Growth of AlN on lattice-matched MnO substrates by pulsed laser deposition

Abstract

We have grown AlN on MnO (111) substrates with pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and characterized their structural properties using various techniques. We have found that hexagonal AlN successfully grows epitaxially on MnO with the use of PLD. Grazing incidence-angle X-ray diffraction (GIXD) measurements have revealed that the epitaxial relationship between MnO and AlN is [0001] AlN//[111] MnO and [11−20] AlN//[1−10] MnO, which minimizes the lattice mismatch (0.8%). We have also found that the heterointerface for AlN/MnO is less abrupt than that for AlN/Al 2O 3 due to the chemical vulnerability of MnO.