Direct Growth of a-Plane GaN on r-Plane Sapphire by Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition

In this study, we had demonstrated the direct growth of nonpolar a-plane GaN on an r-plane sapphire by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) without any buffer layer. First, in this experiment, we had determined the optimum temperature for two-step growth, including obtaining three-dimensional (3D) GaN islands in the nucleation layer and coalescing with a further two-dimensional (2D) growth mode. The result shows that the nucleation layer grown under high temperature (1150 degrees C) leads to large islands with few grain boundaries. Under the same temperature, the effect of the V/III ratio on the growth of the overlaying GaN layer to obtain a flat and void free a-plane GaN layer is also studied. The result indicates one can directly grow a smooth epitaxial layer on an r-plane sapphire by changing the V/III ratio. The rms roughness decreases from 13.61 to 2.02 nm. The GaN crystal quality is verified using a mixed acid to etch the film surface. The etch pit density (EPD) is 3: 16 x 10(7) cm(-2). (C) 2010 The Japan Society of Applied Physics