PEALD-deposited crystalline GaN films on Si(100) substrates with sharp interfaces

Polycrystalline gallium nitride(GaN) thin films were deposited on Si(100) substrates via plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition(PEALD) under optimal deposition parameters. In this work, we focus on the research of the GaN/Si(100)interfacial properties. The x-ray reflectivity measurements show the clearly-resolved fringes for all the as-grown GaN films, which reveals a perfectly smooth interface between the GaN film and Si(100), and this feature of sharp interface is further confirmed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM). However, an amorphous interfacial layer(~ 2 nm) can be observed from the HRTEM images, and is determined to be mixture of Ga_xO_y and GaN by xray photoelectron spectroscopy. To investigate the effect of this interlayer on the GaN growth, an AlN buffer layer was employed for GaN deposition. No interlayer is observed between GaN and AlN, and GaN shows better crystallization and lower oxygen impurity during the initial growth stage than the GaN with an interlayer.

Growth of Gallium Nitride Films on Multilayer Graphene Template Using Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition

In this work,the GaN thin films were directly deposited on multilayer graphene(MLG)by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition.The deposition was carried out at a low temperature using triethylgallium(TEGa)precursor and Ar/N2/H2 plasma.Chemical properties of the bulk GaN and GaN-graphene interface were analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.The sharp interface between GaN and graphene was verified via X-ray reflectivity and transmission electron microscope.The microstructures and the nucleation behaviors of the GaN grown on graphene have been also studied.The results of grazing incidence X-ray diffraction and Raman spectrum indicate that the as-deposited sample is polycrystalline with wurtzite structure and has a weakly tensile stress.Optical properties of the sample were investigated by photoluminescence(PL)at room temperature.The successful growth of GaN on MLG at a low temperature opens up the possibility of ameliorating the performance of electronic and optical devices based on GaN/graphene heterojunction.