Influence of the TEGa flow on the optical and structural properties of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells grown by MOCVD

We have investigated the influence of the TEGa flow on the optical and structural properties of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) with an indium composition around 20%. The samples with five-pairs InGaN/GaN MQWs were grown on sapphire substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. Photoluminescence spectra at 8 K showed that the MQWs grown with a low amount of TEGa flow gave a strong single peak and a higher emission energy. High-resolution X-ray diffraction measurements showed a deterioration of the InGaN/GaN interfaces in the sample grown with the large TEGa flow. The luminescence thermal quenching characteristics suggested that more structural defects acting as non-radiative recombination centers formed in the MQWs when the TEGa flow increased. The results indicate that decreasing the TEGa flow help to build up a new growth balance during the growth of InGaN wells, leading to less structural defects, more homogeneous indium distribution and the abrupt MQWs interfaces.     

Cathodoluminescence study of the excitons localization in AlGaN/GaN and InGaN/GaN quantum wells grown on sapphire

Al_0.1Ga_0.9N(5 nm)/GaN(2 nm) and In_0.2Ga_0.8N/GaN quantum wells (QWs) grown on GaN/sapphire have been studied by cathodoluminescence (CL) spectroscopy and imaged using an experimental setup especially developed for scanning near-field CL microscopy, which combines a scanning force microscope and a scanning electron microscope. The CL spectra show the characteristic band edge emission peak of GaN at λ= 364 nm and the emission peaks related to the presence of QWs, at λ= 353 and 430 nm for the AlGaN/GaN and the InGaN/GaN samples, respectively. Monochromatic CL images reveal that the emission of the AlGaN/GaN and InGaN/GaN QWs is localized at the level of the grains observed by SFM. A cross sectional analysis of the InGaN/GaN sample gives insight into its growth and an estimation of the exciton diffusion length of about L=180 nm.     

Growth of a-plane GaN on r-plane sapphire by self-patterned nanoscale epitaxial lateral overgrowth

We report on the use of a novel technique to grow the nonpolar a-plane GaN on r-plane sapphire by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition. A thin InGaN interlayer was deposited on the substrate followed by a low temperature (LT) GaN buffer layer. A stripe-like template was obtained by annealing the LT GaN/InGaN layers at 1100 °C for 2 min. This special template facilitated the nanoscale epitaxial lateral overgrowth of a-plane GaN. Scanning electron microscopy shows that the surface morphology was rather flat for a 1 μm-thick sample. The improvement in crystalline quality was also demonstrated by high-resolution x-ray diffraction, room temperature Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence measurements. Compared with the traditional epitaxial lateral overgrowth technique, our technique greatly simplified the template preparing process and the crystalline quality of a-plane GaN was improved.     

High quality MOCVD GaN film grown on sapphire substrates using HT-AlN buffer layer

In this work we report on the growth and characterization of high quality MOCVD GaN film grown on Al₂O₃ substrates by using a HT (>1150 °C)-AlN buffer layer. We have investigated the most favorable growth conditions in terms of temperature, thickness and growth rate of AlN buffer layer in order to optimize the high temperature GaN layer. The improved morphological and structural properties of GaN layer were verified by AFM and XRD measurements. The optimized GaN layer presents a smooth surface with a rms value of 1.4 Å. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) for 800 nm thick GaN films is 144″. Furthermore PL measurements and C–V analysis confirm that in GaN layer grown on HT-AlN buffer layer defect density is drastically reduced.     

Intersubband transition at 1.55 μm in AlN/GaN multiple quantum wells by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy using the pulse injection method at 770 °C

Intersubband transition (ISBT) at 1.55 μm in AlN/GaN multi quantum wells (MQWs) was realized by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) using the pulse injection (PI) method to grow GaN well layers at 770 °C. It was shown that a main factor for shifting ISBT wavelength to shorter region to cover 1.55 μm and improving ISBT properties of MQWs is the growth temperature of MQWs. Best structural and ISBT properties are observed at low growth temperature of 770 °C in this study. Carbon incorporation level in GaN layer grown by the PI method (PI-GaN) showed one order smaller value compared with that by the conventional continuous method. Moreover, further decrease in growth temperature to 770 °C did not show significant increase in carbon incorporation in PI-GaN layer. It clearly indicates that the PI method is very effective in reducing carbon concentration in GaN layer, especially at low temperature region. The low carbon concentration of 4×10¹⁸ cm^?3 released by the PI method was indispensable for realizing enough carrier concentration of 1.6×10¹⁹ cm^?3 to achieve strong ISBT at 1.55 μm.     

