Title: Growth and characteristic of high orientation indium nitride films grown on (100) silicon substrate

Authors: Wei-Chun Chen; Hung-Pin Chen; Shou-Yi Kuo; Woei-Tyng Lin; Fang-I Lai; Chien-Nan Hsiao; Cheng-Chung Lee

Addresses: Instrument Technology Research Center, National Applied Research Laboratories, 20. R&D Rd. VI, Hsinchu Science Park, Hsinchu 30076, Taiwan ' Department of Optics and Photonics, National Central University, 300, Jhongda Rd., Jhongli City, Taoyuan County 32001, Taiwan ' Department of Electronic Engineering, Chang Gung University, 259 Wen-Hwa 1st Road, Kwei-Shan Tao-Yuan 333, Taiwan ' Department of Electrical Engineering, Yuan-Ze University, 135 Yuan-Tung Road, Chung-Li 320, Taiwan ' Department of Electrical Engineering, Yuan-Ze University, 135 Yuan-Tung Road, Chung-Li 320, Taiwan ' Instrument Technology Research Center, National Applied Research Laboratories, 20. R&D Rd. VI, Hsinchu Science Park, Hsinchu 30076, Taiwan ' Department of Optics and Photonics, National Central University, 300, Jhongda Rd., Jhongli City, Taoyuan County 32001, Taiwan

Abstract: In this study, high orientation InN films were prepared on Si (100) substrates using plasma-assist metal-organic molecular beam epitaxy (RF-MOMBE) system. These buffers include the nitrided treatment of the Si substrate, a low-temperature AlN buffer layer and oxide layer. The crystalline structure, surface morphology and optical properties of the InN films were characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and photoluminescence (PL) measurements. XRD results revealed that the wurtzite InN grows on oxide layer with preferential (0002) orientation. Bright-field XTEM images of InN films exhibit a hexagonal structure with highly preferred orientation along <0001> direction. InN film direct growth on Si substrate exhibited the formation of metallic indium droplets on the surface. AFM images revealed that InN films with oxide layer had a root-mean-square (RMS) roughness of 16.1 nm. The optical properties of InN/oxide layer were determined according to the photoluminescence, revealing a near band-edge of 0.719 eV.

Keywords: InN; buffer layer; RF-MOMBE; molecular beam epitaxy; high orientation thin films; indium nitride films; silicon substrate; nanotechnology; RMS roughness; optical properties; photoluminescence.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNT.2014.065132

International Journal of Nanotechnology, 2014 Vol.11 No.12, pp.1063 - 1072

Published online: 06 Feb 2015 *

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