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High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) observation of dislocation structures in AlN thin films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

Yuki Tokumoto ,
Naoya Shibata ,
Teruyasu Mizoguchi ,
Masakazu Sugiyama ,
Yukihiro Shimogaki ,
Jung-Seung Yang ,
Takahisa Yamamoto  and
Yuichi Ikuhara
Yuki Tokumoto
Affiliation:
Department of Advanced Materials Science, Graduate School of Frontier Science, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8651, Japan
Naoya Shibata
Affiliation:
Institute of Engineering Innovation, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan; and PRESTO, JST, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
Teruyasu Mizoguchi
Affiliation:
Institute of Engineering Innovation, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
Masakazu Sugiyama
Affiliation:
Institute of Engineering Innovation, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
Yukihiro Shimogaki
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
Jung-Seung Yang
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
Takahisa Yamamoto
Affiliation:
Department of Advanced Materials Science, Graduate School of Frontier Science, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8651, Japan
Yuichi Ikuhara*
Affiliation:
Institute of Engineering Innovation, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan; and WPI Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: ikuhara@sigma.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp
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Abstract

The structure and configuration of threading dislocations (TDs) in AlN films grown on (0001) sapphire by metal–organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) were characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). It was found that the TDs formed in the films were mainly the perfect edge dislocations with the Burgers vector of b = ⅓〈11¯20〉. The majority of the edge TDs were not randomly formed but densely arranged in lines. The arrays of the edge TDs were mainly observed on the {11¯20} and {10¯10} planes. These two planes showed different configurations of TDs. TD arrays on both of these planes constituted low-angle boundaries. We suggest that these TDs are introduced to compensate for slight misorientations between the subgrains during the film growth.

Keywords

DislocationsFilmTransmission electron microscopy (TEM)
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 23 , Issue 8 , August 2008 , pp. 2188 - 2194
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2008

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References

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