Effect of Ⅲ/Ⅴ Ratio of HT-AIN Buffer Layer on Polarity Selection and Electrical Quality of GaN Films Grown by Radio Frequency Molecular Beam Epitaxy

We investigate the effect of A/N ratio of the high temperature （HT） AIN buffer layer on polarity selection and electrical quality of GaN films grown by radio frequency molecular beam epitaxy. The results show that low Al/N ratio results in N-polarity GaN films and intermediate Al/N ratio leads to mixed-polarity GaN films with poor electrical quality. GaN films tend to grow with Ga polarity on Al-rich AIN buffer layers. GaN films with different polarities are confirmed by in-situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction during the growth process. Wet chemical etching, together with atomic force microscopy, also proves the polarity assignments. The optimum value for room-temperature Hall mobility of the Ga-polarity GaN film is 703cm^2/V.s, which is superior to the N-polarity and mixed-polarity GaN films.     

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.     

Atomic simulation of AlGaN film deposition on AlN template

In this article, we study the deposition of AlGaN film on AlN template by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The effects of growth temperature and film thickness on the dislocation of deposited AlGaN film are simulated and studied. The atomic structure of deposited AlGaN film is also investigated. We find that the dislocations usually occur at the interface between AlN template and AlGaN film and then extend towards the growth direction. The dislocation density decreases with the increase of AlGaN film thickness, which indicates that increasing the thickness of deposited AlGaN film to a certain extent is beneficial to reducing dislocation. In addition, increasing the growth temperature can also effectively reduce the dislocation in deposited AlGaN film. Furthermore, the crystallinity of deposited AlGaN film could be improved by increasing the growth temperature. This is consistent with the dislocation discussion. The mobility of adatoms increases as the growth temperature increases. So it is easier for adatoms to find their ideal lattice points at higher temperature. Thus the dislocation and other defects can be effectively reduced and the crystal quality of deposited AlGaN film could be improved.     

The effect of nitrogen pressure on the two-step method deposition of GaN films

GaN thin films were deposited on sapphire (0001) substrates at different nitrogen pressures by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) of GaN target in nitrogen atmosphere. Good single crystal GaN thin films were obtained after annealing at 1000 °C for 15 min in a NH₃ atmosphere. An Nd:YAG pulsed laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm was used as the laser source. The influence of nitrogen pressure on the thickness, crystallinity and surface morphology of GaN films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Raman spectroscopy. The results show that at low nitrogen pressure, the surface diffusion of adatoms can be influenced by the collisions between the nitrogen gas molecules and the activated atoms, which can influence the kinetic energy of the activated atoms. However, at high nitrogen pressure, the kinetic energy of adatoms is decided by the annealing temperature. In our experimental conditions, the GaN thin films deposited at 0.75 and 7.5 Pa have a high surface morphology and crystalline quality. PACS 71.55.Eq; 74.62.Fj     

GaN缓冲层对直流反应磁控溅射AlN薄膜的影响(英文)

通过直流磁控反应溅射制备了氮化铝(AlN)薄膜,研究了沉积条件与氮化镓(GaN)缓冲层对薄膜质量的影响。利用X-射线衍射仪(XRD)和扫描电镜(SEM)表征了AlN薄膜的晶体结构和表面形貌。XRD研究结果表明,低工作压强、短靶距和适当的氮气偏压有利于(002)择优取向的AlN薄膜沉积。随着沉积时间的增加,沉积在50 nm厚的GaN缓冲层上的AlN薄膜的(002)面的衍射峰的半高宽急剧减小,而沉积在1μm厚的GaN薄膜上的AlN薄膜的(002)面的衍射峰的半高宽几乎不变。SEM测试结果表明:在沉积的初期,沉积在1μm厚的GaN薄膜上的AlN薄膜的(002)面的晶粒大小分布比沉积在50 nm厚的GaN缓冲层上的AlN薄膜的均匀,而随着沉积时间的增加,它们的晶粒大小分布几乎趋向一致。     

用MOVPE和RF-MBE方法极性控制生长GaN

本文报道了用低压MOVPE和RF-分子束外延法在蓝宝石衬底上作极性控制的GaN生长.以“双Al单层”模型讨论了用MOVPE和MBE法在蓝宝石衬底上生长GaN的极性选择的机理,并对AlN在极性转换过程中的作用给出了适当的解释.通过极性控制的生长,使MBE法生长的GaN的表面形貌和电学特性都得到了改善;并对LP-MOVPE生长开发出了一种“三步生长法”,这样就可以用更多的外延方式在蓝宝石衬底上生长出高质量的GaN膜.     

