Growth of III-N/graphene heterostructures in single vapor phase epitaxial process

• Published in: Journal of crystal growth 2018-12, Vol.504, p.1-6
• Main Authors: Lundin, W.V., Zavarin, E.E., Sakharov, A.V., Zakheim, D.A., Davydov, V.Yu, Smirnov, A.N., Eliseyev, I.A., Yagovkina, M.A., Brunkov, P.N., Lundina, E.Yu, Markov, L.K., Tsatsulnikov, A.F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: A3. Metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy; B1. Nanomaterials; B1. Nitrides; B2. Semiconducting gallium compounds; Buffer layers; Carrier gases; Epitaxial growth; Epitaxial layers; Gallium nitride epitaxy; Gallium nitrides; Graphene; Heterostructures; High temperature; Morphology; MOVPE epitaxy; Nanomaterials; Nickel; Nucleation; Pyrolysis; Raman spectra; Sapphire; Substrates; Thermal shock; Vapor phases; X-ray diffraction
• ISSN: 0022-0248; 1873-5002
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2018.09.017

•Carbon deposition on sapphire by propane pyrolysis in III-N MOVPE reactor is studied.•Conditions, resulting in graphene layers formation are optimized.•Graphene stability in various reactor conditions is studied.•III-N structures growth on graphene in a single epitaxial process is developed.•Large-area defoliation of the formed III-N structures is demonstrated. We investigated the growth of III-N/graphene heterostructures as a single process in a MOVPE reactor. Raman spectra revealed that graphene can be successfully deposited on sapphire substrate by propane pyrolysis if temperature exceeds 1060 °C and hydrogen is used as a carrier gas. GaN epitaxial layers and heterostructures on such graphene using both high-temperature AlN buffer layer and low-temperature GaN nucleation layer was demonstrated. Analysis of surface morphology and X-Ray diffraction curves indicate that GaN quality depends on graphene thickness. Use of copper electroplated Ni-based contact layer combined with thermal shock allows exfoliation of large-area III-N LED structures from sapphire.