CBED study of grain misorientations in AlGaN epilayers

Large angle convergent beam electron diffraction (LACBED) has been used to examine AlGaN epilayers grown by facet-controlled epitaxial lateral overgrowth on GaN/(0 0 0 1) sapphire substrates in prototype UV laser structures. The substrates, defined by masks with seed openings along a 〈10-10〉 stripe direction, had GaN seed columns with {11-22} surfaces. Studies were carried out on cross-sectional samples cut perpendicular to the stripe axis. An LACBED analysis of the orientation of (0 0 0  2) planes, and of the (11-20) planes parallel to the stripe axis, revealed that the AlGaN wings were both rotated by angles of 1-2×10−2 radians about the 〈10-10〉 stripe axis with respect to the underlying GaN, and distorted due to misfit strains. It is shown that the results are consistent with the observed structure of the AlGaN/GaN and the wing/wing boundaries, and with a new model for the generation of a-type misfit dislocations at the AlGaN/GaN interface.