The influence of growth temperature and V/III-ratio on the surface morphology of (001) cubic zincblende GaN epilayers during metal organic vapour phase epitaxy growth has been investigated using atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The zincblende phase purity as determined by X-ray diffraction was found to be above 98% for most GaN epilayers studied. As the growth temperature was increased from 850 °C to 910 °C and as the V/III-ratio was separately increased from 38 to 300, surface features were found to be elongated in the [1-10] direction, and the ratio of the length to width of such surface features was found to increase. Faceting was observed at V/III-ratios below 38 and above 300, which in the latter case was accompanied by a reduction of the zincblende phase purity. An explanation for these morphological trends is proposed based on effects such as the reduced symmetry of the top monolayer of the (001)-oriented zincblende GaN lattice, diffusion of Ga and N adatoms on such a surface, and the relative energies of the crystal facets.

1.
M.
Mizuta
,
S.
Fujieda
,
Y.
Matsumoto
, and
T.
Kawamura
,
Jpn. J. Appl. Phys.
25
,
L945
(
1986
).
2.
H.
Okumura
,
K.
Ohta
,
G.
Feuillet
,
K.
Balakrishnan
,
S.
Chichibu
,
H.
Hamaguchi
,
P.
Hacke
, and
S.
Yoshida
,
J. Cryst. Growth
178
,
113
(
1997
).
3.
O.
Brandt
,
H.
Yang
,
A.
Trampert
, and
K. H.
Ploog
,
Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc.
395
,
27
(
1996
).
4.
Z. H.
Feng
,
H.
Yang
,
S. M.
Zhagn
,
L. H.
Duan
,
H.
Wang
, and
Y. T.
Wang
,
J. Cryst. Growth
235
,
207
(
2002
).
5.
D.
Wang
,
S.
Yoshida
, and
M.
Ichikawa
,
Appl. Phys. Lett.
80
,
2472
(
2002
).
6.
D. J.
As
,
D.
Schikora
, and
K.
Lischka
,
Phys. Status Solidi C
0
,
1607
(
2003
).
7.
D. G.
Pacheco-Salazar
,
S. F.
Li
,
F.
Cerdeira
,
E. a
Meneses
,
J. R.
Leite
,
L. M. R.
Scolfaro
,
D. J.
As
, and
K.
Lischka
,
J. Cryst. Growth
284
,
379
(
2005
).
8.
S.
Li
,
J.
Scho¨rmann
,
D. J.
As
, and
K.
Lischka
,
Appl. Phys. Lett.
90
,
071903
(
2007
).
9.
S. V.
Novikov
,
N. M.
Stanton
,
R. P.
Campion
,
R. D.
Morris
,
H. L.
Geen
,
C. T.
Foxon
, and
A. J.
Kent
,
Semicond. Sci. Technol.
23
,
15018
(
2008
).
10.
C. J. M.
Stark
,
T.
Detchprohm
,
S. C.
Lee
,
Y.-B.
Jiang
,
S. R. J.
Brueck
, and
C.
Wetzel
,
Appl. Phys. Lett.
103
,
232107
(
2013
).
11.
C.
Bayram
,
J. A.
Ott
,
K.-T.
Shiu
,
C.-W.
Cheng
,
Y.
Zhu
,
J.
Kim
,
M.
Razeghi
, and
D. K.
Sadana
,
Adv. Funct. Mater.
24
,
4492
(
2014
).
12.
M. T.
Durniak
,
A. S.
Bross
,
D.
Elsaesser
,
A.
Chaudhuri
,
M. L.
Smith
,
A. A.
Allerman
,
S. C.
Lee
,
S. R. J.
Brueck
, and
C.
Wetzel
,
Adv. Electron. Mater.
2
,
1500327
(
2016
).
13.
T.
Hanada
, in
Oxide and Nitride Semiconductors. Processing, Properties, and Applications
, 1st ed., edited by
T.
Yao
and
S. K.
Hong
(
Springer-Verlag
,
Berlin, Heidelberg
,
2009
), pp.
1
19
.
14.
L. Y.
Lee
,
Mater. Sci. Technol. (United Kingdom)
33
,
1570
(
2017
).
15.
E.
Martinez-Guerrero
,
E.
Bellet-Amalric
,
L.
Martinet
,
G.
Feuillet
,
B.
Daudin
,
H.
Mariette
,
P.
Holliger
,
C.
Dubois
,
C.
Bru-Chevallier
,
P. A.
Nze
,
T.
Chassagne
,
G.
Ferro
, and
Y.
Monteil
,
J. Appl. Phys.
91
,
4983
(
2002
).
16.
R. M.
Kemper
,
P.
Veit
,
C.
Mietze
,
A.
Dempewolf
,
T.
Wecker
,
F.
Bertram
,
J.
Christen
,
J. K. N.
Lindner
, and
D. J.
As
,
Phys. Status Solidi C
12
,
469
(
2015
).
