Single Crystal Gallium Nitride on Silicon Using SiC as an Intermediate Layer

GaN films have been grown atop SiC intermediate layers on Si(001) and Si(111) substrates using supersonic jet epitaxy (SJE). GaN growth temperatures ranged between 600 °C and 775 °C. Methylsilane (H3SiCH3) was used as the single source precursor for SiC growth and triethylgallium (TEG) and ammonia (NH 3) were the sources for GaN epitaxy. The GaN growth rate was found to depend strongly on substrate orientation, growth temperature, and flux. Structural characterization of the films was done by transmission electron diffraction (TED) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). Growth of GaN on SiC(002) produces a cubic or mixed phase of cubic and wurtzite depending on growth conditions. Growth on SiC(111) produces predominantly wurtzite GaN(0002). Minimum rocking curve widths for GaN(0002) on SiC/Si(111) and GaN(002) on SiC/Si(001) are 0.6° and 1.5°, respectively. Cross Sectional Transmission Electron Microscopy (XTEM) was also performed.