Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
The effects of the nitridation process of (0001) sapphire on crystalline quality of InN were clearly demonstrated. The InN films were grown on NFM (nitrogen flux modulation) HT-InN or LT-InN buffer layers, which had been deposited on nitridated sapphire substrates. We found that low-temperature nitridation of sapphire is effective in improving the tilt distribution of InN films. Whereas the twist distribution remained narrow and almost constant, independent of nitridation conditions, when LT-InN buffer layers were used. The XRC-FWHM value of 54 arcsec for (0002) InN, the lowest reported to date, was achieved by using the LT-InN buffer layer and sapphire nitridation at 300°C for 3 hours.