Structure and Strain Properties of GaN Films Grown on Si (111) Substrates with AlxGa1−xN/AlyGa1−yN Superlattices**Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos 61076120 and 61106130, and the Natural Science Foundation and Scientific Support Plan of Jiangsu Province under Grant Nos BK2012516, BK20131072, and BE2012007.

Abstract

GaN films with an AlxGa1−xN/AlyGa1−yN superlattice (SL) buffer layer are grown on Si(111) substrates by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The structure and strain properties of the samples are studied by optical microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, x-ray diffractometry and atomic force microscopy. The results show that the strain status and crystalline quality of the GaN layers are strongly dependent on the difference of the Al composition between AlxGa1−xN barriers and AlyGa1−yN wells in the SLs. With a large Al composition difference, the GaN film tends to generate cracks on the surface due to the severe relaxation of the SLs. Otherwise, when using a small Al composition difference, the crystalline quality of the GaN layer degrades due to the poor function of the SLs in filtering dislocations. Under an optimized condition that the Al composition difference equals 0.1, the crack-free and compressive strained GaN film with an improved crystalline quality is achieved. Therefore, the AlxGa1−xN/AlyGa1−yN SL buffer layer is a promising buffer structure for growing thick GaN films on Si substrates without crack generation.