Relaxation of tensile strain in AlxGa1-xN layers of different compositions
epitaxially grown on GaN/sapphire is investigated. Extended crack channels
along <2 (11) over bar0 > directions are formed if the aluminum content exc
eeds a critical value, which decreases with increasing layer thickness. Thi
s process is found to limit the average strain energy density to a maximum
value of 4 J/m(2). By calculating the stress distribution between cracks an
d the strain energy release rate for crack propagation, the relaxed strain
as measured by x-ray diffraction is correlated to the crack density, and th
e onsets of crack channeling and layer decohesion are fitted to a fracture
toughness of 9 J/m(2). Moreover, the crack opening at the surface is found
to linearly increase with the stress. Annealing of samples above the growth
temperature introduces additional tensile stress due to the mismatch in th
ermal expansion coefficients between the layer and substrate. This stress i
s shown to relieve not only by the formation of additional cracks but also
by the extension of cracks into the GaN layer and a thermal activated chang
e in the defect structure. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8
979(00)03801-4].