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Growth and characteristics of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures on sp2-bonded BN by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition

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Abstract

AlGaN/GaN heterostructures were grown by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on sp2-bonded BN using AlN as a nucleation layer. The best x-ray diffraction rocking curve full-width-at-half-maximums (FWHMs) are 0.13° and 0.17° for the GaN (0002) and (\(10\bar 12\)) diffraction peaks. Hall-effect measurements show room temperature mobility near 2000 cm/V·s with sheet carrier density of ∼1 × 1013 cm−2, comparable to the best values obtained on sapphire using Fe-doped GaN buffers. The best low temperature mobility of the 2-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) is ∼33,000 cm2/V·s; indicating that the dominant scattering mechanism limiting the transport of 2DEG is interface roughness. Good quality BN grown directly onto sapphire is shown to be effective for reducing parallel conduction that exists due to residual donor impurities in the buffer. Luminescence measurements indicate good optical quality of the GaN/BN/sapphire. The residual strain in the GaN layer is found to be almost completely eliminated when it is released from the substrate.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Authors would like to thank B. Moore and T. Prusnick for providing assistance in Raman measurements and strain analysis. Authors would also like to thank W. Rice and T. Cooper for the assistance in PL and transport measurements. This work is funded by Air Force Office of Scientific Research under task number 16RYCOR331. This support is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Air Force Research Laboratory, Sensors Directorate, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, 45433, USA

    Qing Paduano, Michael Snure, Gene Siegel, Darren Thomson & David Look

  2. Wyle Laboratories, Inc., 2601 Mission Point Blvd., Dayton, OH, 45431, USA

    Gene Siegel & David Look

  3. Semiconductor Research Center, Wright State University, Dayton, OH, 45435, USA

    David Look

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  1. Qing Paduano
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Correspondence to Qing Paduano.

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Paduano, Q., Snure, M., Siegel, G. et al. Growth and characteristics of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures on sp2-bonded BN by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition. Journal of Materials Research 31, 2204–2213 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2016.260

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