Abstract
Scandium nitride (ScN) films were grown on α-Al2O3() substrates using the molecular beam epitaxy method, and the heteroepitaxial growth of ScN on α-Al2O3() and their electric properties were studied. Epitaxial ScN films with an orientation relationship (100)ScN || ()α-Al2O3 and [001]ScN || []α-Al2O3 were grown on α-Al2O3() substrates. Their crystalline orientation anisotropy was found to be small. In addition, [100] of the ScN films were tilted along [] of α-Al2O3() in the initial stage of growth. The tilt angle between the film growth direction and [100] of ScN was 1.4–2.0° and increased with growth temperature. The crystallinity of the ScN films also improved with the increasing growth temperature. The film with the highest Hall mobility was obtained at the boundary growth conditions determined by the relationship between the crystallinity and the nonstoichiometric composition because the film with the highest crystallinity was obtained under the Sc-rich growth condition. The decreased Hall mobility with a simultaneous improvement in film crystallinity was caused by the increased carrier scattering by the ionized donors originating from the nonstoichiometric composition.
Highlights
Scandium nitride (ScN) is a potential semiconductor with a rock-salt structure used to improve the performance of devices based on gallium nitride (GaN) because ScN is lattice-matched to zinc-blende
We used a metal source molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) method using an RF (13.56 MHz) radical source as the nitrogen source. α-Al2 O3 single crystals with (1102) faces were selected as substrates for the ScN film growth
The crystallinity of the ScN films improved with the increasing growth temperature and Sc-cell temperature
Summary
Scandium nitride (ScN) is a potential semiconductor with a rock-salt structure used to improve the performance of devices based on gallium nitride (GaN) because ScN is lattice-matched to zinc-blendeGaN and wurtzite GaN. In the case of the heterostructure of ScN and wurtzite GaN, possible lattice matching of the nitrogen sublattice is expected at (111)ScN||(0001)GaN interfaces. From these expectations, theoretical [1,2,3,4] and experimental [5,6,7,8,9,10] research has been reported on the combination of ScN with. The most remarkable feature of ScN is its high electron mobility. Assuming that carrier scattering by the ionized donor is the dominant scattering process, a higher electron μ in a lightly doped ScN is expected
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