Defects Evolution and Mg Segregation in Mg-implanted GaN with Ultra-High-Pressure Annealing

TL;DR

This study investigates how ultra-high-pressure annealing at temperatures above 1400°C improves Mg activation in GaN by eliminating inversion domains and reducing defect density, enhancing p-type doping efficiency.

Contribution

It identifies the microscopic defects responsible for Mg incorporation and demonstrates the benefits of higher temperature annealing for defect reduction and dopant activation in GaN.

Findings

Annealing at 1400°C or higher eliminates inversion domains.

Higher temperature annealing reduces dislocation loop size and density.

Mg segregation is not observed at dislocation loops after high-temperature annealing.

Abstract

Annealing Mg-implanted homoepitaxial GaN at temperatures at or above 1400 {\deg}C eliminates the formation of inversion domains and leads to improved dopant activation efficiency. Extended defects in the form of inversion domains contain electrically inactive Mg after post-implantation annealing at temperatures as high as 1300 {\deg}C (one GPa N2 overpressure), which results in a low dopant activation efficiency. Triple axis X-ray data show that the implant-induced strain is fully relieved after annealing at 1300 {\deg}C for 10 min, indicating that the strain-inducing point defects formed during implantation have reconfigured. However, annealing at temperatures of 1400 {\deg}C to 1500 {\deg}C (also one GPa N2 overpressure) eliminates the presence of the inversion domains. Annealing at these higher temperatures and for a longer time does not have any further impact on the strain state. While residual defects, such as dislocation loops, still exist after annealing at and above 1400 {\deg}C, chemical analysis at the dislocation loops shows no sign of Mg segregation. Meanwhile, an overall decreasing trend in the dislocation loop size and density is observed after annealing at higher temperatures and longer times. Earlier work [1] addressing electrical measurements of these types of samples showed that annealing at 1400 {\deg}C leads to a dopant activation efficiency that is an order of magnitude higher than that observed at 1300 {\deg}C. This work complements the earlier work by identifying the microscopic defects (inversion domains) which incorporate Mg, and points to the benefits, in terms of defect density and p-type dopant activation, of using higher temperatures annealing cycles to activate Mg in GaN.