Growth mechanisms in excimer laser photolytic deposition of gallium nitride at 500°C

The mechanisms of controlling laser-induced chemical vapour deposition of GaN at substrate temperatures between 350 and 650°C have been investigated. Ultraviolet (193 nm) photolytic decomposition of trimethylgallium (TMGa) and ammonia (NH ₃) precursors was examined in this range. Laser-induced fluorescence studies support the view that the dissociated intermediate fragments GaCH ₃ and NH are the reacting species in GaN film formation, irrespective of substrate temperature. It was found that two crystal phases coexist in films grown at substrate temperatures below 500°C, wurtzite crystal structure with (0002) orientation forms at substrate temperatures above 500°C. The growth rate increases with both NH ₃/TMGa ratio, and TMGa flow rate, while the temperature dependence shows a thermal activation energy of 0.2 eV which is smaller by a factor of five than that of films prepared by conventional thermal CVD. The large NH ₃/TMGa ratios needed to achieve stoichiometry are interpreted in terms of the two-photon dissociation cross section of NH ₃.