AVS 47th International Symposium
    Semiconductors Thursday Sessions
       Session SC+SS+EL-ThA

Paper SC+SS+EL-ThA4
Epitaxial III-V Nitride Growth on SiC(0001) by Means of A@super 3@@Sigma@@sub u@@super +@ Metastable Molecular Nitrogen

Thursday, October 5, 2000, 3:00 pm, Room 306

Session: III-Nitride Growth and Nucleation
Presenter: D.C. Jordan, Arizona State University
Authors: D.C. Jordan, Arizona State University
D.J. Smith, Arizona State University
I.S.T. Tsong, Arizona State University
R.B. Doak, Arizona State University
Correspondent: Click to Email
High quality epitaxial III-N semiconductor films, ranging in thickness from 300 to 900 Å, have been grown using A@super 3@@Sigma@@sub u@@super +@ metastable nitrogen molecules. The work employed a corona discharge supersonic free-jet (CD-SFJ) to generate a molecular beam containing exclusively the A@super 3@@Sigma@@sub u@@super +@ activation state in an otherwise ground state N@sub 2@ beam. AlN films were grown on 6H-SiC(0001) and Si(001) substrates. GaN films were grown on the same substrates and on buffer layers of AlN deposited in situ on 6H-SiC(0001). The N-atom incorporation efficiency (defined as the number of N-atoms attaching to a III-N surface per incident metastable A@super 3@@Sigma@@sub u@@super +@ molecule) approached 100% in most instances and was found to be independent of substrate temperature from 600 to 900 °C, implying direct molecular chemisorption as the underlying reaction mechanism. These measurements support theoretical predictions that A@super 3@@Sigma@@sub u@@super +@ is an ideal precursor for III-N growth.