Growth of GaN on Buffer Layers with Different Polarities by Hydride Vapor-Phase Epitaxy

This paper reports the properties of GaN grown by the hydride vapor-phase epitaxy (HVPE) technique on buffer layers with different polarities. The N-, mixed-, and Ga-polarity buffer layers were grown by molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) on sapphire (0001) substrates; then, thicker GaN epilayers were grown on these by HVPE. The surface morphology, structural, and optical properties of these HVPE-GaN epilayers were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The results indicate that the crystallinity of these HVPE-GaN epilayers depends on the polarity of the buffer layer.     

Hydride Vapor-Phase Epitaxy of c-Plane AlGaN Layers on Patterned Sapphire Substrates

Growth of Al _x Ga_1?x N layers by hydride vapor-phase epitaxy on patterned sapphire substrates is investigated. The pattern consists of honeycombs which by their orientation and size promote the formation of coalesced c-plane-oriented Al _x Ga_1?x N layers with reduced crack density. The orientation of parasitic crystallites in the honeycomb openings is investigated using scanning electron microscopy and electron back-scatter diffraction. Crystallites with their [ $ \bar{1} $ $ \bar{1} $ .0] and [52.3] directions parallel to the vertical growth direction of the Al_0.3Ga_0.7N layer are observed and successfully overgrown by a 20-μm-thick fully coalesced c-plane-oriented layer.     

MBE生长高电阻率GaAs基InAlAs组分渐变缓冲层

研究了用分子束外延(MBE)方法,在SI-GaAs衬底上不同低温生长的台阶式组分渐变InAlAs缓冲层结构.用原子力显微镜(AFM)观测表面形貌,生长温度为340℃时,外延层表面粗糙度为1.79nm.用Van der Pauw方法研究了材料的电学特性,室温电阻率ρ2.6× 10Ω·cm.(电学性能测试表明200V电压间距1mm时,漏电流仅为0.3μA).高分辨X射线测试样品显示为良好的层状结构,晶体质量随生长逐渐变好.首次用变温Hall测试研究多层InAlAs缓冲层材料内部的载流子传输机制,并用热激电流谱(TSC)分析了其高阻机制.     

MBE生长高电阻率GaAs基InAlAs组分渐变缓冲层

研究了用分子束外延(MBE)方法,在SI-GaAs衬底上不同低温生长的台阶式组分渐变InAlAs缓冲层结构.用原子力显微镜(AFM)观测表面形貌,生长温度为340℃时,外延层表面粗糙度为1.79nm.用Van der Pauw方法研究了材料的电学特性,室温电阻率ρ:2.6× 10Ω·cm.(电学性能测试表明200V电压间距1mm时,漏电流仅为0.3μA).高分辨X射线测试样品显示为良好的层状结构,晶体质量随生长逐渐变好.首次用变温Hall测试研究多层InAlAs缓冲层材料内部的载流子传输机制,并用热激电流谱(TSC)分析了其高阻机制.     

Postgrowth Annealing of CdTe Layers Grown on Si Substrates by Metalorganic Vapor-Phase Epitaxy

Annealing conditions of CdTe layers grown on Si substrates by metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy were studied. Typically, 3-μm-thick n-type (211) CdTe layers were annealed for 60 s in flowing hydrogen at atmospheric pressure by covering their surfaces with bulk CdTe wafers. At annealing temperatures above 700°C, improvement of crystal quality was confirmed from full-width at half-maximum values of double-crystal rocking-curve measurements and x-ray diffraction measurements. Photoluminescence measurements revealed no deterioration of electrical properties in the annealed n-CdTe layers. Furthermore, annealing at 900°C improved the performance of radiation detectors with structure of p-like CdTe/n-CdTe/n ⁺-Si substrate.     

