Low temperature 2D GaN growth on Si (111) 7x7 assisted by hypethermal nitrogen ions

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel low-temperature method for fabricating high-purity 2D GaN nanostructures on Si(111) using hyperthermal nitrogen ions, enabling advanced optoelectronic applications.

Contribution

It presents a new low-temperature droplet epitaxy technique with hyperthermal nitrogen ions for high-quality 2D GaN growth on silicon.

Findings

High purity GaN nanostructures achieved

Sharp interface confirmed by TEM

Unique nanostructure characteristics verified

Abstract

As the characteristic dimensions of modern top-down devices are getting smaller, such devices reach their operational limits given by quantum mechanics. Thus, two-dimensional (2D) structures appear as one of the best solutions to meet the ultimate challenges of modern optoelectronic and spintronic applications. The representative of III-V semiconductors, gallium nitride (GaN), is a great candidate for UV and high-power applications at a nanoscale level. We propose a new way of fabrication of 2D GaN on the Si(111) 7x7 surface using post-nitridation of Ga droplets by hyperthermal (E < 50 eV) nitrogen ions at low substrate temperatures (T < 220{\deg}C). Both deposition of Ga droplets and their post-nitridation is carried out using a special atom-ion beam source developed in our group. This low-temperature droplet epitaxy (LTDE) approach provides well-defined ultra-high vacuum growth conditions during the whole fabrication process resulting in high purity GaN nanostructures. A sharp interface between the GaN nanostructures and the silicon substrate together with a correct elemental composition of nanostructures was confirmed by TEM. In addition, SEM, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), AFM and Auger microanalysis showed unique characteristics of the fabricated GaN nanostructures.