Surfactant assisted growth of MgO films on GaN

• Published in: Applied physics letters Vol. 101; no. 9; p. 92904
• Main Authors: Paisley, E. A., Shelton, T. C., Mita, S., Collazo, R., Christen, H. M., Sitar, Z., Biegalski, M. D., Maria, J.-P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 27-08-2012
• Subjects: Density; Epitaxial growth; epitaxy; Gallium nitrides; GaN; Leakage current; Magnesium oxide; MgO; Molecular beam epitaxy; oxide; surfactant; Surfactants; Terminals
• ISSN: 0003-6951; 1077-3118
• DOI: 10.1063/1.4748886

Thin epitaxial films of oriented MgO on [0001]-oriented GaN were grown by molecular beam epitaxy and pulsed laser deposition using the assistance of a vapor phase surfactant. In both cases, surfactant incorporation enabled layer-by-layer growth and a smooth terminal surface by stabilizing the {111} rocksalt facet. Metal-insulator-semiconductor capacitor structures were fabricated on n-type GaN. A comparison of leakage current density for conventional and surfactant-assisted growth reveals a nearly 100 reduction in leakage current density for the surfactant-assisted samples. These data verify numerous predictions regarding the role of H-termination in regulating the habit of rocksalt crystals.