Vapor-phase epitaxy of gallium nitride by gallium arc discharge evaporation

Abstract

Vapor-phase epitaxy of GaN was performed by combining ammonia with gallium evaporated into an inert gas stream by a DC arc discharge, and letting the mixture pass through a pair of heated graphite susceptors. Growth rates as high as 30 μm/h were achieved. The growth on the top sample was specular in a large area, and was of high quality as characterized by atomic force microscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The bottom sample had a high density of macroscopic defects, presumably caused by Ga droplets in the gas phase resulting from the arc evaporation process. The experimental growth rate was found to be less than 1 3 of values predicted in a computer flow dynamic model of the growth system, and Ga–NH 3 pre-reactions were implicated as the likely cause of the discrepancy. The growth efficiency, calculated to 2%, could arguably be improved by reducing the reactor growth pressure, and by changing the reactor geometry to avoid Ga condensation on walls. Potential advantages of the described growth technique are cheap source materials of high purity and low equipment costs. Furthermore, since no corrosive gasses were used, hardware corrosion and gas-phase impurities can be reduced.