Strain and crystal defects in thin AlN/GaN structures on (0001) SiC

Abstract

High-resolution x-ray diffraction was used to compare strain relaxation and defect populations in thin GaN/AlN heterostructures (total thickness ≈480 nm) grown on (0001) SiC using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and hydride vapor epitaxy (HVPE) techniques. The results of high-resolution x-ray diffraction measurements (rocking curves and reciprocal space mapping) were corroborated using transmission electron microscopy. Differently grown films exhibited dissimilar strain relaxation and defect populations that were related to specific growth conditions. In the MOCVD films, grown under lower deposition rates, the elastic strain in the AlN and GaN layers was fully relaxed at the initial stages of the epitaxial growth yielding nearly similar densities of threading dislocation segments (TDS) in layer volumes. Additional, “secondary” elastic stresses in these layers were attributed to the excess of point defects. In the HVPE films, grown under higher (five to ten times) deposition rates, these layers were over relaxed and the density of TDS in the GaN layer was an order of magnitude larger than that in AlN. The MOCVD-grown sample was devoid of planar defects whereas the HVPE film contains significant densities of stacking faults in both GaN and AlN layers. Formation of “secondary” extended defects was interpreted in terms of creation and structural transformation of point defects during epitaxial growth. Differences in strain levels, types, and defect populations/distributions for the two heterostructures were attributed to the different growth rates for MOCVD and HVPE.