Formation and characteristics of inversion domain in GaN grown by hydride vapor-phase epitaxy

Heteroepitaxial GaN film was grown on sapphire (0 0 0 1) substrate by hydri de vapor-phase epitaxy and it was observed employing scanning electron micr oscopy and cathodoluminescence that there were microstructural inhomogeneou s areas showing suppressed luminescence characteristics compared with the s urrounding matrix. They were presumed to be induced by polarity-inverted do mains identified on the basis of the chemical inertness and heavily doped c haracteristics manifested in cathodoluminescence spectra. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.