As-mediated stacking fault in wurtzite GaN epilayers

Abstract

Growth of a thin GaAs layer embedded in wurtzite GaN was performed on sapphire (0001) by rf-plasma assisted molecular-beam epitaxy. A well-confined As-rich layer with a tail in the cap layer was measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry. Transmission electron microscopy studies demonstrated the formation of basal plane stacking faults, which were correlated with the presence of As in the layer. High-resolution microscopy revealed the stacking fault as a thin platelike cubic inclusion in the hexagonal GaN.