Analysis of Unstable Two-Phase Region in Wurtzite Group III Nitride Ternary Alloy Using Modified Valence Force Field Model

Abstract

The Group III-nitride ternary system is studied with respect to an unstable two-phase region in the phase field. The unstable two-phase region is analyzed using a strictly regular solution model. The interaction parameter used in the analysis is obtained from a strain energy calculation using the valence force field model, modified for both wurtzite and zinc-blende structures to avoid overestimation of the strain energy. The structural deviation from an ideal wurtzite structure in InN, GaN, and AlN is also taken into account in our model. According to the calculated results of the interaction parameters, the critical temperature for wurtzite InGaN, InAlN, and GaAlN are found to be 1967 K, 3399 K, and 181 K, respectively. This suggests that, at a typical growth temperature of 800–1000°C a wide unstable two-phase region exists in both InGaN and InAlN. In order to show the validity of our calculation results, we compare the calculated results and the experimental results using the calculation of the interaction parameter for the InGaAs system. The calculated results agree well with the experimental results.