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Growth Morphology of InN Thin Films by Scanning Tunneling and Atomic Force Microscopies and X-Ray Scattering

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

Wayne A. Bryden
Affiliation:
Applied Physics Laboratory, The Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD 20723
Marilyn E. Hawley
Affiliation:
Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545
Scott A. Ecelberger
Affiliation:
Applied Physics Laboratory, The Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD 20723
Thomas J. Kistenmacher
Affiliation:
Applied Physics Laboratory, The Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD 20723
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The evolution of the growth morphology of thin films of InN on (00.1) sapphire and on (00.1) sapphire prenudeated by a layer of AIN have been followed as a function of the thickness of the InN overlayer. The InN thin films and the AIN nucleation layers were deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering and first characterized by X-ray scattering, profilometry, and electrical transport. These AIN-nucleated InN films displayed heteroepitaxial grains, and high Hall mobility -even in the limit of InN overlayer on the order of 20-40Å. In parallel, InN films of varying thickness were grown directly onto (00.1) sapphire. These films showed a mixture of textured and heteroepitaxial grains, and lower Hall mobility. Atomic force and scanning tunneling microscopy studies have focussed on the morphology of the InN films with thicknesses: (a) much smaller than the AIN nucleation layer; and, (b) near the morphological transition that occurs at ∼1μm and has been attributed to the crossover from a 2D to a 3D growth mechanism. Additional correlations of X-ray structural coherence with growth mode are also examined.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1993

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References

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