Model for the thickness dependence of electron concentration in InN films

Abstract

A model for the influence of different contributions to the high electron concentration in dependence on the film thickness of state-of-the-art InN layers grown by molecular-beam epitaxy is proposed. Surface accumulation has a crucial influence for InN layers <300nm and superimposes the background concentration. For air-exposed InN, it can be assigned to a surface near doping by oxygen. For InN layers in the micron range the density of dislocations is the major doping mechanism. Finally, point defects such as vacancies and impurities have minor influence and would dominate the free electron concentration only for InN >10μm.