Electrical Properties of Halogen-Doped CdTe Layers on Si Substrates Grown by Metalorganic Vapor-Phase Epitaxy

Electrical properties of halogen-doped CdTe layers grown on Si substrates using iodine and chlorine dopants are presented. No change in electrical properties of the layers was observed with chlorine as a dopant. However, doping with iodine resulted in highly conductive n-type layers or highly resistive p-type layers depending upon the growth conditions, even though a similar amount of dopant was introduced into the growth chamber. Layers grown at 560°C, with a vapor-phase Te/Cd precursor ratio of 3.0, were p-type. The resistivity of the layers remained unchanged for low dopant supply rates, but increased abruptly when the dopant supply rate was increased beyond a certain value. On the other hand, layers grown at 325°C with Te/Cd ratios from 0.1 to 0.25 were n-type. A maximum free electron concentration of 1.3 × 10¹⁷ cm⁻³ was obtained at room temperature. The types and conductivities of the grown layers were strongly dependent on the growth conditions.     

Investigation of Composition Uniformity in Thickness of GaInAsP Layers Grown on InP Substrates by Vapor-Phase Epitaxy

Semiconductors - GaInPAs/InP heterostructures grown by metalorganic chemical vapor-phase deposition at a temperature of 600°C and pressure of 0.1 bar are investigated. The thicknesses of the...     

Si Doping of GaN in Hydride Vapor-Phase Epitaxy

Growth of GaN boules by hydride vapor-phase epitaxy (HVPE) is very attractive for fabrication of GaN substrates. Use of dichlorosilane as a source for Si doping of bulk GaN is investigated. It is shown that no tensile strain is incorporated into mm-thick, Si-doped GaN layers on sapphire substrates if the threading dislocation density is previously reduced to 2.5 × 10⁷ cm^?2 or below. High-quality GaN layers with electron densities up to 1.5 × 10¹⁹ cm^?3 have been achieved, and an upper limit of about 4 × 10¹⁹ cm^?3 for Si doping of GaN boules was deduced considering the evolution of dislocations with thickness. A 2-inch, Si-doped GaN crystal with length exceeding 6 mm and targeted Si doping of about 1 × 10¹⁸ cm^?3 is demonstrated.     

Density Control of InP/GaInP Quantum Dots Grown by Metal-Organic Vapor-Phase Epitaxy

We investigated structural and emission properties of self-organized InP/GaInP quantum dots (QD) grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition using an amount of deposited In from 7 to 2 monolayers (ML). In the uncapped samples, using atomic force microscopy (AFM), we observed lateral sizes of 100–200 nm, together with a bimodal height distribution having maxima at ～5 and ～15 nm, which we denoted as QDs of type A and B, respectively; and reduction of the density of the type-B dots from 4.4 to 1.6 μm^–2. The reduction of the density of B-type dots were observed also using transmission electron microscopy of the capped samples. Using single dot low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy we demonstrated effects of Wigner localization for the electrons accumulated in these dots.     

Characterization of GaN Buffer Layers and Its Epitaxial Layers Grown by MOCVD

Low-pressure MOCVD has been used to investigate the properties of low-temperature buffer layer depodition conditions and their influence on the properties of high-temperature GaN epilayers grown subsequently.It is found that the surface morphology of the as-grown buffer layer after thermal annealing at 1030℃and 1050℃ depends strongly on the thickness of the buffer layer.In particular when a thick buffer layer is used, large trapezoidal nuclei are formed after annealing.     

Photoluminescence Characterization of Boron-doped Si Layers Grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

Photoluminescence spectra were used to characterize the boron-doped Si layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy using HBO2 as the doping source. The influence of boron doping concentration on the dislocation-related photoluminescence spectra of molecular beam epitaxy Si layers annealed at 900 ℃ was studied with different doping concentrations and growth temperature. The broad photoluminescence band（from 0.75 eV to 0. 90 eV） including D1 and D2 bands was associated with high boron doping concentration in the samples, while D3 and D4 bands might be related to oxygen precipitates.     

