The role of Si in GaN/AlN/Si(111) plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy: polarity and inversion

The microstructure, polarity and Si distribution in AlN/GaN layers grown by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE) on Si(111) was assessed by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Samples grown under both metal- and nitrogen-rich conditions contained defects at the AlN/Si interface which suggest formation of an Al-Si eutectic. Correlated with this, interfacial segregation of Si was found in the samples. It is proposed that Si is dissolved in a eutectic layer floating on the AlN surface under metal-rich conditions. This Si is then incorporated into the film if the growth becomes nitrogen-rich, either intentionally or due to plasma source transients. These Si-rich layers appear to induce inversion of the nitride from nitrogen- to metal-polarity, and uncontrolled variations in the Si concentration cause occasional nonuniformity in the resulting inversion.