Transmission electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction measurements reveal the presence of stacking faults (SFs) in undoped cubic GaN thin layers. We demonstrate the importance of the defects in the interfacial region of the films by showing that the SFs act as nucleation sites for precipitates of residual impurities such as C and Si present in the GaN layers grown on SiC(001) substrates. We used the imaging secondary ion mass spectroscopy technique to locate these impurities. The systematic decrease of the SF density as a function of the layer thickness is explained by an annihilation mechanism. Finally, the effects of usual dopants on the structural properties of GaN layers are discussed. It is shown that Mg has a tendency to incorporate out of the Ga site by forming Mg precipitates for a concentration higher than 1019 cm−3 in contrast with the results found for heavily Si doped layers.

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