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Study of Thin Films Polarity of Group III Nitrides

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

K. Dovidenko
Affiliation:
Center for Advanced Materials and Smart Structures, Dept. of Mat. Sci. & Eng., North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, kddovide@eos.ncsu.edu
S. Oktyabrsky
Affiliation:
NYS Center for Advanced Thin Film Technology, State University of New York, Albany, NY 12203
J. Narayan
Affiliation:
Center for Advanced Materials and Smart Structures, Dept. of Mat. Sci. & Eng., North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, kddovide@eos.ncsu.edu
M. Razeghi
Affiliation:
Center for Quantum Devices, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208.
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Abstract

Thin films of GaN grown by MOCVD on (0001) sapphire were studied by transmission electron microscopy in order to correlate the observed extended defects with crystal polarity of the films. We propose relatively simple and unambiguous method of polarity determination for wurtzite group III nitrides based on the dependence of the intensity of diffracted beams upon thickness of the specimen. Due to the dynamic scattering by polar structure, the convergent beam electron diffraction patterns lose inversion symmetry and become in fact fingerprints of the structure carrying information about crystal polarity. In this study, we have used the thinnest regions of the specimens (< 15 nm) and multiple diffraction spots in high-symmetry orientation for polarity determination. The films were found to have Ga-polar surfaces, either being unipolar, or containing thin (10-30 nm in diameter) columnar inversion domains (IDs) of N-polarity. The occurrence of IDs was correlated with specific types of dislocation distribution in the films.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1999

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