Atomic Force Microscopy Study of GaN-Buffer Layers on SiC(0001) By MOCVD

1996 ◽  
Vol 423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongsup Lim ◽  
Dongjin Byun ◽  
Gyeungho Kim ◽  
Ok-Hyun Nam ◽  
In-Hoon Choi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Buffer Layer ◽  
Microscopy Study ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Interfacial Free Energy ◽  
Buffer Layers ◽  
Optimum Growth ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Atomic Force ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Gan Buffer Layer

AbstractBuffer layers promote lateral growth of films due to a decrease in interfacial free energy between the film and substrate, and large 2-dimensional nucleation. Smooth surfaces of thebuffer layers are desired. Optimum conditions for GaN-buffer growth on the vicinal surface of 6H-SiC(0001) were determined by atomic force microscope (AFM). AFM analysis of the GaN nucleation layers led to an optimum growth conditions of the GaN-buffer layer which was confirmed by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, Hall measurements and photoluminescence spectra. Optimum growth conditions for GaN-buffer layer on SiC(0001) was determined to be 1 minute growing at 550°C.

Temperature Dependent Quasi-Periodic Facetting of AlAs Grown by MBE on (100) GaAs Substrates

1993 ◽  
Vol 312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Mirin ◽  
Mohan Krishnamurthy ◽  
James Ibbetson ◽  
Arthur Gossard ◽  
John English ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Conditions ◽  
High Energy ◽  
High Energy Electron ◽  
Temperature Dependent ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Mbe Growth ◽  
Atomic Force ◽  
Gaas Substrates ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Facet Formation

AbstractHigh temperature (≥ 650°C) MBE growth of AlAs and AlAs/GaAs superlattices on (100) GaAs is shown to lead to quasi-periodic facetting. We demonstrate that the facetting is only due to the AlAs layers, and growth of GaAs on top of the facets replanarizes the surface. We show that the roughness between the AlAs and GaAs layers increases with increasing number of periods in the superlattice. The roughness increases to form distinct facets, which rapidly grow at the expense of the (100) surface. Within a few periods of the initial facet formation, the (100) surface has disappeared and only the facet planes are visible in cross-sectional transmission electron micrographs. At this point, the reflection high-energy electron diffraction pattern is spotty, and the specular spot is a distinct chevron. We also show that the facetting becomes more pronounced as the substrate temperature is increased from 620°C to 710°C. Atomic force micrographs show that the valleys enclosed by the facets can be several microns long, but they may also be only several nanometers long, depending on the growth conditions.

Effect of N/Ga Flux Ratio in GaN Buffer Layer Growth by MBE on (0001) Sapphire on Defect Formation in the GaN Main Layer

1999 ◽  
Vol 572 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Ruvimov ◽  
Z. Liliental-Weber ◽  
J. Washburn ◽  
Y. Kim ◽  
G. S. Sudhir ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dislocation Density ◽  
Buffer Layer ◽  
Defect Formation ◽  
Flux Ratio ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Buffer Layers ◽  
Simultaneous Increase ◽  
Growth Stages ◽  
Dislocation Generation ◽  
Gan Buffer Layer

ABSTRACTTransmission electron microscopy was employed to study the effect of N/Ga flux ratio in the growth of GaN buffer layers on the structure of GaN epitaxial layers grown by molecular-beamepitaxy (MBE) on sapphire. The dislocation density in GaN layers was found to increase from 1×1010 to 6×1010 cm−2 with increase of the nitrogen flux from 5 to 35 sccm during the growth of the GaN buffer layer with otherwise the same growth conditions. All GaN layers were found to contain inversion domain boundaries (IDBs) originated at the interface with sapphire and propagated up to the layer surface. Formation of IDBs was often associated with specific defects at the interface with the substrate. Dislocation generation and annihilation were shown to be mainly growth-related processes and, hence, can be controlled by the growth conditions, especially during the first growth stages. The decrease of electron Hall mobility and the simultaneous increase of the intensity of “green” luminescence with increasing dislocation density suggest that dislocation-related deep levels are created in the bandgap.

Annihilation of Threading Dislocations in Regrown GaN on Electrochemically Etched Nanoporous GaN Template with Optimization of Buffer Layer Growth

2007 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 227-229
Author(s):  
C.B. Soh ◽  
H. Hartono ◽  
S.Y. Chow ◽  
Soo Jin Chua
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Buffer Layer ◽  
Electrochemical Etching ◽  
Layer Growth ◽  
Device Fabrication ◽  
Buffer Layers ◽  
Threading Dislocations ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Gan Buffer Layer

Nanoporous GaN template has been fabricated by electrochemical etching to give hexagonal pits with nano-scale pores of size 20-50 nm in the underlying grains. Electrochemical etching at The effect of GaN buffer layer grown at various temperatures from 650°C to 1015°C on these as-fabricated nano-pores templates are investigated by transmission electron microscopy. The buffer layer grown at the optimized temperature of 850°C partially fill up the pores and voids with annihilation of threading dislocations, serving as an excellent template for high-quality GaN growth. This phenomenon is, however not observed for the samples grown with other temperature buffer layers. The PL spectrum for the regrowth GaN on nanoporous GaN template also shows an enhancement of PL intensity for GaN peak compared to as-grown GaN template, which is indicative of its higher crystal quality. This makes it as a suitable template for subsequent device fabrication.

