Nitride-MBE system for in situ synchrotron X-ray measurements

A molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) chamber dedicated to nitride growth was developed at the synchrotron radiation facility SPring-8. This chamber has two beryllium windows for incident and outgoing X-rays, and is directly connected to an X-ray diffractometer, enabling in situ synchrotron X-ray measurements during the nitride growth. Experimental results on initial growth dynamics in GaN/SiC, AlN/SiC, and InN/GaN heteroepitaxy were presented. We achieved high-speed and high-sensitivity reciprocal space mapping with a thickness resolution of atomic-layer scale. This in situ measurement using the high-brilliance synchrotron light source will be useful for evaluating structural variations in the initial growth stage of nitride semiconductors. (author)