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The growth of low-temperature (LT) GaN buffer layers on sapphire substrates was systematically studied using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy with regards to processes such as substrate treatment and deposition conditions, along with annealing treatments of the GaN buffer layer during two-step metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. Variations observed in the LT-buffer layer depended strongly on both the chemical state of the sapphire surface as a result of the substrate treatment and the subsequent annealing conditions. A 20 nm buffer layer on non-nitrided sapphire evaporated after the formation of islands during the conventional annealing process (N2, H2, and NH3 gas mixture). Adding H2 gas to the annealing ambient enhanced the evaporation and reduced the surface coverage. It was found that AlxGa1−xN was formed at the interface, which has a low evaporation coefficient. In contrast, a buffer layer deposited onto a nitrided sapphire substrate evaporated completely in a layer-by-layer mode. The buffer layer contained domains with N face (−c) polarity that were almost covered with a Ga face (+c) layer. It was found that using Ga-rich conditions (a lower V/III ratio) for the deposition suppressed the formation of the −c domains, even on the nitrided sapphire. High temperature (HT) GaN layers were deposited on these well-defined LT-buffer layers. The influence of the various conditions used in preparing the LT-buffer layer on the HT-GaN layers are discussed in terms of the crystalline quality and the polarity of the HT-GaN layers.

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