Growth of thick gan films on rf sputtered ain buffer layer by hydride vapor phase epitaxy

High crystalline quality thick GaN films were grown by vapor phase epitaxy using GaCl₃ and NH₃. The growth rate was in the range of 10~15 Μm/h. GaN films grown at higher temperatures (960~ 1020?C) were single crystalline with smooth surface morphologies. No chlorine impurity was incorporated in these films during growth. The best crystalline quality and surface morphology of grown films was achieved by sputtering a thin A1N buffer layer, prior to growth. According to reflection high energy electron diffraction and atomic force microscopy measurements, as-sputtered A1N buffer layer was amorphous with root means square roughness of 0.395 nm and then crystallized during the GaN growth. This improved the GaN growth due to more uniform distribution of GaN nucleation. Rutherford backscattering channeling experiments produced the lowest value from the GaN film grown on a-Al₂O₃ with a 500å A1N buffer layer at 1020?C.