• 한국결정성장학회지
• /
• 제21권5호
• /
• pp.187-192
• /
• 2011

비극성 a-GaN의 성장 시 기판의 경사각은 GaN epi의 품질을 결정하는 중요한 변수로서 양질의 a-GaN 성장을 위해서는 R-면 기판의 경사각이 정밀하게 제어된 기판이 요구된다. 본 연구에서는 R-면 기판의 경사각 ${\alpha}$와 ${\beta}$의 목표값이 각각 0, -0.1, -0.15, -0.2, -0.4, $-0.6^{\circ}$와 -0.1, 0, $0.1^{\circ}$인 절단기판을 제조하였다. 절단기판의 경사각을 x-ray를 이용하여 측정하고 통계적인 분석을 통해 기판의 경사각 제어공정에 대한 신뢰성을 평가하였으며, R-면 기판의 경사각의 공차는 ${\pm}0.03^{\circ}$의 값을 가졌다. R-면 기판은 상대적으로 큰 이방성에 의해 c-면 기판에 비해 휨(BOW)과 두께편차(TTV)가 상대적으로 큰 분포를 갖는 것으로 나타났다. AFM을 이용하여 기판 표면을 관찰한 결과, 측정된 R-면기판의 step 높이는 0.2~0.4 nm로 거의 일정한 값을 가졌으며 step 너비는 경사각 ${\alpha}$가 증가함에 따라 156 nm에서 26 nm로 감소하였으며 이와같은 R-면 기판의 step 구조의 변화는 epi 성장에 큰 영향을 미치는 것으로 판단된다.

• 한국전기전자재료학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 한국전기전자재료학회 2010년도 하계학술대회 논문집
• /
• pp.31-31
• /
• 2010

The growth of the high-quality GaN epilayers is of significant technological importance because of their commercializedoptoelectronic applications as high-brightness light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and laser diodes (LDs) in the visible and ultraviolet spectral range. The GaN-based heterostructural epilayers have the polar c-axis of the hexagonal structure perpendicular to the interfaces of the active layers. The Ga and N atoms in the c-GaN are alternatively stacked along the polar [0001] crystallographic direction, which leads to spontaneous polarization. In addition, in the InGaN/GaN MQWs, the stress applied along the same axis contributes topiezoelectric polarization, and thus the total polarization is determined as the sum of spontaneous and piezoelectric polarizations. The total polarization in the c-GaN heterolayers, which can generate internal fields and spatial separation of the electron and hole wave functions and consequently a decrease of efficiency and peak shift. One of the possible solutions to eliminate these undesirable effects is to grow GaN-based epilayers in nonpolar orientations. The polarization effects in the GaN are eliminated by growing the films along the nonpolar [$11\bar{2}0$] ($\alpha$-GaN) or [$1\bar{1}00$] (m-GaN) orientation. Although the use of the nonpolar epilayers in wurtzite structure clearly removes the polarization matters, however, it induces another problem related to the formation of a high density of planar defects. The large lattice mismatch between sapphiresubstrates and GaN layers leads to a high density of defects (dislocations and stacking faults). The dominant defects observed in the GaN epilayers with wurtzite structure are one-dimensional (1D) dislocations and two-dimensional (2D) stacking faults. In particular, the 1D threading dislocations in the c-GaN are generated from the film/substrate interface due to their large lattice and thermal coefficient mismatch. However, because the c-GaN epilayers were grown along the normal direction to the basal slip planes, the generation of basal stacking faults (BSFs) is localized on the c-plane and the generated BSFs did not propagate into the surface during the growth. Thus, the primary defects in the c-GaN epilayers are 1D threading dislocations. Occasionally, the particular planar defects such as prismatic stacking faults (PSFs) and inversion domain boundaries are observed. However, since the basal slip planes in the $\alpha$-GaN are parallel to the growth direction unlike c-GaN, the BSFs with lower formation energy can be easily formed along the growth direction, where the BSFs propagate straightly into the surface. Consequently, the lattice mismatch between film and substrate in $\alpha$-GaN epilayers is mainly relaxed through the formation of BSFs. These 2D planar defects are placed along only one direction in the cross-sectional view. Thus, the nonpolar $\alpha$-GaN films have different atomic arrangements along the two orthogonal directions ($[0001]_{GaN}$ and $[\bar{1}100]_{GaN}$ axes) on the $\alpha$-plane, which are expected to induce anisotropic biaxial strain. In this study, the anisotropic strain relaxation behaviors in the nonpolar $\alpha$-GaN epilayers grown on ($1\bar{1}02$) r-plane sapphire substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVO) were investigated, and the formation mechanism of the abnormal zigzag shape PSFs was discussed using high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM).

• 대한전자공학회논문지SD
• /
• 제47권8호
• /
• pp.1-6
• /
• 2010

본 논문에서는 무분극 GaN층에서 관찰되는 성장축의 방향성에 따른 전기적 비등방성에 대한 연구를 수행하였다. 본 연구를 위해 $\gamma$-plane 사파이어 기판 상에 유기화학기상증착법 (Metal-organic chemical vapor deposition)을 이용하여 600 nm 두께의 ${\alpha}$-plane n-type GaN층을 성장시킨 후, Ti/Al/Ni/Au (20 nm/ 150 nm/ 30 nm/ 100 nm) 오믹 전극을 증착하여 transfer length method (TLM)로 접촉저항을 측정하였다. 그 결과, ${\alpha}$-plane GaN층이 갖는 축의 방향성에 의한 접촉저항이 차이는 없는 것을 확인하였고, 면저항 측정 시에는 m-축 방향에 비해 c-축 방향에서 발생하는 면저항 값이 약 25%~75% 정도 크게 발생하는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 이러한 전기적 특성의 비등방성은 c-축 성장방향에 대해 수직방향을 갖는 기저적층결함 (basal stacking faults)의 생성으로 인한 전자들의 거동 저하에 의한 것으로 사료된다.