氮化铝单晶薄膜的ECR PEMOCVD低温生长研究

采用电子回旋共振等离子体增强金属有机物化学气相沉积（ECR－PEMOCVD）技术，在c轴取向的蓝宝石即α Al2O3（0001）衬底上，以氮化镓（GaN）缓冲层和外延层作为初始层，分别以高纯氮气（N2）和三甲基铝(TMAl)为氮源和铝源低温生长氮化铝（AlN）薄膜.并利用反射高能电子衍射（RHEED）、原子力显微镜（AFM）和x射线衍射（XRD）等测量结果，研究了氢等离子体清洗、氮化和GaN初始层对六方AlN外延层质量的影响，从而获得解理性与α Al2O3衬底一致的六方相AlN单晶薄膜，其XRD半高宽为1 关键词： AlN 氢等离子体清洗 氮化 GaN     

MOCVD生长Si衬底上HT-AlN缓冲层低生长压力对GaN薄膜的影响

采用金属有机化学气相沉积（MOCVD）技术在Si（111）衬底上外延GaN薄膜,对高温AlN（HT-AlN）缓冲层在小范围内低生长压力（6.7~16.6 kPa）条件下对GaN薄膜特性的影响进行了研究。研究结果表明GaN外延层的表面形貌、结构和光学性质对HT-AlN缓冲层的生长压力有很强的的依赖关系。增加HT-AlN缓冲层的生长压力,GaN薄膜的光学和形貌特性均有明显改善,当HT-AlN缓冲层的生长压力为13.3 kPa时,得到无裂纹的GaN薄膜,其（002）和（102）面的X射线衍射峰值半高宽分别为735 arcsec和778 arcsec,由拉曼光谱计算得到的张应力为0.437 GPa,原子力显微镜（AFM）观测到表面粗糙度为1.57 nm。     

Morphological properties of AlN and GaN grown by MOVPE on porous Si(111) and Si(111) substrates

Metal Organic Vapour Phase Epitaxy (MOVPE) of AlN and GaN layers at a temperature of 1080 C were performed on porous Si(111) and Si(111) substrates. The thermal stability of porous silicon (PS) is studied versus growth time under AlN and GaN growth conditions. The surface morphology evolution of the annealed PS is revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Porous Si(111) with low porosity (40%) is more thermally stable than porous Si(100) with relatively high porosity (60%).AlN layers with various thicknesses were grown under the same conditions on the two substrates. Morphological properties of AlN were studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and compared taking into account the two different surfaces of the substrates. The two growth kinetics of AlN were found to be different due to the initial surface roughness of the PS substrate. The effect of AlN buffer morphology on the qualities of subsequent GaN layers is discussed. Morphological qualities of GaN layers grown on PS are improved compared to those obtained on porous Si(100) but are still less than those grown on Si substrate.     

GaAs(111)衬底上生长的GaN的极性与生长方法和生长条件的关系

研究了在GaAs(111)衬底上生长的六角相GaN的极性的相关关系.在高Ⅴ/Ⅲ比的条件下用MOVPE和MOMBE方法生长的GaN的极性和GaAs衬底的极性一致;在(111)A-Ga表面上的生长层呈现Ga的极性,而在(111)B-As表面上的生长层呈现N的极性.然而,在低的Ⅴ/Ⅲ比,或采用一个AIN中间层的条件下,用HVPE和MOMBE方法在GaAs(111)B表面上生长的GaN呈现出Ga的极性.目前,其原因尚不清楚,但是这些结果表明采用HVPE生长方法或用一高温AlN阻挡层可以得到高质量的GaN.     

