Effect of reactive ion etching on the yellow luminescence of GaN

Photoluminescence spectra of GaN grown by metalorganic chemical-vapor deposition on sapphire show that by reactive ion etching, the intensity of the yellow luminescence (YL) band decreases compared to that of the as-grown GaN, due to nonradiative recombination at the damage-induced defect centers. The intensity of the YL in dry-etched GaN has been found to be dependent on rf power and postetch annealing. No change in intensity is observed with further etching indicating a uniform spread of yellow emitters in the epilayer which supports the view that point defects like VGa are the origin of the YL.

[1]  Masahiko Sano,et al.  InGaN/GaN/AlGaN-Based Laser Diodes with Modulation-Doped Strained-Layer Superlattices , 1997 .

[2]  S. Dannefaer,et al.  Positron line-shape parameters and lifetimes for semiconductors: Systematics and temperature effects , 1997 .

[3]  S. Pearton,et al.  Electron cyclotron resonance plasma etching of InP in CH4/H2/Ar , 1990 .

[4]  Y. C. Lee,et al.  Yellow luminescence depth profiling on GaN epifilms using reactive ion etching , 1998 .

[5]  Jörg Neugebauer,et al.  Gallium vacancies and the yellow luminescence in GaN , 1996 .

[6]  Toshio Ogino,et al.  Mechanism of Yellow Luminescence in GaN , 1980 .

[7]  C. T. Foxon,et al.  Morphology of luminescent GaN films grown by molecular beam epitaxy , 1996 .

[8]  M. Khan,et al.  Observation of optically detected magnetic resonance in GaN films , 1993 .

[9]  Suski,et al.  Towards the identification of the dominant donor in GaN. , 1995, Physical review letters.

[10]  L. Dobrzyński,et al.  Observation Of Native Ga Vacancies In Gan By Positron Annihilation , 1997 .

[11]  R. F. Karlicek,et al.  Effect of dry etching on surface properties of III-nitrides , 1997 .

[12]  C. Thomsen,et al.  Spatially resolved photoluminescence and Raman scattering experiments on the GaN/substrate interface , 1996 .

[13]  K. Ebeling,et al.  Microstructure, growth mechanisms and electro-optical properties of heteroepitaxial GaN layers on sapphire (0001) substrates , 1996 .

[14]  R. J. Shul,et al.  GAN : PROCESSING, DEFECTS, AND DEVICES , 1999 .

[15]  D. J. Somerford,et al.  Effect of Ga/Si interdiffusion on optical and transport properties of GaN layers grown on Si(111) by molecular-beam epitaxy , 1998 .

[16]  James S. Speck,et al.  Defect structure of metal‐organic chemical vapor deposition‐grown epitaxial (0001) GaN/Al2O3 , 1996 .