TiN/GaN Metal/Semiconductor Multilayer Nanocomposites Grown by Reactive Pulsed Laser Deposition

2005 ◽  
Vol 872 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vijay Rawat ◽  
Timothy D. Sands
Keyword(s):  
Pulsed Laser Deposition ◽  
Buffer Layer ◽  
Pulsed Laser ◽  
Laser Deposition ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Grain Sizes ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Free Metal ◽  
Gan Buffer Layer

AbstractTiN/GaN multilayers with periods ranging from 5 nm to 50 nm were grown by reactive pulsed laser deposition (PLD) using elemental metal targets in an ammonia ambient at 20mtorr onto Si(100), MgO(100) and sapphire(0001) substrates. For growth on Si and MgO substrates, an epitaxial 40 nm thick TiN buffer layer was deposited prior to deposition of the multilayers. An epitaxial 150 nm GaN buffer layer was grown on sapphire substrates. For all substrates, layer thicknesses and periods investigated, x-ray diffraction and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy revealed {0001} texture for GaN, and {111} texture for TiN in the multilayers. Both TiN layers and GaN layers thicker than ∼ 2nm appear to be continuous, with no evidence of agglomeration. Both phases are crystalline, with lateral grain sizes comparable to the layer thickness. These results suggest that epitaxy will not be necessary to fabricate pinhole free metal/semiconductor multilayers in the nitride system.

Stress and Microstructure Evolution in Compositionally Graded Al1-xGaxN Buffer Layers for GaN Growth on Si

2005 ◽  
Vol 892 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaojun Weng ◽  
Srinivasan Raghavan ◽  
Elizabeth C Dickey ◽  
Joan M Redwing
Keyword(s):  
Buffer Layer ◽  
Compressive Stress ◽  
Microstructure Evolution ◽  
Buffer Layers ◽  
Threading Dislocation ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Si Substrates ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Dislocation Annihilation

AbstractWe have studied the evolution of stress and microstructure of compositionally graded Al1-xGaxN (0 ≤ x ≤1) buffer layers on (111) Si substrates with varying thicknesses. In-situ stress measurements reveal a tensile-to-compressive stress transition that occurs near the half-thickness in each buffer layer. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) shows a significant reduction in threading dislocation (TD) density in the top half of the buffer layer, suggesting that the compressive stress enhances the threading dislocation annihilation. The composition of the buffer layers varies linearly with thickness, as determined by X-ray energy dispersive spectrometry (XEDS). The composition grading-induced compressive stress offsets the tensile stress introduced by microstructure evolution, thus yielding a tensile-to-compressive stress transition at x ≈ 0.5.

MORPHOLOGICAL CONTROL OF GaN BUFFER LAYERS GROWN BY MOLECULAR BEAM EPITAXY ON 6H–SiC(0001)

2000 ◽  
Vol 07 (05n06) ◽  
pp. 565-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHANGWU HU ◽  
DAVID J. SMITH ◽  
R. B. DOAK ◽  
I. S. T. TSONG
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Substrate Surface ◽  
Supersonic Jet ◽  
Flux Ratio ◽  
Buffer Layers ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Growth Ratio ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Atomic Force ◽  
Transmission Electron

The growth of GaN buffer layers of thickness 10–25 nm directly on 6H–SiC (0001) substrates was studied using low energy electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. The Ga flux was supplied by an evaporative source, while the NH3 flux came from a seeded beam supersonic jet source. By monitoring the growth in situ and by suitably adjusting the Ga/NH 3 flux ratio, smooth basal-plane-oriented GaN layers were grown on hydrogen-etched SiC substrates at temperatures in the range of 600–700°C. The growth proceeds via nucleation of small flat islands at the step edges of the 6H–SiC (0001) substrate surface. The islands increase in size with a lateral-to-vertical growth ratio of ~10 and eventually coalesce into a quasicontinuous layer. A highly defective substrate surface was found to be detrimental to the growth of flat buffer layers.

