Tailoring Wettability Properties of GaN Epitaxial Layers through Surface Porosity Induced during CVD Deposition

Porous GaN epitaxial layers were prepared using single-step chemical vapor deposition (CVD) through the direct reaction of ammonia with gallium. The degree of porosity and pore diameters in the resulting GaN were analyzed by means of SEM and AFM and were found to depend on the GaN deposition time. Furthermore, the evolution of the contact angle of a droplet of water located on the surface of these GaN epitaxial layers with the deposition time was investigated. We observe a transition from the hydrophilic regime to the hydrophobic regime for deposition times longer than 15 min. The observed dependence of GaN hydrophobicity on its degree of porosity is discussed and explained in the framework of the Cassie-Baxter model.