Effect of Aluminum Nitride Buffer Layer Temperature on Gallium Nitride Grown by OMVPE

1994 ◽  
Vol 339 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. B. Rowland ◽  
K. Doverspike ◽  
D. K. Gaskill ◽  
J. A. Freitas

ABSTRACTGallium nitride layers were grown by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy on AlN buffer layers deposited in the range of 450–650°C. The GaN growth conditions were kept constant so that changes in film properties were due only to changes in the buffer layer growth temperature. A monotonie improvement in relative crystallinity as measured by double-crystal X-ray diffraction corresponded with a decrease in buffer layer growth temperature. Improvements in GaN electron transport at 300 and 77 K were also observed with decreasing AlN buffer layer temperature. Photoluminescence spectra for the lowest temperatures studied were dominated by sharp excitonic emission, with some broadening of the exciton linewidth observed as the buffer layer growth temperature was increased. The full width at half maximum of the excitonic emission was 2.7 meV for GaN grown on a 450°C buffer layer. These results indicate that minimizing AlN buffer layer temperature results in improvements in GaN film quality.

1999 ◽  
Vol 4 (S1) ◽  
pp. 417-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. C. Piquette ◽  
P. M. Bridger ◽  
R. A. Beach ◽  
T. C. McGill

The surface morphology of GaN is observed by atomic force microscopy for growth on GaN and AlN buffer layers and as a function of III/V flux ratio. Films are grown on sapphire substrates by molecular beam epitaxy using a radio frequency nitrogen plasma source. Growth using GaN buffer layers leads to N-polar films, with surfaces strongly dependent on the flux conditions used. Flat surfaces can be obtained by growing as Ga-rich as possible, although Ga droplets tend to form. Ga-polar films can be grown on AlN buffer layers, with the surface morphology determined by the conditions of buffer layer deposition as well as the III/V ratio for growth of the GaN layer. Near-stoichiometric buffer layer growth conditions appear to support the flattest surfaces in this case. Three defect types are typically observed in GaN films on AlN buffers, including large and small pits and “loop” defects. It is possible to produce surfaces free from large pit defects by growing thicker films under more Ga-rich conditions. In such cases the surface roughness can be reduced to less than 1 nm RMS.


1998 ◽  
Vol 537 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. C. Piquette ◽  
P. M. Bridger ◽  
R. A. Beach ◽  
T. C. McGill

AbstractThe surface morphology of GaN is observed by atomic force microscopy for growth on GaN and AlN buffer layers and as a function of III/V flux ratio. Films are grown on sapphire substrates by molecular beam epitaxy using a radio frequency nitrogen plasma source. Growth using GaN buffer layers leads to N-polar films, with surfaces strongly dependent on the flux conditions used. Flat surfaces can be obtained by growing as Ga-rich as possible, although Ga droplets tend to form. Ga-polar films can be grown on AlN buffer layers, with the surface morphology determined by the conditions of buffer layer deposition as well as the III/V ratio for growth of the GaN layer. Near-stoichiometric buffer layer growth conditions appear to support the flattest surfaces in this case. Three defect types are typically observed in GaN films on AlN buffers, including large and small pits and “loop” defects. It is possible to produce surfaces free from large pit defects by growing thicker films under more Ga-rich conditions. In such cases the surface roughness can be reduced to less than l nm RMS.


2003 ◽  
Vol 798 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhishek Jain ◽  
Joan M. Redwing

ABSTRACTThin films of InN were grown on (0001) Sapphire by MOCVD. The effect of growth conditions and buffer layer on the film morphology was studied. Growth temperature and TMI flow rate were important factors in the growth of InN. The use of a low temperature AlN buffer layer was also found to improve the morphology and crystal quality of the films. Thin (<40Å) AlN buffer layers produced the best results while polycrystalline InN was obtained when the buffer layer thickness exceeded 60Å. Delamination of the InN films was observed to occur at growth temperature, which limited the thickness of the films to less than 300 nm. A room temperature mobility of 792 cm2/Vs and an electron concentration of 2.1×1019 cm-3 were measured in an approximately 200 nm thick InN layer grown on sapphire.


2004 ◽  
Vol 809 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kareem M. Shoukri ◽  
Yaser M. Haddara ◽  
Andrew P. Knights ◽  
Paul G. Coleman ◽  
Mohammad M. Rahman ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTSilicon-Germanium (SiGe) has become increasingly attractive to semiconductor manufacturers over the last decade for use in high performance devices. In order to produce thin layers of device grade SiGe with low concentrations of point defects and well-controlled doping profiles, advanced growth and deposition techniques such as molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) are used. One of the key issues in modeling dopant diffusion during subsequent processing is the concentration of grown-in point defects. The incorporation of vacancy clusters and vacancy point defects in 200nm SiGe/Si layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy over different buffer layers has been observed using beam-based positron annihilation spectroscopy. Variables included the type of buffer layer, the growth temperature and growth rate for the buffer, and the growth temperature and growth rate for the top layer. Different growth conditions resulted in different relaxation amounts in the top layer, but in all samples the dislocation density was below 106 cm−2. Preliminary results indicate a correlation between the size, type and concentration of vacancy defects and the buffer layer growth temperature. At high buffer layer growth temperature of 500°C the vacancy point defect concentration is below the PAS detectable limit of approximately 1015 cm−3. As the buffer layer growth is decreased to a minimum value of 300°C, large vacancy clusters are observed in the buffered layer and vacancy point defects are observed in the SiGe film. These results are relevant to the role played by point defects grown-in at temperatures below ∼350°C in modeling dopant diffusion during processing.


