Relaxation of compressively strained AlInN on GaN

Abstract Epitaxial layers of wurtzite-phase Al 1− x In x N, ∼120 nm thick with (0 0 0 1) orientation, were grown by metal organic chemical vapour deposition on GaN buffer layers at setpoint temperatures between 760 and 840 °C. For growth temperatures ⩾800 °C, the AlInN layers grew with uniform composition, pseudomorphic with the underlying GaN buffer layer. In the temperature range studied, the InN fractions are a linear function of the setpoint temperature and straddle the near-lattice-match composition around Al 0.83 In 0.17 N. Lowering the growth temperature to 760 °C caused a compositional grading, a marked change in surface morphology, and a reduction in AlInN crystal quality. The resulting AlInN layer consists of a compressively strained interfacial layer with a composition of Al 0.76 In 0.24 N, and a mostly relaxed near-surface layer with a composition of Al 0.81 In 0.19 N. Atomic force microscopy suggests that a transition to a three-dimensional growth mode accompanies the structural relaxation and change in composition.

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