Plasma-assisted electroepitaxy as a method for the growth of GaN layers

In the current study we have demonstrated the feasibility of a novel approach for the growth of the GaN layers namely plasma-assisted electroepitaxy (PAEE). In this method, we have tried to combine advantages of the plasma process for producing high concentrations of active N species in the Ga melt with the advantages of electroepitaxy in transferring the N species from the Ga surface to the growth interface without spontaneous crystallization on the surface or within the solution. We have designed and built a new growth chamber which allows us to combine the Molecular Beam Epitaxy process with a Liquid Phase Electroepitaxy system. We have demonstrated that it is possible to grow GaN layers by PAEE at growth temperatures as low as ∼500 °C and with low nitrogen overpressures of ∼3×10−5 Torr. We have shown that the combination of the two processes, an N-plasma flux and a DC current, are vital for the successful growth of GaN layers by PAEE. The exact mechanisms, which lead to the growth of GaN by PAEE, still need to be investigated.