Defect structure of epitaxial GaN films determined by transmission electron microscopy and triple-axis X-ray diffractometry

Abstract Important structural characteristics (correlation lengths of columnar crystallites, dislocation densities, angles of rotational disorder) of hexagonal GaN grown by metallorganic chemical vapour deposition on c-plane sapphire are determined by transmission electron microscopy and triple-axis X-ray diffractometry. GaN films exhibit an edge dislocation density in the range of 1011 cm−2, a tilt and twist angle of 0.1° and 1.3° and a columnar structure with a lateral and vertical correlation length of 150 and 1000 nm respectively. The determination of correlation lengths and dislocation densites from X-ray patterns was undertaken using two independent evaluation methods which are discussed in detail. It is also shown that triple-axis X-ray diffractometry is a highly suitable technique for the separation of different kinds of structural defects such as edge and screw dislocations that lead to a characteristic broadening of symmetric and asymmetric Bragg reflections. The correlation lengths and dislocation densities are obtained additionally by electron transmission microscope investigations which are in good agreement with the X-ray diffraction results.