2003 ◽  
Vol 798 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gon Namkoong ◽  
W. Alan ◽  
A. S. Brown ◽  
M. Losurdo ◽  
M. M. Giangregorio ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe effect of the buffer layers on the subsequent GaN epitaxial layers and electrical properties of AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterojunction structures nitrided at various temperatures was investigated. For AlN buffer layers, two different growth conditions of AlN buffer layers were introduced to avoid Al droplets. We found that etch pit density and structural quality of GaN epitaxial layer strongly depends on the growth conditions of AlN buffer layers. When using a double buffer layer (low temperature GaN on high temperature AlN) for 200 °C nitridation, the etch pit density was measured to high 107 cm-2 in GaN epitaxial layers. Furthermore, we observed that electrical properties of AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructures depend on growth conditions of buffer layers and nitridation temperatures. The mobility in Al0.33Ga0.67N/AlN/GaN structures grown on single AlN buffer layers for 200 °C nitridation were 1300 cm2/Vs at a sheet charge of 1.6×1013 cm-2. Using the double buffer layer for 200 °C nitridation, the mobility increased to 1587 cm2/Vs with a sheet charge of 1.25×1013 cm-2.


2008 ◽  
Vol 1068 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuen-Yee Wong ◽  
Edward Yi Chang ◽  
Tsung-Hsi Yang ◽  
Jet-Rung Chang ◽  
Yi-Cheng Chen ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe defect structure of the GaN film grown on sapphire by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE) technique was found to be dependent on the AlN buffer layer growth temperature. This buffer growth temperature controlled the defect density in GaN film but had shown contrary effects on the density of screw threading dislocation (TD) and edge TD. The density of screw TD was high on lower temperature buffer but low on the higher temperature buffer. Meanwhile the density of edge TD had shown the opposite. Further examinations have suggested that the defect structure was closely related to the stress in the GaN film, which can be controlled by the growth temperature of the AlN buffer. Using the 525°C AlN buffer, optimum quality GaN film with relatively low screw and edge TDs were achieved.


1996 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1011-1018 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Warren Weeks ◽  
Michael D. Bremser ◽  
K. Shawn Ailey ◽  
Eric Carlson ◽  
William G. Perry ◽  
...  

Monocrystalline GaN(0001) thin films have been grown at 950 °C on high-temperature, ≈ 100 nm thick, monocrystalline AlN(0001) buffer layers predeposited at 1100 °C on α(6H)−SiC(0001)Si substrates via OMVPE in a cold-wall, vertical, pancake-style reactor. These films were free of low-angle grain boundaries and the associated oriented domain microstructure. The PL spectra of the GaN films deposited on both vicinal and on-axis substrates revealed strong bound excitonic emission with a FWHM value of 4 meV. The near band-edge emission from films on the vicinal substrates was shifted slightly to a lower energy, indicative of films containing residual tensile stresses. A peak attributed to free excitonic emission was also clearly observed in the on-axis spectrum. Undoped films were too resistive for accurate Hall-effect measurements. Controlled n-type, Si-doping in GaN was achieved for net carrier concentrations ranging from approximately 1 × 1017 cm−3 to 1 × 1020 cm−3. Mg-doped, p-type GaN was achieved with nA−nD ≈ 3 × 1017 cm−3, ρ ≈ 7 Ω · cm, and μ ≈ 3 cm2/V · s. Double-crystal x-ray rocking curve measurements for simultaneously deposited 1.4 μm GaN films revealed FWHM values of 58 and 151 arcsec for deposition on on-axis and off-axis 6H−SiC(0001)Si substrates, respectively. The corresponding FWHM values for the AlN buffer layers were approximately 200 and 400 arcsec, respectively.


Author(s):  
J. Kozlowski ◽  
R. Paszkiewicz ◽  
R. Korbutowicz ◽  
M. Panek ◽  
B. Paszkiewicz ◽  
...  

GaN undoped layers of good morphology, good crystallinity and electrical properties were grown on c-plane sapphire substrates by the atmospheric pressure MOVPE technique using a new multi-buffer growth approach. A suitable buffer layer growth technique was worked out which enabled growth of GaN layers with properties superior to those grown in a conventional process scheme. Additional buffer layers, deposited with increasing temperature and increasing V/III molar ratio, were inserted between the low temperature buffer layer and the high temperature GaN layer grown on it. The c and a lattice constants of the high temperature GaN overgrown layer were evaluated from X-ray data. The layer mosaicity and c-lattice parameter variation were determined. The relationship between c and a lattice parameters and the second buffer layer growth scheme has been studied. The effect of second buffer layer growth conditions, buffer layer annealing time as well as the influence of V/III molar ratio during the high temperature GaN deposition on the crystalline and electrical properties of overgrown GaN epitaxial layers are presented. Characterization includes surface morphology examination by SEM and Nomarski optical microscope, X-ray diffraction and C-V measurements.


2014 ◽  
Vol 881-883 ◽  
pp. 1117-1121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang Min Zhao

ZnO thin films with different thickness (the sputtering time of AlN buffer layers was 0 min, 30 min,60 min, and 90 min, respectively) were prepared on Si substrates using radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering system.X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscope (AFM), Hall measurements setup (Hall) were used to analyze the structure, morphology and electrical properties of ZnO films.The results show that growth are still preferred (002) orientation of ZnO thin films with different sputtering time of AlN buffer layer,and for the better growth of ZnO films, the optimal sputtering time is 60 min.


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