Mismatch relaxation by stacking fault formation of AlN islands in AlGaN/GaN structures on m-plane GaN substrates

We study the mismatch relaxation of 2-5 nm thin elongated AlN islands formed during growth of AlGaN on bulk m-plane GaN by molecular beam epitaxy. The relaxation of these m-plane AlN layers is anisotropic and occurs through the introduction of stacking faults in [0001] planes during island coalescence, while no relaxation is observed along the perpendicular [1120] direction. This anisotropy in the mismatch relaxation and the formation of stacking faults in the AlN islands are explained by the growth mode of the AlN platelets and their coalescence along the [0001] direction.