A Study of the Effect of Growth Rate and Annealing on GaN Buffer Layers on Sapphire

1995 ◽  
Vol 395 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.C. Ramer ◽  
K. Zheng ◽  
C.F. Kranenberg ◽  
M. Banas ◽  
S.D Hersee
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Buffer Layer ◽  
Layer Growth ◽  
Buffer Layers ◽  
Degree Of Crystallinity ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Atomic Force ◽  
Gan Buffer Layer

ABSTRACTUsing atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) we have determined that on [0001] oriented sapphire, the GaN buffer layer shows a degree of crystallinity that is dependent on growth rate. Annealing studies show evolution of the crystallinity and the emergence of a preferred orientation. Also, substrate orientation is found to influence the buffer layer crystallinity. Based on this work and previous results, we propose that the GaN buffer layer growth can be described by the Stranski-Krastanov growth process.

KINETICS, MICROSTRUCTURE AND STRAIN IN GaN THIN FILMS GROWN VIA PENDEO-EPITAXY

2004 ◽  
Vol 14 (01) ◽  
pp. 21-37
Author(s):  
A. M. ROSKOWSKI ◽  
E. A. PREBLE ◽  
S. EINFELDT ◽  
P. M. MIRAGLIA ◽  
J. SCHUCK ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Lattice Parameter ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Microelectronic Devices ◽  
Atomic Force ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Thermal Stability Of

Maskless pendeo-epitaxy involves the lateral and vertical growth of cantilevered "wings" of material from the sidewalls of unmasked etched forms. Gallium Nitride films grown at 1020°C via metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy on GaN / AlN /6 H - SiC (0001) substrates previously etched to form [Formula: see text]-oriented stripes exhibited similar vertical [0001] and lateral [Formula: see text] growth rates, as shown by cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy. Increasing the temperature increased the growth rate in the latter direction due to the higher thermal stability of the [Formula: see text] surface. The [Formula: see text] surface was atomically smooth under all growth conditions with a root mean square (RMS)=0.17 nm. High resolution X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy of the pendeo-epitaxial films confirmed transmission electron microscopy results regarding the significant reduction in dislocation density in the wings. This result is important for the properties of both optoelectronic and microelectronic devices fabricated in III-Nitride structures. Measurement of strain indicated that the wing material is crystallographically relaxed as evidenced by the increase in the c-axis lattice parameter and the upward shift of the E2 Raman line frequency. A strong D°X peak at 3.466 eV was also measured in the wing material. However, tilting of the wings of ≤0.15° occurred due to the tensile stresses in the stripes induced by the mismatch in the coefficients of thermal expansion between the GaN and the underlying substrate.

Microstructure and Physical Properties of Ferroelectric-gate Memory Capacitors with Various Buffer Layers

2001 ◽  
Vol 666 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Caragianis-Broadbridge ◽  
Jin-ping Han ◽  
T. P. Ma ◽  
Ann Hein Lehman ◽  
Wenjuan Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Properties ◽  
Photoelectron Spectroscopy ◽  
Hafnium Oxide ◽  
Silicon Oxide ◽  
Buffer Layers ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Atomic Force ◽  
Transmission Electron

ABSTRACTThis paper reports the microstructure and physical properties of ferroelectric capacitors formed from SrBi2Ta2O9(SBT) layers on Si with various buffer layers including jet-vapor deposited silicon nitride, zirconium oxide, hafnium oxide and thermally grown silicon oxide. Results from cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (X-TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and non-contact atomic force microscopy (nc-AFM) data coupled with capacitance-voltage (C-V) and current- voltage (I-V) data indicate that both the microstructure and physical properties of SBT films deposited on silicon are dependent on the buffer layer material employed.

Microstructure of SrTiO3 buffer layers and itseffects on superconducting properties ofYBa2Cu3O7-δ coated conductors

2004 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 1869-1875 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Wang ◽  
S.R. Foltyn ◽  
P.N. Arendt ◽  
Q.X. Jia ◽  
J.L. MacManus-Driscoll ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Ion Beam ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Coated Conductors ◽  
Buffer Layers ◽  
Superconducting Properties ◽  
Ybco Films ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Atomic Force ◽  
Transmission Electron

A thin layer of SrTiO3 (STO) has successfully been used as a buffer layer to grow high-quality superconducting YBa2Cu3O7-δ(YBCO) thick films on polycrystalline metal substrates with a biaxially oriented MgO template produced by ion-beam-assisted deposition. Using this architecture, 1.5-μm-thick YBCO films with an in-plane mosaic spread in the range of 2.5° to 3.5° in full width at half-maximum and critical current density over 2 × 10 6A/cm2 in self-field at 75 K have routinely been achieved. It is interesting to note that the pulsed laser deposition growth conditions of SrTiO3 buffer layers, such as growth temperature and oxygen pressure, have strong effects on the superconducting properties of YBCO. Detailed studies using transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy were used to explore the microstructures of STO deposited at different conditions and to understand further their effects on the growth and properties of YBCO films.

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