Study of the Structural Properties of Silicon-on-Sapphire Layers in Hydride-Chloride Vapor-Phase Epitaxy

The surface of silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) epitaxial layers is studied by atomic-force microscopy and the UV (ultraviolet) scattering method. X-Ray diffraction analysis of the SOS layers is carried out. The silicon-sapphire transition region is studied by the photovoltage method. The problem of the accumulation of by-products formed during the synthesis of silicon from monosilane is considered and experimentally confirmed. It is found that the addition of chlorine-containing reagents to the epitaxial process makes it possible to exclude the influence exerted by these products on the growing layer and also to modify the surface microprofile. Analysis of the surface and structure of the SOS layers demonstrates that film growth occurs by the Stranski–Krastanov mechanism. It is shown that a combined method in which a 30–60-nm-thick SOS layer is preliminarily grown from pure SiH₄ and then a layer is additionally grown at a 2SiH₄:1SiC1₄ ratio of gas component flow rates is the most preferable method for the fabrication of SOS structures with layer thicknesses of 300 nm and more.     

Optimization of High-Quality AlN Epitaxially Grown on (0001) Sapphire by Metal-Organic Vapor-Phase Epitaxy

A systematic study is performed to optimize aluminum nitride (AlN) epilayers grown on (0001) sapphire by metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy. Specifically, the impact of the AlN nucleation conditions on the crystalline quality and surface morphology of AlN epilayers is studied. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) results reveal that the nucleation layer plays a critical role in the growth of subsequent layers. The magnitude of the TMAl flow of AlN nucleation layer is found to have a strong effect on the crystalline quality and surface morphology of the high-temperature (HT) AlN epilayer. A simple Al adatom-diffusion-enhancement model is presented to explain the strong dependence of the crystalline quality and surface morphology on TMAl flow. Furthermore, ammonia flow, nucleation temperature, and growth time of the AlN nucleation layer are found to affect the surface morphology and the crystalline quality as well. A trade-off is found between surface morphology and crystalline quality; that is, we do not obtain the best surface morphology and the highest crystalline quality for the same growth parameters. For optimized AlN nucleation layers and HT AlN epilayers, a clear and continuously linear step-flow pattern with saw-tooth shaped terrace edges is found by AFM on AlN epilayers. Triple-axis x-ray rocking curves show a full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 11.5 arcsec and 14.5 arcsec for the (002) and (004) reflection, respectively. KOH etching reveals an etch-pit density (EPD) of 2 × 10⁷ cm⁻², as deduced from AFM measurements.     

Recent Results on Growth of (211)B CdTe on (211)Si with Intermediate Ge and ZnTe Buffer Layers by Metalorganic Vapor-Phase Epitaxy

We report on the investigation of epitaxial cadmium telluride grown by metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy (MOVPE) on (211)Si, with particular emphasis on studying the effect of changing the reactor parameters and thermal annealing conditions on the epilayer quality. The CdTe films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and x-ray diffraction (XRD). The best CdTe films were observed when the Te/Cd precursor partial pressure ratio was close to 3.1. It was also observed that, though annealing improved the crystal quality, a slight increase in surface roughness was observed. Similar attempts were made to improve the growth conditions of ZnTe intermediate buffer layer, which showed similar trends with changes in precursor flows.     

HVPE气相外延法在c面蓝宝石上选区外延生长GaN及其表征

使用气相沉积SiO2和普通光刻以及湿法腐蚀方法,在C面蓝宝石上开出不同尺寸的正方形窗口,在窗口区域中露出衬底,然后使用氢化物气相外延(HVPE)方法选区外延GaN薄膜.采用光学显微镜、原子力显微镜(AFM)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、高分辨率双晶X射线衍射(DCXRD)和喇曼谱测试(Raman shift)对薄膜进行分析.结果表明,在C面蓝宝石衬底上独立的正方形窗口区域中外延生长的,厚度约20μm的GaN薄膜,当窗口面积为100μm×100μm时,GaN表面无裂纹;而当窗口面积为300μm×300μm和500μm×500μm时,GaN表面有裂纹.随着窗口面积的减小,GaN双晶衍射摇摆曲线的(0002)峰的半高宽(FWHM)减小,表明晶体的质量更好,最小的半高宽为530".从正方形窗口区的角上到边缘再到中心,GaN的面内压应力逐渐减小,分析认为这与OaN横向外延区(ELO区)与SiO2掩膜之间的相互作用,以及窗口区到ELO区的线位错的90"扭转有关.     

