The role of AlN buffer layer in AlxGa1-xN/GaN heterostructures with x from 0.35 to 0.5 grown on sapphire (0 0 0 1)

Abstract We report the role of a thin AlN buffer layer introduced between Al x Ga 1− x N and GaN grown on sapphire (0 0 0 1) by MOVPE. The heterostructures have high x values ranging from 0.35 to 0.50. After growing the 20 nm thick AlN buffer layer on GaN/sapphire (0 0 0 1) epitaxy, the 1.0 μm thick Al x Ga 1− x N epitaxial layers were grown by increasing the flow rate of TMA. The measured Al mole fractions of Al x Ga 1− x N/GaN heteroepitaxy grown using the thin AlN buffer from each TCD rocking curve are 0.35, 0.37, 0.45 and 0.50, respectively. As the incorporation rate of Al in the Al x Ga 1− x N increases, the crystallinity is improving and the RMS values scanned by AFM of their surfaces become lower. The optoelectronic characteristics of these heteroepitaxial layers were evaluated by cathodoluminescence and found to improve with the increase of x . To the contrary these trends of improvement, it is usually known that the properties such as crystallinity, surface morphology and optical properties of the Al x Ga 1− x N/GaN heteroepitaxial layers grown without AlN buffer layer become worse with the increase of x above 0.2. The electrical resistivities of Al 0.35 Ga 0.65 N/GaN, Al 0.37 Ga 0.63 N/GaN, Al 0.45 Ga 0.55 N/GaN and Al 0.5 Ga 0.5 N/GaN heterostructure, which were grown with the thin AlN buffer, measured by four point probing method are 13.5, 18.1, 31.7 and 36.2 MΩ cm, respectively. The resisitivity increases with the raising of x . It may be caused by the increment of the intrinsic own-resistance.