Growth temperature induced effects in non-polar a-plane GaN on r-plane sapphire substrate by RF-MBE

Non-polar a-plane GaN films were grown on an r-plane sapphire substrate by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE). The effect of growth temperature on structural, morphological and optical properties has been studied. The growth of non-polar a-plane (1 1 ?2 0) orientation of the GaN epilayers were confirmed by high resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) study. The X-ray rocking curve (XRC) full width at half maximum of the (1 1 ?2 0) reflection shows in-plane anisotropic behavior and found to decrease with increase in growth temperature. The atomic force micrograph (AFM) shows island-like growth for the film grown at a lower temperature. Surface roughness has been decreased with increase in growth temperature. Room temperature photoluminescence shows near band edge emission at 3.434–3.442 eV. The film grown at 800 °C shows emission at 2.2 eV, which is attributed to yellow luminescence along with near band edge emission.     

Growth and characterization of GaN and AlN films on (1 1 1) and (0 0 1) Si substrates

GaN and AlN films were grown on (1 1 1) and (0 0 1) Si substrates by separate admittances of trimethylgallium (or trimethylaluminum) and ammonia (NH₃) at 1000°C. A high temperature (HT) or low temperature (LT) grown AlN thin layer was employed as the buffer layer between HT GaN (or HT AlN) film and Si substrate. Experimental results show that HT AlN and HT GaN films grown on the HT AlN-coated Si substrates exhibit better crystalline quality than those deposited on the LT AlN-coated Si substrates. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of the HT GaN/HT AlN buffer layer/(1 1 1)Si samples shows a particular orientation relationship between the (0 0 0 1) planes of GaN film and the (1 1 1) planes of Si substrate. High quality HT GaN films were achieved on (1 1 1) Si substrates using a 200 Å thick HT AlN buffer layer. Room temperature photoluminescence spectra of the high quality HT GaN films show strong near band edge luminescence at 3.41 eV with an emission linewidth of ∼110 meV and weak yellow luminescence.     

Low temperature II–VI nanowire growth using Au–Sn catalysts

Epitaxial lateral overgrowth is reported for semi-polar (Al,Ga)N(1 1 .2) layers. The mask pattern consisted of periodic stripes of SiO₂ oriented parallel to either the GaN[1 1 .0] or the GaN[1 1 .1] direction. Lateral growth occurred either along GaN[1 1 .1] or along GaN[1 1 .0]. For growth along the [1 1 .0] direction, coalescence was achieved for layer thicknesses >4 μm. However, planarization was not observed yielding extremely corrugated surfaces. For growth in [1 1 .1] direction, coalescence was delayed by a diminishing lateral growth rate. Growth of AlGaN during ELOG resulted in coalescence. Improvement in crystal quality of such buffer layers for the growth of InGaN/GaN quantum wells was confirmed by X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence spectroscopy.     

Interface of GaN grown on Ge(1 1 1) by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy

