Fabrication of a GaN lateral polarity junction by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

A fabrication process for growth of GaN lateral polarity junctions consisting of Ga-polar and N-polar domains grown simultaneously side-by-side on c-plane sapphire was developed using the polarity control scheme. An ammonia-annealing step following deposition and patterning of a thin low-temperature AlN nucleation layer played a crucial role in avoiding mixed-polarity growth of the remaining AlN nucleation layer, as well as in nitriding the bare sapphire surface to facilitate growth of N-polar GaN. The achievement of both polar domains, free from inversion domains within a contiguous domain, led to Ga-polar domain exhibiting featureless morphology with highly resistive characteristics, while N-polar domains exhibited hexagonally faceted morphology and were highly conductive.