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The Effect Of The Nucleation Layer On The Low Temperature Growth Of Gan Using A Remote Plasma Enhanced – Ultrahigh Vacuum Chemical Vapor Deposition (RPE-UHVCVD)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2011

Kyoung-Kook Kim
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Kwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Kwangju 506–712, Korea
Dong-Jun Kim
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Kwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Kwangju 506–712, Korea
Jong-Sik Paek
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Kwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Kwangju 506–712, Korea
Je-Hee Jo
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Kwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Kwangju 506–712, Korea
Hyo-Gun Kim
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Kwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Kwangju 506–712, Korea
Tae-Yeon Seong
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Kwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Kwangju 506–712, Korea
Seong-Ju Park
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Kwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Kwangju 506–712, Korea
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Abstract

This study investigated the low temperature growth of GaN on a nucleation layer in a remote plasma enhanced-ultrahigh vacuum chemical vapor deposition (RPE-UHVCVD) system which is equipped with an rf plasma cell for a nitrogen source. It was found that the growth temperature and the film thickness of the nucleation layer and the nitrogen flow rate for GaN growth play important roles in the improvement of crystallinity of the GaN layer. The nitridation of sapphire was also found to enhance the formation of facet shaped nuclei on the nucleation layer. As the temperature of the nucleation layer increased, islands with hexagonal and other facet shapes were formed on the grown GaN surface. This facet formation was related with the surface morphology and crystallinity of GaN. The best crystallinity was measured in a GaN layer with hexagonal facets on the surface and such GaN layers could be grown on a nucleation layer grown at 375 °C. Nitridation of sapphire and the growth temperature of the nucleation layer were also found to change the island shapes which enhances the formation of columnar structures in the GaN layer, resulting in the growth of a high crystalline GaN layer at low temperature.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1998

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