Epitaxial lateral overgrowth of AlN on trench-patterned AlN layers

• Published in: Journal of crystal growth 2007, Vol.298, p.257-260
• Main Authors: Imura, Masataka, Nakano, Kiyotaka, Narita, Gou, Fujimoto, Naoki, Okada, Narihito, Balakrishnan, Krishnan, Iwaya, Motoaki, Kamiyama, Satoshi, Amano, Hiroshi, Akasaki, Isamu, Noro, Tadashi, Takagi, Takashi, Bandoh, Akira
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: A2. ELO; A2. TEM; A3. HT-MOVPE; A3. Metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy; B1. AlN; B1. Nitrides; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Defects and impurities in crystals; microstructure; Exact sciences and technology; Linear defects: dislocations, disclinations; Materials science; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Other semiconductors; Physics; Specific materials; Structure of solids and liquids; crystallography; Theory and models of film growth; Vapor phase epitaxy; growth from vapor phase
• ISSN: 0022-0248; 1873-5002
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2006.10.043

Epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELO) of high-quality AlN layers on trench-patterned AlN underlying layers has been demonstrated by high-temperature metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy. Under optimized conditions, a high growth rate and an atomically flat surface of thick ELO-AlN without cracks were obtained. Fully coalesced ELO-AlN epilayers were obtained on AlN templates having 〈 1 0 1 ¯ 0 〉 trenches. AlN grown above the groove had low dislocation density due to filtration caused by the grooves. In addition, most of the dislocations threading from the AlN template were annihilated by the formation of a loop structure during growth with increasing thickness of AlN. The average dislocation density of the ELO-AlN was calculated to be 4×10 7 cm −2.