Pulsed sputtering epitaxial growth of m-plane InGaN lattice-matched to ZnO

Atsushi Kobayashi,Hiroshi Fujioka,Jitsuo Ohta

doi:10.1038/s41598-017-12518-w

Atsushi Kobayashi, Hiroshi Fujioka + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-12518-w

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Abstract

m-Plane GaN and InGaN films were grown on m-plane ZnO substrates at ~350 °C by pulsed sputtering deposition. It was found that the critical thickness of the m-plane GaN films grown on ZnO lies between 25 and 62 nm, whereas 180-nm-thick m-plane In0.12Ga0.88N can be coherently grown on ZnO substrates, which is explained well by theoretical calculations based on an energy-balance model. The coherently grown m-plane InGaN on ZnO exhibited narrow X-ray rocking curves compared with the m-plane GaN grown on ZnO. These results demonstrate the benefit of lattice-matched ZnO substrates for epitaxy of high-quality nonpolar InGaN films.

Highlights

Over the last decade or so, the growth, physics, and device applications of nonpolar and semipolar nitrides have made significant progress[1,2]
These results indicate the potential of pulsed sputtering deposition (PSD) for the fabrication of nitride-based devices on ZnO substrates
A sharp streaky reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) pattern corresponding to the growth of m-plane GaN was observed for the film grown at 340 °C, whereas the film grown at 540 °C exhibited a RHEED pattern with spots, indicating the growth of a mixture of zincblende and wurtzite GaN

Summary

Introduction

Over the last decade or so, the growth, physics, and device applications of nonpolar and semipolar nitrides have made significant progress[1,2]. It can be expected that high-quality nonpolar nitrides could grow on ZnO substrates. This technique enables the growth of nitride films with high control over the film thickness and allows deposition over a large area.

Results

Conclusion