The dependence of GaN growth rate on electron temperature in an ECR plasma

Experiments on the deposition of GaN thin films were carried out in an ECR plasma reactor using nitrogen gas and trimethylgallium (TMG) as precursors. Electron temperature and nitrogen species adjacent to the substrate surfac e during deposition were measured by a CCD spectrometer. We observed an opt imum electron temperature for the growth rate. The result suggests that tun ing of electron energy (or temperature) can be used to optimize the deposit ion and electron temperature near the substrate surface may be a candidate for one of the control parameters in plasma-assisted CVD. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.