17.
A.
Trampert
,
O.
Brandt
, and
K. H.
Ploog
,
Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. Engl.
36
,
2111
(
1997
).
18.
S.
Strite
,
J.
Ruan
,
Z.
Li
,
A.
Salvador
,
H.
Chen
,
D. J.
Smith
,
W. J.
Choyke
, and
H.
Morkoc
,
J. Vac. Sci. Technol., B: Microelectron. Nanometer Struct.- Process., Meas., Phenom.
9
,
1924
(
1991
).
19.
H.
Yang
,
O.
Brandt
, and
K.
Ploog
,
Phys. Status Solidi B
194
,
109
(
1996
).
20.
S. V.
Novikov
,
N.
Zainal
,
A. V.
Akimov
,
C. R.
Staddon
,
A. J.
Kent
, and
C. T.
Foxon
,
J. Vac. Sci. Technol., B
28
,
C3B1
(
2010
).
21.
A.
Nakadaira
and
H.
Tanaka
,
J. Electron. Mater.
26
,
320
(
1997
).
22.
J.
Wu
,
H.
Yaguchi
,
K.
Onabe
,
Y.
Shiraki
, and
R.
Ito
,
Jpn. J. Appl. Phys.
37
,
1440
(
1998
).
23.
J.
Wu
,
H.
Yaguchi
,
H.
Nagasawa
,
Y.
Yamaguchi
,
K.
Onabe
,
Y.
Shiraki
, and
R.
Ito
,
Jpn. J. Appl. Phys.
36
,
4241
(
1997
).
24.
J.
Camassel
,
P.
Vicente
,
N.
Planes
,
J.
Allegre
,
J.
Pankove
, and
F.
Namavar
,
Phys. Status Solidi B
216
,
253
(
1999
).
25.
C. H.
Wei
,
Z. Y.
Xie
,
L. Y.
Li
,
Q. M.
Yu
, and
J. H.
Edgar
,
J. Electron. Mater.
29
,
317
(
2000
).
26.
M.
Frentrup
,
L. Y.
Lee
,
S. L.
Sahonta
,
M. J.
Kappers
,
F.
Massabuau
,
P.
Gupta
,
R. A.
Oliver
,
C. J.
Humphreys
, and
D. J.
Wallis
,
J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.
50
,
433002
(
2017
).
27.
I.
Horcas
,
R.
Fernández
,
J. M.
Gómez-Rodríguez
,
J.
Colchero
,
J.
Gómez-Herrero
, and
A. M.
Baro
,
Rev. Sci. Instrum.
78
,
013705
(
2007
).
28.
R. M.
Kemper
,
T.
Schupp
,
M.
Häberlen
,
T.
Niendorf
,
H.
Maier
,
F.
Bertram
,
J.
Christen
,
R.
Kirste
,
A.
Hoffmann
,
J.
Lindner
,
D. J.
As
,
R. M.
Kemper
,
T.
Schupp
,
M.
Ha
,
A.
Dempewolf
,
F.
Bertram
,
R.
Kirste
, and
A.
Hoffmann
,
J. Appl. Phys.
110
,
123512
(
2011
).
29.
S. H.
Huang
,
G.
Balakrishnan
,
A.
Khoshakhlagh
,
L. R.
Dawson
, and
D. L.
Huffaker
,
Appl. Phys. Lett.
93
,
071102
(
2008
).
30.
S.
Ploch
,
J.
Bum Park
,
J.
Stellmach
,
T.
Schwaner
,
M.
Frentrup
,
T.
Niermann
,
T.
Wernicke
,
M.
Pristovsek
,
M.
Lehmann
, and
M.
Kneissl
,
J. Cryst. Growth
331
,
25
(
2011
).
31.
H.
Gao
and
W. D.
Nix
,
Annu. Rev. Mater. Sci.
29
,
173
(
1999
).
32.
L.
Lymperakis
and
J.
Neugebauer
,
Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter Mater. Phys.
79
,
241308(R)
(
2009
).
33.
U. W.
Pohl
,
Epitaxy of Semiconductors
(
Springer-Verlag
,
Berlin, Heidelberg
,
2013
), pp.
171
224
.
34.
S.
Ploch
,
T.
Wernicke
,
D. V.
Dinh
,
M.
Pristovsek
, and
M.
Kneissl
,
J. Appl. Phys.
111
,
033526
(
2012
).
35.
D.
Wang
,
Y.
Hiroyama
,
M.
Tamura
,
M.
Ichikawa
, and
S.
Yoshida
,
Appl. Phys. Lett.
76
,
1683
(
2000
).
36.
A.
Trampert
,
O.
Brandt
,
H.
Yang
, and
K. H.
Ploog
,
Appl. Phys. Lett.
70
,
583
(
1997
).
You do not currently have access to this content.