β-Ga_2O_3 thin film grown on sapphire substrate by plasmaassisted molecular beam epitaxy

Monoclinic gallium oxide(Ga_2O_3) has been grown on(0001) sapphire(Al_2O_3) substrate by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy(PA-MBE). The epitaxial relationship has been confirmed to be [010]( 2ˉ01) β-Ga_2O_3||[ 011ˉ0](0001)Al_2O_3 via in-situ reflection high energy electron diffraction(RHEED) monitoring and ex-situ X-ray diffraction(XRD) measurement. Crystalline quality is improved and surface becomes flatter with increasing growth temperature, with a best full width at half maximum(FWHM) of XRD ω-rocking curve of( 2ˉ01) plane and root mean square(RMS) roughness of 0.68° and 2.04 nm for the sample grown at 730 °C,respectively. Room temperature cathodoluminescence measurement shows an emission at ～417 nm, which is most likely originated from recombination of donor–acceptor pair(DAP).