Early efforts to grow GaN layers on germanium substrates by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy led to GaN domains, rotated by 8° relative to each other. Increased insight in the growth of GaN on germanium resulted in the suppression of these domain and consequently high quality layers. In this study the interface of these improved layers is investigated with transmission electron microscopy. The GaN layers show high crystal quality and an atomically abrupt interface with the Ge substrate. A thin, single crystalline Ge₃N₄ layer is observed in between the GaN layer and Ge substrate. This Ge₃N₄ layer remains present even at growth temperatures (850 °C) far above the decomposition temperature of Ge₃N₄ in vacuum (600 °C). Triangular voids in the Ge substrate are observed after growth. Reducing the Ga flux at the onset of GaN growth helps to reduce the triangular defect size. This indicates that the formation of voids in the Ge substrate strongly depends on the presence of Ga atoms at the onset of growth. However complete elimination was not achieved. The formation of voids in the germanium substrate leads to diffusion of Ge into the GaN layer. Therefore we examined the diffusion of Ge atoms into the GaN layer and Ga atoms into the Ge substrate. It was found that the diffusion of Ge into the GaN layer and Ga into the Ge substrate can be influenced by the growth temperature but cannot be completely suppressed. Our results suggest that Ga atoms diffuse through small imperfections in the Ge₃N₄ interlayer and locally etch the Ge substrate, leading to the diffusion of Ga and Ge atoms.     

Growth of ZnTe layers on (111) GaAs substrates by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

ZnTe layers were grown on (111) GaAs substrates by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy using dimethylzinc and diethyltelluride as the source materials. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that epitaxial ZnTe layers can be obtained on (111) GaAs substrates. X-ray rocking curves, Raman spectroscopy, and photoluminescence measurements showed that the crystal quality of ZnTe layers depends on the substrate temperature during the growth. A high-crystalline quality (111) ZnTe heteroepitaxial layer with strong near-band-edge emission at 550 nm was obtained at a substrate temperature of 440 °C.     

ZnO growth on Si with low-temperature ZnO buffer layers by ECR-assisted MBE

High-quality ZnO films were grown on Si(1 0 0) substrates with low-temperature (LT) ZnO buffer layers by an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR)-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE). In order to investigate the optimized buffer layer temperature, ZnO buffer layers of about 1.1 μm were grown at different growth temperatures of 350, 450 and 550 °C, followed by identical high-temperature (HT) ZnO films with the thickness of 0.7 μm at 550 °C. A ZnO buffer layer with a growth temperature of 450 °C (450 °C-buffer sample) was found to greatly enhance the crystalline quality of the top ZnO film compared to others. The root mean square (RMS) roughness (3.3 nm) of its surface is the smallest, compared to the 350 °C-buffer sample (6.7 nm), the 550 °C-buffer sample (7.4 nm), and the sample without a buffer layer (6.8 nm). X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL) and Raman scattering measurements were carried out on these samples at room temperature (RT) in order to characterize the crystalline quality of ZnO films. The preferential c-axis orientations of (0 0 2) ZnO were observed in the XRD spectra. The full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) value of the 450 °C-buffer sample was the narrowest as 0.209°, which indicated that the ZnO film with a buffer layer grown at this temperature was better for the subsequent ZnO growth at elevated temperature of 550 °C. Consistent with these results, the 450 °C-buffer sample exhibits the highest intensity and the smallest FWHM (130 meV) of the ultraviolet (UV) emission at 375 nm in the PL spectrum. The ZnO characteristic peak at 438.6 cm⁻¹ was found in Raman scattering spectra for all films with buffers, which is corresponding to the E₂ mode.     

Effects of barrier growth temperature on the properties of InGaN/GaN multi-quantum wells

The effects of the growth temperature and ambient of GaN quantum barriers on the characteristics of InGaN/GaN multi-quantum wells (MQWs) grown by a thermally pre-cracked ion-supplied metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (TPIS-MOCVD) system were investigated. The improvement of optical, structural properties and surface morphology in the MQWs with increasing the growth temperature of quantum barriers was found. Without a GaN capping layer, there were many pits and the thickness of quantum pair reduced by the thermal etching during the temperature-ramping process. Photoluminescence (PL) peaks showed a blue-shift and double peaks, but relative PL intensity abruptly increased due to the suppression of deep level related defects and smooth surface morphology caused by the increased surface mobility of adatom in the high temperature region. By using a GaN capping layer on the InGaN well layer, the thermal decomposition of the InGaN well layer was suppressed and pits on the surface abruptly reduced. A hydrogen carrier gas for the GaN barrier growth also improved the optical and structural properties of MQWs.     

