Epitaxial lateral overgrowth of (1100) m-plane GaN on m-plane 6H-SiC by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

摘要

Planar m-plane GaN was grown on (1100) m-plane 6H-SiC substrates using high-temperature AlN nucleation layers by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) images showed striated features on the sample surface aligned along the GaN [1120] direction, which are perpendicular to those associated with a-plane (1120) GaN. The epitaxial relationship between the w-GaN and 6H-SiC was analyzed using high-resolution x-ray diffraction (XRD). In order to reduce the defect density, epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELO) was carried out on an m-GaN template with mask stripes along the GaN [1120] direction, which makes the lateral growth fronts advance along the GaN c-axis. On-axis XRD rocking curves show that the full width at half maximum (FWHM) values for the ELO samples were reduced by nearly half when compared to those of the m-plane template without ELO. Clear atomic steps were observed in the wing regions by AFM. The absence of the striated features that are associated with the template could be indicative of the reduction of basal stacking faults in the ELO wings. Low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra showed an excitonic emission at 3.47eV, a basal stacking fault (BSF)-related emission at 3.41 eV, and other defect-related emissions at 3.29 eV and 3.34 eV.