Threading dislocations in In-polar InN films and their effects on surface morphology and electrical properties

Abstract

In-polar InN films with atomically flat surface are grown on Ga-polar GaN templates by molecular beam epitaxy. Densities of threading dislocations with screw and edge components in these films are about 108 and low 1010cm−2, respectively. It is found that the screw-component threading dislocation is the dominant cause for macroscopic surface defects appearing as growth-spiral hillocks; their densities (their growth temperature dependences) are almost the same (similar) with each other. Further, it is shown that the residual electron concentration in InN is almost the same with the density of dangling bonds at the edge-component threading dislocations.