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Extrapolation of critical thickness of GaN thin films from lattice constant data using synchrotron X-ray

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

Chinkyo Kim ,
I. K. Robinson ,
Jaemin Myoung ,
Kyuhwan Shim ,
Kyekyoon Kim  and
Myung-Cheol Yoo
Chinkyo Kim
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1110 W.Green St., Urbana, IL 61801
I. K. Robinson
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1110 W.Green St., Urbana, IL 61801
Jaemin Myoung
Affiliation:
Department of Material Sciences and Engeering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Kyuhwan Shim
Affiliation:
Department of Material Sciences and Engeering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Kyekyoon Kim
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1406 W.Green St., Urbana, IL 61801, kevinkim@uxl.cso.uiuc.edu
Myung-Cheol Yoo
Affiliation:
Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, Suwon, Korea
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Abstract

In some materials, Van der Merwe's equilibrium theory of strain relief is believed to explain the sudden transition from pseudomorphic growth of a thin film to a progressively relaxed state. We show, for the first time for GaN, how an accurate estimate of the critical thickness of a thin film can be extrapolated from suitable measurements of lattice constants as a function of film thickness using synchrotron X-ray. We do this both for an elementary elastic energy function, in which the interactions between the dislocations are ignored, and for a more realistic energy estimate due to Kasper. The method is found to work quantitatively for thin films of GaN on AIN. The critical thickness is determined to be 29 ± 4 Å.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 423: Symposium E – III-Nitride, SiC, and Diamond Materials for Electronic , 1996 , 557
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1996

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