High quality InAlN/GaN heterostructures grown on sapphire by pulsed metal organic chemical vapor deposition

High quality InAlN/GaN heterostructures are successfully grown on the (0 0 0 1) sapphire substrate by pulsed metal organic chemical vapor deposition. The InAlN barrier layer with an indium composition of 17% is observed to be nearly lattice matched to GaN layer, and a smooth surface morphology can be obtained with root mean square roughness of 0.3 nm and without indium droplets and phase separation. The 50 mm InAlN/GaN heterostructure wafer exhibits a mobility of 1402 cm²/V s with a sheet carrier density of 2.01×10¹³  cm^?2, and a low average sheet resistance of 234 Ω/cm² with a sheet resistance nonuniformity of 1.22%. Compared with the conventional continual growth method, PMOCVD reduces the growth temperature of the InAlN layer and the Al related prereaction in the gas phase, and consequently enhances the surface migration, and improves the crystallization quality. Furthermore, indium concentration of InAlN layer can be controlled by adjusting the pulse time ratio of TMIn to TMAl in a unit cycle, the growth temperature and pressure, as well as the InAlN layer thickness by the number of unit cycle repeats.     

The growth of high-quality and self-separation GaN thick-films by hydride vapor phase epitaxy

About 1.2 mm thick GaN bulk crystals were obtained by combining a pulsed NH₃-flow modulation (PFM) method and a self-separation method of short-shutting NH₃ flow when using hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE). High crystal quality of bulk GaN was evaluated by X-ray rocking curves (XRC) and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) values were 110, 72 and 83 arcsec for (002), (102) and (100) reflection planes, respectively. The PFM method is proved to be effective in reducing cracks and keeping the surface smooth. And the method of short-shutting NH₃ flow can lead to GaN thick layer separate from sapphire substrate when cooling from the high growth temperature. Growth and separation mechanisms were investigated. Two states were found in PFM method. With PFM method modulating between high quality state and low stress state, 300 μm thick GaN layers without cracks were obtained. Study of spontaneous separation mechanism revealed that the separation attributed to formation of voids inside the GaN layer.     

N-type doping of GaN/Si(1 1 1) using Al0.2Ga0.8N/ALN composite buffer layer and Al0.2Ga0.8N/GaN superlattice

The characteristics of Si-doped and undoped GaN/Si(1 1 1) heteroepitaxy with composite buffer layer (CBL) and superlattice are compared and discussed. While as-grown Si-doped GaN/Si(1 1 1) heteroepitaxy shows lower quality compared to undoped GaN, crack-free n-type and undoped GaN with the thickness of 1200 nm were obtained by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). In order to achieve the crack-free GaN on Si(1 1 1), we have introduced the scheme of multiple buffer layers; composite buffer layer of Al_0.2Ga_0.8N/AlN and superlattice of Al_0.2Ga_0.8N/GaN on 2-in. Si(1 1 1) substrate, simultaneously. The FWHM values of the double-crystal X-ray diffractometry (DCXRD) rocking curves were 823 arcsec and 745 arcsec for n-GaN and undoped GaN/Si(1 1 1) heteroepitaxy, respectively. The average dislocation density on GaN surface was measured as 3.85×10⁹ and 1.32×10⁹ cm⁻² for n-GaN and undoped GaN epitaxy by 2-D images of atomic force microscopy (AFM). Point analysis of photoluminescence (PL) spectra was performed for evaluating the optical properties of the GaN epitaxy. We also implemented PL mapping, which showed the distribution of edge emission peaks onto the 2 inch whole Si(1 1 1) wafers. The average FWHMs of the band edge emission peak was 367.1 and 367.0 nm related with 3.377 and 3.378 eV, respectively, using 325 nm He-Cd laser as an excitation source under room temperature.     

Growth of bulk InGaN films and quantum wells by atmospheric pressure metalorganic chemical vapour deposition

InGaN bulk layers and single quantum wells were grown on 1.4 to 2.4 μm thick GaN on sapphire films by atmospheric pressure metalorganic chemical vapour deposition (AP-MOCVD). The morphology of the epitaxial layers was strongly affected by the V/III ratio in the gas phase. The incorporation efficiency of indium was observed to increase with higher growth rates and decreasing temperature, but was independent of the V/III ratio in the investigated parameter range. In_0.16Ga_0.84N single quantum wells showed intense quantum well related luminescence at room temperature, with a full width at half maximum of 7.9 nm at a thickness of 50 Å. Single quantum wells embedded in InGaN of graded composition showed superior properties compared to quantum wells with In_0.04Ga_0.94N barriers of constant composition.     

