influences the transport properties of the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in AlGaN/GaN heterostructures. It is observed that electron mobility decreases with the increasing degree of relaxation of the AlGaN barrier, which is believed to be the main cause of the deterioration of crystalline quality and morphology on the AlGaN/GaN interface. On the other hand, both GaN and AlN cap layers lead to a decrease in 2DEG density. The reduction of 2DEG caused by the GaN cap layer may be attributed to the additional negative polarization charges formed at the interface between GaN and AlGaN, while the reduction of the piezoelectric effect in the AlGaN layer results in the decrease of 2DEG density in the case of AlN cap layer.     

Two-dimensional electron gas densities in AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructures

The dependence of two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) density and distribution in an Al_xGa_1-xN/AlN/GaN heterostructure on the thicknesses of the Al_xGa_1-xN barrier layer and the AlN interfacial layer are investigated theoretically. A competitive contribution of the AlGaN and AlN layers to the 2DEG density is revealed. For an AlN interfacial layer thinner than a critical value d_cAlN, the 2DEG density is dominated by the AlGaN barrier and the 2DEG density increases with the increase of the AlGaN barrier thickness, as in the case of a simple AlGaN/GaN heterostructure. While the AlN interfacial layer will take the dominant contribution to the 2DEG density as its thickness exceeds d_cAlN. In this case, the increase of AlGaN barrier layer thickness leads to the decrease of the 2DEG density. Detailed calculations show that the critical AlN thickness increases with the increase of Al content in the AlGaN barrier. PACS 85.30.De; 73.40.Kp; 02.60.Cb     

Characteristics of GaN epilayer grown on Al2O3 with AlN buffer layer by molecular beam epitaxy

Double crystal rocking curve (DCRC), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and photoluminescence (PL) measurements on GaN epilayers grown with various thicknesses (3.4, 8.5, 17, 34, and 51 nm) of the AlN buffer layer were carried out to investigate the surface, the structural, and the optical properties of the GaN epilayers. The results of the DCRC, AFM, SEM, and PL measurements showed that the GaN epilayer grown on a 3.4 nm AlN buffer layer had the best quality. These results indicate that GaN active layers grown on 3.4 nm AlN buffer layers hold promise for potential applications in optoelectronic devices.     

High resolution X-ray diffraction of GaN grown on Si (1 1 1) by MOVPE

High temperature GaN layers have been grown on Si (1 1 1) substrate by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE). AlN was used as a buffer layer and studied as a function of thickness and growth temperature. The growth was monitored by in situ laser reflectometry. High resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) revealed that optimized monocrystalline GaN was obtained for a 40 nm AlN grown at 1080 °C. This is in good agreement with the results of morphological study by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and also confirmed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) observations. The best morphology of AlN with columnar structure and lower rms surface roughness is greatly advantageous to the coalescence of the GaN epilayer. Symmetric and asymmetric GaN reflections were combined for twist and stress measurements in monocrystalline GaN. It was found that mosaicity and biaxial tensile stress are still high in 1.7 μm GaN. Curvature radius measurement was also done and correlated to the cracks observations over the GaN surface.     

Different influences of Schottky metal on the strain and relative permittivity of barrier layer between AlN/GaN and AlGaN/GaN heterostructure Schottky diodes

Ni/Au Schottky contacts on AlN/GaN and AlGaN/GaN heterostructures are fabricated.Based on the measured current–voltage and capacitance-voltage curves,the polarization sheet charge density and relative permittivity are analyzed and calculated by self-consistently solving Schrdinger’s and Poisson’s equations.It is found that the values of relative permittivity and polarization sheet charge density of AlN/GaN diode are both much smaller than the ones of AlGaN/GaN diode,and also much lower than the theoretical values.Moreover,by fitting the measured forward I–V curves,the extracted dislocations existing in the barrier layer of the AlN/GaN diode are found to be much more than those of the AlGaN/GaN diode.As a result,the conclusion can be made that compared with AlGaN/GaN diode the Schottky metal has an enhanced influence on the strain of the extremely thinner AlN barrier layer,which is attributed to the more dislocations.     

Nonpolar a-plane GaN grown on r-plane sapphire using multilayer AlN buffer by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

Mirror-like and pit-free non-polar a-plane (1 1 −2 0) GaN films are grown on r-plane (1 −1 0 2) sapphire substrates using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) with multilayer high-low-high temperature AlN buffer layers. The buffer layer structure and film quality are essential to the growth of a flat, crack-free and pit-free a-plane GaN film. The multilayer AlN buffer structure includes a thin low-temperature-deposited AlN (LT-AlN) layer inserted into the high-temperature-deposited AlN (HT-AlN) layer. The results demonstrate that the multilayer AlN buffer structure can improve the surface morphology of the upper a-plane GaN film. The grown multilayer AlN buffer structure reduced the tensile stress on the AlN buffer layers and increased the compressive stress on the a-plane GaN film. The multilayer AlN buffer structure markedly improves the surface morphology of the a-plane GaN film, as revealed by scanning electron microscopy. The effects of various growth V/III ratios was investigated to obtain a-plane GaN films with better surface morphology. The mean roughness of the surface was 1.02 nm, as revealed by atomic force microscopy. Accordingly, the multilayer AlN buffer structure improves the surface morphology and facilitates the complete coalescence of the a-plane GaN layer.     

The influence of an SixNy interlayer on a GaN film grown on an Si（lll） substrate

<正>A method to drastically reduce dislocation density in a GaN film grown on an Si(111) substrate is newly developed. In this method,the Si_xN_y interlayer which is deposited on an A1N buffer layer in situ is introduced to grow the GaN film laterally.The crack-free GaN film with thickness over 1.7 micron is successfully grown on an Si(111) substrate. A synthesized GaN epilayer is characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD),atomic force microscope(AFM),and Raman spectrum.The test results show that the GaN crystal reveals a wurtzite structure with the(0001) crystal orientation and the full width at half maximum of the X-ray diffraction curve in the(0002) plane is as low as 403 arcsec for the GaN film grown on the Si substrate with an Si_xN_y interlayer.In addition,Raman scattering is used to study the stress in the sample.The results indicate that the Si_xN_y interlayer can more effectively accommodate the strain energy.So the dislocation density can be reduced drastically,and the crystal quality of GaN film can be greatly improved by introducing an Si_xN_y interlayer.     

PEALD-deposited crystalline GaN films on Si(100) substrates with sharp interfaces

Polycrystalline gallium nitride(GaN) thin films were deposited on Si(100) substrates via plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition(PEALD) under optimal deposition parameters. In this work, we focus on the research of the GaN/Si(100)interfacial properties. The x-ray reflectivity measurements show the clearly-resolved fringes for all the as-grown GaN films, which reveals a perfectly smooth interface between the GaN film and Si(100), and this feature of sharp interface is further confirmed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM). However, an amorphous interfacial layer(~ 2 nm) can be observed from the HRTEM images, and is determined to be mixture of Ga_xO_y and GaN by xray photoelectron spectroscopy. To investigate the effect of this interlayer on the GaN growth, an AlN buffer layer was employed for GaN deposition. No interlayer is observed between GaN and AlN, and GaN shows better crystallization and lower oxygen impurity during the initial growth stage than the GaN with an interlayer.