A direct correlation has been established between stacking faults in a-plane GaN epilayers and luminescence peaks in the 3.29–3.41 eV range. The structural features of the stacking faults were determined by diffraction-contrast transmission electron microscopy, while the optical emission characteristics were observed by highly spatially resolved monochromatic cathodoluminescence. The studies were performed in the exact same regions of thinned foils. We find that stacking faults on the basal plane are responsible for the strong emission at ∼3.14eV. Luminescence peaks at ∼3.33 and ∼3.29eV are associated with the presence of stacking faults on prismatic a planes and partial dislocations at the stacking fault boundaries, respectively.

We have studied the microstructure of InGaN layers grown on two different GaN substrates: a standard GaN film on sapphire and an epitaxial lateral overgrown GaN (ELOG) structure. These two materials exhibit two distinct mechanisms of strain relaxation. InGaN epilayers on GaN are typically pseudomorphic and undergo elastic relaxation by the opening of threading dislocations into pyramidal pits. A different behavior occurs in the case of epitaxy on ELOG where, in the absence of threading dislocations, slip occurs with the formation of periodic arrays of misfit dislocations. Potential slip systems responsible for this behavior have been analyzed using the Matthews-Blakeslee model and taking into account the Peierls forces. This letter presents a comprehensive analysis of slip systems in the wurtzite structure and considers the role of threading dislocations in strain relaxation in InGaN alloys.

The In x Ga 1-x N system has electronic band gaps extending from under 1eV to 3.4 eV, and as such they are used as the active layer in commercially available visible-light emitting devices. There are many interesting features that make these nitride semiconductor alloys especially useful for efficient light emitters. It has been conjectured that the combination of piezoelectric fields and local composition inhomogeneities may be responsible for the observed high emission efficiencies, in spite of their characteristic high dislocation densities. But it is very difficult to grow In x Ga 1-x N layers with high indium composition. This paper presents an overview of the properties of In x Ga 1-x N epilayers based on a systematic study of thick layers and of quantum well structures. We find that the microstructure of thick films varies significantly with indium composition. For x < 0.08, the composition is uniform and unperturbed by dislocations. For 0.10 < x < 0.20, secondary phases nucleate at threading dislocations. For x > 0.20, spontaneous phase separation occurs resulting in a polycrystalline, inhomogeneous layer. A correlation between optical properties and microstructure is presented. It is observed that the misfit strain is affected by threading dislocations. Mechanisms of misfit strain relaxation are presented for In x Ga 1-x N layers grown on standard GaN on sapphire and on epitaxial-lateral-overgrowth GaN layers. In addition, we have studied the properties of quantum well structures using several novel techniques. The electrostatic fields across the wells have been profiled using electron holography in the TEM. The effect of well thickness on the strength of the fields is reported. The effects of localization by compositional fluctuations and of internal field screening have been studied using time-resolved cathodoluminescence spectroscopy. In spite of significant progress that has been made in the last ten years, much work remains ahead in order to master the science and technology of these alloys.

High-quality GaN epilayers have been grown on Si (111) substrates by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy using a low-temperature AlN nucleation layer. The atomic arrangement at the epilayer/substrate interface has been investigated by high-resolution electron microscopy. A crystallographically abrupt interface is observed along most of the epilayer, indicating that the AlN/Si interface is thermodynamically stable and of high crystalline quality. Lattice images at the interface show a periodic array of misfit dislocations. The lattice images have been analyzed in detail in order to obtain information about the atomic arrangement, and interface bonding models are proposed.

We report on the presence of optically active stacking faults on basal and prismatic planes in epitaxially laterally overgrown GaN (ELOG) on {112¯2} facets. The structure of the faults has been analyzed using diffraction contrast electron microscopy. We show that stacking faults on {112¯0} prismatic planes involve a lattice displacement of 12⟨11¯01⟩, parallel to the fault plane. They appear as jogs connecting basal-plane stacking faults, the latter with a lattice displacement of 16⟨202¯3⟩. These faults are observed only in the laterally overgrown regions that grow on {112¯2} planes, which indicates that the stacking fault formation is closely related to the orientation of the growth surface. Possible formation mechanisms of these faults are discussed. Direct correlation between TEM and cathodoluminescence shows that these prismatic-plane and basal-plane stacking faults are optically active with light emission at 3.30 and 3.41eV, respectively.