The effect of growth condition on the structure of 2H-AIN films deposited on Si(111) by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy

The effects of substrate cleaning, nitridation time, and substrate temperat ure in the range 800-1000 degrees C on the microstructure of A1N/Si(111) fi lms grown by simultaneous plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy have been investigated. It has been demonstrated, using a combination of conventional and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, that the interface s tructure, the film defect structure, and the film surface roughness are str ongly related, The formation of single crystal 2H-A1N films with atomically flat surfaces occurs at 800 degrees C for conditions of 2.5 nm/min growth rate on very pure, atomically flat Si substrates.