S. Ruvimov et al., EFFECT OF SI DOPING ON THE DISLOCATION-STRUCTURE OF GAN GROWN ON THE A-FACE OF SAPPHIRE, Applied physics letters, 69(7), 1996, pp. 990-992
Transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, low-temperature p
hotoluminescence, and Raman spectroscopy were applied to study stress
relaxation and the dislocation structure in a Si-doped GaN layer in co
mparison with an undoped layer grown under the same conditions by meta
lorganic vapor phase epitaxy on (11.0) Al2O3. Doping of the GaN by Si
to a concentration of 3 x 10(18) cm(-3) was found to improve the layer
quality. It decreases dislocation density from 5 x 10(9) (undoped lay
er) to 7 x 10(8) cm(-2) and changes the dislocation arrangement toward
a more random distribution. Both samples were shown to be under biaxi
al compressive stress which was slightly higher in the undoped layer.
The stress results in a blue shift of the emission energy and E(2) pho
non peaks in the photoluminescence and Raman spectra. Thermal stress w
as partly relaxed by bending of threading dislocations into the basal
plane. This leads to the formation of a three-dimensional dislocation
network and a strain gradient along the c axis of the layer. (C) 1996
American Institute of Physics.