High-resistance GaN epilayers with low dislocation density via growth mode modification

High-resistance GaN with low dislocation density adopting growth mode modification has been investigated by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The sheet resistance of the order of 1016 Ω/sq has been achieved at room temperature by diminishing the oxygen impurity level close to the substrate with an AlN blocking layer. Attributed to this method which offers more freedom to tailor the growth mode, a three-dimensional (3D) growth process is introduced by adjusting the growth pressure and temperature at the initial stage of the GaN epitaxy to improve the crystalline quality. The large 3D GaN grains formed during this period roughen the surface, and the following coalescence of the GaN grains causes threading dislocations bending, which finally remarkably reduces the dislocation density.