Published in J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 18, 1915 (2000).

Optimized structural properties of wurtzite GaN on SiC(0001) grown by molecular beam epitaxy

V. Ramachandran and R. M. Feenstra
Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213
W. L. Sarney and L. Salamanca-Riba
Materials and Nuclear Engineering Department, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-2115
D. W. Greve
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213

Abstract

We have investigated optimal conditions for molecular beam epitaxial growth of high quality GaN on 6H-SiC(0001) substrates. The quality of these films is reflected in both the narrow x-ray peakwidths as well as the excellent surface morphology. In this work, it is shown that increasing growth temperature leads to an improvement in bulk quality and lower x-ray peakwidth for both symmetric and asymmetric reflections. We also note a marked improvement in surface morphology, from a columnar appearance to a 2-D surface, under extremely Ga-rich growth conditions.

Click here for preprint of paper, in pdf format.

Return to Home Page of Feenstra group