Low-temperature ECR-PEMOCVD deposition of high-quality crystalline gallium nitride films: A comparative study of intermediate layers for growth on amorphous glass substrates

A low temperature growth method based on an electron cyclotron resonance plasma-enhanced metal organic chemical vapor deposition system (ECR-PEMOCVD) was proposed for the growth of GaN (Gallium nitride) films on ordinary amorphous soda-lime glass substrates. To alleviate the large lattice mismatch between GaN film and glass substrate and improve the heat dissipation performance for potential optoelctrical device application, five intermediate layers (Cu, Ni, Ti, Ag, and ITO) were deposited on the glass substrate before the growth of GaN. A comparative study was performed through structural analysis of the as-grown GaN films with various intermediate layers investigated by means of in-situ reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results indicate that the Ti intermediate layer has a great advantage over other intermediate layers in view of crystalline quality and smooth surface, therefore is more suitable and preferred for the potential application in optoelectronic devices.