Coherent growth of GaGdN layers with high Gd concentration on GaN(0001)

Abstract

We report on the coherent growth of GaGdN with high Gd concentration on a GaN template using radio-frequency plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy under elevated growth conditions. X-ray diffraction and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy observations revealed that at a growth temperature of 700 °C or below, GaGdN layers are coherently grown on the GaN templates without segregation of the secondary phases. As the GdN mole fraction x was increased to 0.08, the c-axis lattice parameter in Ga1−xGdxN increased linearly. Increasing the growth temperature to 750 °C causes lattice relaxation in GaGdN. All GaGdN samples exhibited photoluminescence emissions near the band-edge, a blue luminescence band emission, and a green luminescence band emission. The origin of the green luminescence band emission is discussed in relation to the compressive strain existing in the GaGdN layers coherently grown on GaN.