Growth of thick,continuous GaN layers on 4-in. Si substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

We report on the growth of thick GaN epilayers on 4-in. Si(1 1 1) substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. Using intercalated AlN layers that contribute to counterbalance the tensile strain induced by the thermal mismatch between gallium nitride and the silicon substrate, up to 6.7 μm thick crack-free group III-nitride layers have been grown. Root mean-squares surface roughness of 0.5 nm, threading dislocation densities of 1.1×10⁹ cm^?2, as well as X-ray diffraction (XRD) full widths at half-maximum (FWHM) of 406 arcsec for the GaN(0 0 2) and of 1148 arcsec for the GaN(3 0 2) reflection have been measured. The donor bound exciton has a low-temperature photoluminescence line width of 12 meV. The correlation between the threading dislocation density and XRD FWHM, as well as the correlation between the wafer curvature and the GaN in-plane stress is discussed. An increase of the tensile stress is observed upon n-type doping of GaN by silicon.     

Platinum-catalyst-assisted metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy of InN

This paper reports the first attempt of the Pt-catalyst-assisted MOVPE growth of InN. In order to enhance NH₃ decomposition at a relatively low growth temperature (～550 °C), Pt is used as a catalyst. The catalyst is installed in the NH₃ introduction tube in the MOVPE reactor and the tube is located just above the susceptor to be heated. Compared with InN films grown without the catalyst, the samples grown with Pt catalyst show improved electrical properties; a carrier concentration in the order of 10¹⁸ cm^?3 and a Hall mobility as high as 1350 cm²/Vs are obtained. The crystalline quality is also improved by employing the catalyst and a tilt fluctuation as low as 8.6 arcmin is obtained for a sample grown on a GaN/sapphire template. It is confirmed that for InN films grown at 550 °C with Pt catalyst, the electrical and crystallographic properties are also improved with increase in thickness. These results indicate that the growth at around 550 °C with the Pt catalyst is performed under the circumstances where NH₃ is effectively decomposed, whereas the deterioration of InN during growth is significantly suppressed.     

Influence of the strain on the formation of GaInAs/GaAs quantum structures

The influence of the strain on the dot morphology of GaInAs quantum dots has been investigated. The strain was varied by the In content in GaInAs/GaAs quantum dots from 60% down to 30% by keeping the emission wavelength at about 900 nm at 10 K. Spectral properties are compared with morphological results determined by scanning electron and scanning transmission electron microscopy confirming a change of the dot geometry from circular to elongated shapes during an overgrowth process. These lowly strained quantum dot layers with enlarged dot sizes exhibit a reduced dot density of 6–9×10⁹ cm⁻² and a strongly enhanced oscillator strength, which make them very interesting for single quantum dot and cavity quantum electrodynamic experiments as well as for applications like single photon emitters.     

Study of multiple-stacking growth of 1.55 μm InAs columnar quantum dots with modulated tensile-strained InGaAsP barrier layers

An investigation was performed of columnar InAs quantum dots (CQDs) with modulated tensile-strained InGaAsP barriers in which the amount of tensile strain in the upper parts was higher than in the lower parts, the dots being deposited on an InP substrate grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. The smaller tensile strain of the barrier layers in the lower parts made the photoluminescence (PL) wavelength longer while the larger tensile strain of the barrier layers in the upper parts increased the strain compensation of the CQDs. Compared to CQDs with uniformly tensile-strained barriers, 1.55 μm emission was obtained at a higher average strain of barrier layers. By utilizing modulated tensile-strained barriers, triple-stacking of 12-fold CQDs with a PL wavelength of 1.55 μm using 30-nm-thick spacer layers was achieved with good crystallinity, indicating suitability for fabrication of high density CQDs.