Molecular beam epitaxy of free-standing bulk wurtzite AlxGa1-xN layers using a highly efficient RF plasma source

Novikov, Sergei V.; Staddon, C.R.; Sahonta, S-L; Oliver, R.A.; Humphreys, C.J.; Foxon, C.T.

Abstract

Recent developments with group III nitrides suggest AlxGa1-xN based LEDs can be new alternative commer-cially viable deep ultra-violet light sources. Due to a sig-nificant difference in the lattice parameters of GaN and AlN, AlxGa1-xN substrates would be preferable to either GaN or AlN for ultraviolet device applications. We have studied the growth of free-standing wurtzite AlxGa1-xN bulk crystals by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PA-MBE) using a novel RF plasma source. Thick wurtz-ite AlxGa1-xN films were grown by PA-MBE on 2-inch GaAs (111)B substrates and were removed from the GaAs substrate after growth to provide free standing AlxGa1-xN samples. Growth rates of AlxGa1-xN up to 3 μm/h have been demonstrated. Our novel high efficiency RF plasma source allowed us to achieve free-standing bulk AlxGa1-xN layers in a single day’s growth, which makes our MBE bulk growth technique commercially vi-able.

Citation

Novikov, S. V., Staddon, C., Sahonta, S.-L., Oliver, R., Humphreys, C., & Foxon, C. (2016). Molecular beam epitaxy of free-standing bulk wurtzite AlxGa1-xN layers using a highly efficient RF plasma source. physica status solidi (c), 13(5-6), https://doi.org/10.1002/pssc.201510166

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 4, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Feb 25, 2016
• Publication Date: May 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Apr 20, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 20, 2016
• Journal: Physica Status Solidi C: Current Topics in Solid State Physics
• Electronic ISSN: 1862-6351
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 13
• Issue: 5-6
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/pssc.201510166
• Keywords: Molecular bean epitaxy; Semiconducting III-V materials; Nitrides; Substrates
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/976829
• Publisher URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pssc.201510166/abstract
• Contract Date: Apr 20, 2016