PLASMA-EXCITED ORGANOMETALLIC VAPOR-PHASE EPITAXY OF GAN ON (0001)SAPPHIRE

GaN epitaxial thin films are grown on (0001)sapphire by plasma-excited organometallic vapor phase epitaxy (OMVPE) in which RF-excited N-2 is utilized as reactive nitrogen source. Dependence of growth rate, surf ace morphology, and crystalline quality on growth conditions is system atically investigated. GaN epitaxial layer with a mirror-like surface is obtained without any buffer layer technique. This is attributed to extremely high nucleation density by the plasma-excited OMVPE at an ea rly stage of the growth. Nucleation process of the plasma-excited OMVP E is compared with that of a conventional OMVPE using NH3.