Transmission electron microscopy of GaN columnar nanostructures grown by molecular beam epitaxy

The GaN columnar crystals of nanometric sizes have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy with high-frequency plasma initiation of nitrogen discharge. The types and distribution of defects in these nanostructures on the (0001) sapphire substrates are studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It is revealed that inversion domains begin to form almost at the interface irrespective of the presence of an initial low-temperature buffer layer. The critical diameter of dislocation-free columns, their density, and mean sizes are determined. It is shown that the low-temperature buffer layer affects the density of dislocations, their spatial distribution, and the mean sizes of columns. The nanosizes of grown crystals suggest a further use of these crystals and the growth method for producing molecular-beam epitaxial quantum-size objects (quantum dots and wires) in a promising AlGaInN system.