Review of Facet Controlled Epitaxial Lateral Overgrowth (FACELO) of GaN via Low Pressure Vapor Phase Epitaxy

Abstract

ABSTRACTFacet structures of GaN grown by epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELO) via low pressure-metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (LP-MOVPE) are controlled by growth conditions such as reactor pressure and growth temperature, where this technique is called FACELO (Facet Controlled ELO). The mechanism of the morphological change is discussed based on stability of the surface atoms. The propagation mechanism of the threading dislocations for the different GaN facet structure is also investigated. The distribution and density of the threading dislocations are observed by the growth pit density (GPD) method. Two typical models employing the FACELO are proposed; in one model, the dislocation concentrates only on the window area and, in the other model, only in the coalescence region in the center of the mask. In the latter model, the dislocation density is dramatically dropped to the order of 105−6 cm−2 with good reproducibility.