We show that optical reflectivity measurements can be used to evaluate the part of a NH3 flux which reacts with a Ga-terminated GaN surface or with a Ga-flux simultaneously impinging on the surface, as in standard molecular beam epitaxy situation. At least for temperatures not exceeding 700 °C, the ratio of the reacted part of the NH3 flux to the incident flux can be assimilated to the NH3 cracking efficiency. Being nearly zero below a threshold temperature of 450 °C, it increases with temperature but remains low (∼4%) explaining why an exceptionally high V/III flux ratio is necessary to grow GaN using NH3.

Ammonia has been used to grow GaN layers by molecular beam epitaxy on c-plane sapphire substrates. The ratio of nitrogen to Ga active species, i.e., the actual V/III ratio, has been varied from 1 to 4. It is found that increasing the V/III ratio improves the material properties both in terms of optoelectronic and structural quality. This is demonstrated by photoluminescence (PL) experiments, Hall measurements, secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), and atomic force microscopy. The origin of the residual n-type doping of undoped GaN layers is also discussed on the basis of SIMS and PL results.

Surface segregation processes during the growth of Ga0.5In0.5P/GaAs heterostructures by chemical beam epitaxy have been investigated in real time using reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED). It is shown that In segregation occurs at both GaInP on GaAs and GaAs on GaInP interfaces. Resulting composition profiles are deduced from the RHEED data.