刻蚀AlN缓冲层对硅衬底N极性n-GaN表面粗化的影响

研究了等离子体刻蚀AlN缓冲层对硅衬底N极性n-GaN表面粗化行为的影响. 实验结果表明, 表面AlN缓冲层的状态对N极性n-GaN的粗化行为影响很大, 采用等离子体刻蚀去除一部分表面AlN缓冲层即可以有效提高N极性n-GaN在KOH溶液中的粗化效果, AlN缓冲层未经任何刻蚀处理的样品粗化速度过慢, 被刻蚀完全去除AlN缓冲层的样品容易出现粗化过头的现象. 经X射线光电子能谱分析可知, 等离子体刻蚀能够提高样品表面AlN缓冲层Al 2p的电子结合能, 使得样品表面费米能级向导带底靠近, 原子含量测试表明样品表面产生了大量的N空位, N空位提供电子, 使得材料表面费米能级升高, 这降低了KOH溶液和样品表面之间的肖特基势垒, 从而有利于表面粗化的进行. 通过等离子体刻蚀掉表面部分AlN缓冲层, 改善了N极性n-GaN在KOH溶液中的粗化效果, 明显提升了对应发光二级管器件的出光功率.     

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.     

Optical and structural investigation of a-plane GaN layers on r-plane sapphire with nucleation layer optimization

Nonpolar a-plane GaN epilayers are grown on several r-plane sapphire substrates by metal organic chemical vapour deposition using different nucleation layers:(A) a GaN nucleation layer deposited at low temperature(LT);(B) an AlN nucleation layer deposited at high temperature;or(C) an LT thin AlN nucleation layer with an AlN layer and an AlN/AlGaN superlattice both subsequently deposited at high temperature.The samples have been characterized by Xray diffraction(XRD),atomic force microscopy and photoluminescence.The GaN layers grown using nucleation layers B and C show narrower XRD rocking curves than that using nucleation layer A,indicating a reduction in crystal defect density.Furthermore,the GaN layer grown using nucleation layer C exhibits a surface morphology with triangular defect pits eliminated completely.The improved optical property,corresponding to the enhanced crystal quality,is also confirmed by temperature-dependent and excitation power-dependent photoluminescence measurements.     

Atomic-level investigation of Al and Ni thin film growth on Ni(1 1 1) surface: Molecular dynamics simulation

Using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, the structural characteristics of Al and Ni thin film growth on Ni(1 1 1) substrate according to the incident energy of adatoms were investigated. In case of Al on Ni(1 1 1), Al adatoms were grown basically through the layer-by-layer growth mode. On the other hand, Ni thin films on Ni(1 1 1) surface at low incident energy were shown to favor island growth. The steering effect due to atomic attraction, which results in rougher surface, was significantly observed at low incident energy. The growth mode of Ni film was, however, changed to follow layer-by-layer growth mode for the incident energy of 6 eV. The different aspects of surface morphology between Al and Ni deposition on Ni(1 1 1) surface could be successfully explained by the surface diffusion and impact cascade diffusion.     

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.     

Structural characterization and optoelectronic properties of GaN thin films on Si(111) substrates using pulsed laser deposition assisted by gas discharge

GaN films have been grown on Si(111) substrates with a thin AlN buffer layer using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) assisted by gas discharge. The crystalline quality, surface morphology and optoelectronic properties of the deposited films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and room-temperature Van der Pauw–Hall measurements. The influence of the deposition temperature in the range 637–1037 K on the crystallinity of GaN films, the laser incident energy in the range 150–250 mJ/pulse on the surface morphology and the optoelectronic properties were systematically studied. The XRD analysis shows that the crystalline quality of the GaN films improves with increasing deposition temperature to 937 K, but further increase of the deposition temperature to 1037 K leads to the degradation of the crystalline quality. AFM results show that the surface roughness of the GaN films can be decreased with increasing laser incident energy to 220 mJ/pulse. Further increase of the laser incident energy to 250 mJ/pulse leads to an increase in the surface roughness. The optoelectronic properties of GaN films were also improved by increasing the laser incident energy to 220 mJ/pulse. GaN films which have a n-type carrier concentration of 1.26×10¹⁷ cm^-3 and a mobility of 158.1 cm²/Vs can be deposited at a substrate temperature of 937 K, a deposition pressure of 20 Pa and a laser incident energy of 220 mJ/pulse. Their room-temperature PL spectra exhibit a strong band-edge emission at 365 nm. PACS 81.15.Fg; 81.05.Ea; 78.20.-e; 73.61.Ey; 78.66.Fd     