HVPE气相外延法在c面蓝宝石上选区外延生长GaN及其表征

使用气相沉积SiO2和普通光刻以及湿法腐蚀方法,在C面蓝宝石上开出不同尺寸的正方形窗口,在窗口区域中露出衬底,然后使用氢化物气相外延(HVPE)方法选区外延GaN薄膜.采用光学显微镜、原子力显微镜(AFM)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、高分辨率双晶X射线衍射(DCXRD)和喇曼谱测试(Raman shift)对薄膜进行分析.结果表明,在C面蓝宝石衬底上独立的正方形窗口区域中外延生长的,厚度约20μm的GaN薄膜,当窗口面积为100μm×100μm时,GaN表面无裂纹;而当窗口面积为300μm×300μm和500μm×500μm时,GaN表面有裂纹.随着窗口面积的减小,GaN双晶衍射摇摆曲线的(0002)峰的半高宽(FWHM)减小,表明晶体的质量更好,最小的半高宽为530".从正方形窗口区的角上到边缘再到中心,GaN的面内压应力逐渐减小,分析认为这与OaN横向外延区(ELO区)与SiO2掩膜之间的相互作用,以及窗口区到ELO区的线位错的90"扭转有关.     

Si Wafer Thinning Techniques Compatible With Epitaxy of CdTe Buffer Layers

Reduction of threading dislocation density is critical for improving the performance of HgCdTe detectors on lattice-mismatched alternative substrates such as Si. CdTe buffer layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), with thicknesses on the order of 8 μm to 12 μm, have helped reduce dislocation densities in HgCdTe layers. In this study, the reduction of threading dislocation densities in CdTe buffer layers grown on locally thinned Si substrates was examined. A novel Si back-thinning technique was developed that maintained an epiready front surface and achieved Si thicknesses as low as 1.9 μm. Threading dislocation densities, acquired by defect decoration techniques, were reduced by as much as 60% for CdTe buffer layers grown on these thinned regions when compared with unthinned regions. However, this reduction is inconsistent with prior notions that threading dislocation propagation is dominated by image forces. Instead, the thickness gradient of thinned Si may play a larger role.     

Aluminum Gallium Nitride Alloys Grown via Metalorganic Vapor-Phase Epitaxy Using a Digital Growth Technique

This work investigates the use of a digital growth technique as a viable method for achieving high-quality aluminum gallium nitride (Al _x Ga_1−x N) films via metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy. Digital alloys are superlattice structures with period thicknesses of a few monolayers. Alloys with an AlN mole fraction ranging from 0.1 to 0.9 were grown by adjusting the thickness of the AlN layer in the superlattice. High-resolution x-ray diffraction was used to determine the superlattice period and c-lattice parameter of the structure, while reciprocal-space mapping was used to determine the a-lattice parameter and evaluate growth coherency. A comparison of the measured lattice parameter with both the nominal value and also the underlying buffer layer is discussed.     

Effect of Substrate Nitridation on Properties of Thick GaN Film Grown by Hydride Vapour Phase Epitaxy

Thick GaN films were grown on the sapphire substrate by hydride vapour phase epitaxy. The properties of GaN films were found to be significantly influenced by the duration of exposing the sapphire substrate to ammonia prior to the GaN growth initiation. The crystalline quality of GaN films revealed by high resolution X-ray diffraction were strongly dependent on the nitridation time, which determined substrate surface topography. The different nitridation schemes strongly affected the morphology of GaN overlayers resulting in the blue shift of the main excitonic peak in photoluminescence spectra at room temperature.