Direct evidence of N aggregation and diffusion in Au+ irradiated GaN

Abstract

A surface amorphized layer and a buried disordered structure were created in gallium nitride (GaN) irradiated using 1.0MeV Au+ ions to fluences of 25 and 70Au+∕nm2 at room temperature. Bubbles of N2 gas within both the amorphized and disordered GaN are formed. A gradient profile with a lower N concentration in the amorphized region is observed, which provides direct evidence of N loss by diffusion in the Au+ irradiated GaN. These results are important to understanding the amorphization processes in GaN and may have significant implications for the design and fabrication of GaN-based devices.