Low temperature growth of GaN on sapphire using remote plasma enhanced-ultrahigh vacuum chemical vapor deposition

Low temperature growth of GaN on sapphire using remote plasma enhanced-ultrahigh vacuum chemical vapor deposition

A ultrahigh vacuum chemical vapor deposition(UHVCVD)/metalorganic chemical vapor deposition(MOMBE) system equipped with a radio frequency(RF)-plasma cell was employed to grow GaN layer on the sapphire at a low temperature. The x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of nitrogen composition on the nitridated sapphite surface indicated that a nitridation process is mostly affected by the RF power at low temperature. Atomic force microscope images of nitridated surface the protrusion density on the nitridated sapphire is dependent on the nitridation temperature. The crystallinity of GaN grown at $450^{\circ}C$ was found to be much improved when the sapphire was nitridated at low temperature prior to the GaN layer growth. Moreover, a strong photoluminescence spectrum of GaN grown by UHVCVD/MOMBE with a rf-nitrogen plasma was observed for the first time at room temperature.