X-ray characterization of GaN and related materials at growth temperatures–system design and measurements

Abstract

To investigate the phenomena that occur at the growth temperatures, an MOVPE (metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy) growth system was installed in the X-ray diffractometer of the laboratory level. The present MOVPE system is capable of growing GaN and related materials that are advanced in the device applications but very little is known, especially experimentally, what is going on at the growth front and in the environment. Since MOVPE growth is conducted at an atmospheric pressure or at a low pressure, very limited tools can be used to probe the growing surface. It is demonstrated that the X-ray diffraction, X-ray CTR (crystal truncation rod) scattering, and X-ray reflectivity can be used even at 1000°C that is a normal growth temperature for GaN and related materials.