Influence of substrate miscut angle on surface morphology and luminescence properties of AlGaN

Gunnar Kusch; Haoning Li; Paul R. Edwards; Jochen Bruckbauer; Thomas C. Sadler; Peter J. Parbrook; Robert W. Martin

doi:10.1063/1.4867165

Influence of substrate miscut angle on surface morphology and luminescence properties of AlGaN

Gunnar Kusch, Haoning Li, Paul R. Edwards, Jochen Bruckbauer, Thomas C. Sadler, Peter J. Parbrook, Robert W. Martin

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Abstract

The influence of substrate miscut on Al0.5Ga0.5 N layers was investigated using cathodoluminescence (CL) hyperspectral imaging and secondary electron imaging in an environmental scanning electron microscope. The samples were also characterized using atomic force microscopy and high resolution X-ray diffraction. It was found that small changes in substrate miscut have a strong influence on the morphology and luminescence properties of the AlGaN layers. Two different types are resolved. For low miscut angle, a crack-free morphology consisting of randomly sized domains is observed, between which there are notable shifts in the AlGaN near band edge emission energy. For high miscut angle, a morphology with step bunches and compositional inhomogeneities along the step bunches, evidenced by an additional CL peak along the step bunches, are observed.

Original language	English
Article number	092114
Number of pages	4
Journal	Applied Physics Letters
Volume	104
Issue number	9
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4867165
Publication status	Published - 3 Mar 2014

Keywords

cathodoluminescence
III-V semiconductors
surface morphology
X-ray diffraction

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10.1063/1.4867165

Kusch_APL2014Final published version, 867 KBLicence: CC BY 4.0

Cite this

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title = "Influence of substrate miscut angle on surface morphology and luminescence properties of AlGaN",

abstract = "The influence of substrate miscut on Al0.5Ga0.5 N layers was investigated using cathodoluminescence (CL) hyperspectral imaging and secondary electron imaging in an environmental scanning electron microscope. The samples were also characterized using atomic force microscopy and high resolution X-ray diffraction. It was found that small changes in substrate miscut have a strong influence on the morphology and luminescence properties of the AlGaN layers. Two different types are resolved. For low miscut angle, a crack-free morphology consisting of randomly sized domains is observed, between which there are notable shifts in the AlGaN near band edge emission energy. For high miscut angle, a morphology with step bunches and compositional inhomogeneities along the step bunches, evidenced by an additional CL peak along the step bunches, are observed.",

keywords = "cathodoluminescence, III-V semiconductors, surface morphology, X-ray diffraction",

author = "Gunnar Kusch and Haoning Li and Edwards, {Paul R.} and Jochen Bruckbauer and Sadler, {Thomas C.} and Parbrook, {Peter J.} and Martin, {Robert W.}",

year = "2014",

month = mar,

day = "3",

doi = "10.1063/1.4867165",

language = "English",

volume = "104",

journal = "Applied Physics Letters",

issn = "0003-6951",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Influence of substrate miscut angle on surface morphology and luminescence properties of AlGaN

AU - Kusch, Gunnar

AU - Li, Haoning

AU - Edwards, Paul R.

AU - Bruckbauer, Jochen

AU - Sadler, Thomas C.

AU - Parbrook, Peter J.

AU - Martin, Robert W.

PY - 2014/3/3

Y1 - 2014/3/3

N2 - The influence of substrate miscut on Al0.5Ga0.5 N layers was investigated using cathodoluminescence (CL) hyperspectral imaging and secondary electron imaging in an environmental scanning electron microscope. The samples were also characterized using atomic force microscopy and high resolution X-ray diffraction. It was found that small changes in substrate miscut have a strong influence on the morphology and luminescence properties of the AlGaN layers. Two different types are resolved. For low miscut angle, a crack-free morphology consisting of randomly sized domains is observed, between which there are notable shifts in the AlGaN near band edge emission energy. For high miscut angle, a morphology with step bunches and compositional inhomogeneities along the step bunches, evidenced by an additional CL peak along the step bunches, are observed.

AB - The influence of substrate miscut on Al0.5Ga0.5 N layers was investigated using cathodoluminescence (CL) hyperspectral imaging and secondary electron imaging in an environmental scanning electron microscope. The samples were also characterized using atomic force microscopy and high resolution X-ray diffraction. It was found that small changes in substrate miscut have a strong influence on the morphology and luminescence properties of the AlGaN layers. Two different types are resolved. For low miscut angle, a crack-free morphology consisting of randomly sized domains is observed, between which there are notable shifts in the AlGaN near band edge emission energy. For high miscut angle, a morphology with step bunches and compositional inhomogeneities along the step bunches, evidenced by an additional CL peak along the step bunches, are observed.

KW - cathodoluminescence

KW - III-V semiconductors

KW - surface morphology

KW - X-ray diffraction

UR - http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/journal/apl/104/9/10.1063/1.4867165

U2 - 10.1063/1.4867165

DO - 10.1063/1.4867165

M3 - Article

SN - 0003-6951

VL - 104

JO - Applied Physics Letters

JF - Applied Physics Letters

IS - 9

M1 - 092114

ER -

Influence of substrate miscut angle on surface morphology and luminescence properties of AlGaN

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Robert Martin

Nanoscale characterisation of nitride semiconductor thin films using EBSD, ECCI, CL and EBIC.

Gallium nitride enabled hybrid and flexible photonics

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Influence of substrate miscut angle on surface morphology and luminescence properties of AlGaN

Abstract

Keywords

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Nanoscale characterisation of nitride semiconductor thin films using EBSD, ECCI, CL and EBIC.

Gallium nitride enabled hybrid and flexible photonics

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