Defect structure in selectively grown GaN films with low threading dislocation density

Abstract

We have characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) defect structures in GaN films grown selectively in hydride vapor-phase epitaxy (HVPE). In this experiment, growth was achieved on SiO2-stripe-patterned GaN layers that had been grown by metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy (MOVPE) on sapphire substrates. Cross-sectional TEM revealed unambiguously that most of the dislocations, which originated from threading dislocations vertically aligned in the MOVPE-grown layer, propagated laterally around the SiO2 mask in the HVPE-grown film before the film thickness amounted to about 5 μm. This change of the propagation direction prevented the dislocations from crossing the film to the surface region and thus principally led to a drastic reduction in the threading dislocation density in thicker films.