Advanced electron microscopy of wide band-gap semiconductor materials

The microstructure of GaN layers grown by metal organic vapour phase epitaxy on (0001) sapphire substrates using a novel precursor for deposition of AlN buffer layers has been investigated and compared to layers grown using low temperature GaN buffer layers and state-of-the-art material. It has been shown that the quality of layers grown using the novel precursor is comparable to the state-of-the-art material. TEM analysis has been performed of multiple quantum wells of InGaN grown within GaN epitaxial layers by metal organic vapour phase epitaxy. Elementally sensitive TEM techniques have been used to determine the spatial distribution of In and Ga within these structures. Fluctuations in In sensitive images are observed on the nm-scale. Clear evidence of segregation of In during layer growth has been seen. Models of the In segregation are in good agreement with experimental results. Elementally sensitive techniques have been used to investigate the elemental distributions in TiAl and NiAu contacts to GaN. Annealing of TiAl contacts has been seen to result in the formation of a thin interfacial Ti rich phase, and of N depletion at the surface of the GaN layer to the depth of tens of nm. Annealing NiAu contacts at 700 deg. C was seen to result in the formation of Ga-rich interfacial phases, of both crystalline and amorphous structure. ZnS and ZnCdS layers grown on (001) GaP supplied by the University of Hull have been investigated. ZnS layers were found to contain a high density of inclined stacking faults throughout the layer, originating from the interface with the substrate. Energy sensitive techniques have been used to investigate ZnCdS quantum well structures. The use of a ZnCdS superlattice structure around a ZnCdS quantum well to approximate a reduced barrier was seen to result in less thickness variations than when no barrier was used. (author)