Quantum dots-templated growth of strain-relaxed GaN on a c-plane sapphire by radio-frequency molecular beam epitaxy

We investigated the quantum dots-templated growth of a(0001) GaN film on a c-plane sapphire substrate.The growth was carried out in a radio-frequency molecular beam epitaxy system.The enlargement and coalescence of grains on the GaN quantum dots template was observed in the atom force microscopy images,as well as the more ideal surface morphology of the GaN epitaxial film on the quantum dots template compared with the one on the AlN buffer.The Ga polarity was confirmed by the reflected high energy electron diffraction patterns and the Raman spectra.The significant strain relaxation in the quantum dots-templated GaN film was calculated based on the Raman spectra and the X-ray rocking curves.Meanwhile,the threading dislocation density in the quantum dots-templated film was estimated to be 7.1×107cm-2,which was significantly suppressed compared with that of the AlN-buffered GaN film.The roomtemperature Hall measurement showed an electron mobility of up to 1860cm2 /V·s in the two-dimensional electron gas at the interface of the Al 0.25Ga0.75 N/GaN heterojunction.     

Growth of InN layers by MOVPE using different substrates

This study presents the MOVPE growth of InN films onto different substrate materials, including sapphire, nitrided or not, GaN and AlN buffer layers deposited onto sapphire, and Si(111).For InN growth onto nitrided sapphire, different growth parameters were investigated in order to determine the best growth conditions. We found that a low V/III molar ratio has to be used in order to increase the growth rate. A light nitridation treatment gives the best electrical properties: mirror like layers with a mobility of 800 cm²/V  s were obtained. At room temperature, reflectivity experiments show the existence of a transition at 1.2 eV, while photoluminescence appears around 0.8 eV.Using the same growth conditions onto GaN buffers (with thicknesses ranging from 15 to 1000 Å), we found that the best mobilities are obtained above a given buffer thickness.By comparing also with AlN buffer layers and silicon substrates, we found that our previous conclusion still holds; lightly nitrided sapphire substrate leads to the best electrical properties and morphology.     

Effect of deposition temperature on the microstructure and surface morphology of c-axis oriented AlN films deposited on sapphire substrate by RF reactive magnetron sputtering

In this paper, c-axis oriented AlN films were prepared on sapphire substrate by RF reactive magnetron sputtering at various deposition temperatures (30–700 °C). The influences of deposition temperature on the chemical composition, crystalline structure and surface morphology of the AlN films were systematically investigated. The as-deposited films were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), two-dimensional X-ray diffraction (2D-XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The experimental results show that it can be successfully grown for high-purity and near-stoichiometric (Al/N = 1.12:1) AlN films except for the segregation of a few oxygen impurities exist in the form of Al–O bonding. The chemical composition of as-deposited films is almost independent of substrate temperature in the range of 30–700 °C. However, the crystalline structure and surface morphology of the deposited AlN films are strongly influenced by the deposition temperature. The optimum deposition temperature is 300 °C, giving a good compromise between crystalline structure and surface morphology to grow AlN films.     

AlGaN插入层对6H-SiC上金属有机物气相外延生长的GaN薄膜残余应力及表面形貌的影响

研究了具有不同台阶数目的AlGaN插入层对在6H-SiC衬底上利用金属有机物气相外延（MOVPE）生长的GaN体材料残余应力和表面形貌的影响.高分辨率X射线衍射测试表明样品的c轴晶格常数随台阶数目的增多而增大;低温光荧光谱中GaN发光峰也随着台阶数目增多而发生蓝移,这些变化都反映出GaN中残余张应力的减小.此外,原子力显微镜测试表明样品表面起伏和粗糙度也都随着插入层的引入和台阶数目的增多得到了明显的改善. 关键词： 残余应力 表面形貌 SiC衬底 AlGaN插入层