Highly coherent grain boundaries induced by local pseudo-mirror symmetry in $\beta$-Ga2O3

TL;DR

This study reveals that local pseudo-mirror symmetry in $eta$-Ga2O3$ induces highly coherent grain boundaries, influencing crystal growth and stability, with implications for substrate orientation and material performance.

Contribution

It uncovers the physical origin of coherent grain boundaries in low-symmetry $eta$-Ga2O3$ crystals, emphasizing the role of local pseudo-mirror symmetry and confirming structures through experiments and calculations.

Findings

High coherence of grain boundaries due to pseudo-mirror symmetry

Boundary energy density as low as 0.36 J/m2 for specific CAGBs

Spontaneous formation of twinned defect facets during epitaxy

Abstract

Grain boundaries have extensive influence on the performance of crystal materials. However, the atomic-scale structure and its relation with local and crystallographic symmetries remain elusive in low-symmetry crystals. Herein, we find that the local pseudo-mirror-symmetric atomic layer is the common physical origin of a series of highly coherent grain boundaries in the low-symmetry $\beta$-Ga2O3 crystal. These include the (100) twin boundary and an emerging series of $(h-1'0'2)/(h+1'0'\bar{2})$ coherent asymmetric grain boundaries (CAGBs). Owing to the local pseudo-mirror symmetry and the special geometric relation of the $\beta$-Ga2O3 conventional cell, these CAGBs place 80% of the boundary atoms in pseudo-coincident sites, exhibiting high coherence under the coincident-site lattice model. With a combination of density functional theory calculations, Czochralski growth experiment, and atomic-scale characterizations, the structure and stability of the $(002)/(20\bar{2})$-A CAGB are confirmed, with a boundary energy density as low as 0.36 J/m2. This CAGB is responsible for the spontaneous formation of a twinned defect facet at the surface steps during the epitaxy growth of $\beta$-Ga2O3, warranting a substrate orientation selection rule for $\beta$-Ga2O3. Through this study, we provide insights into the grain boundary physics in the low-symmetry $\beta$-Ga2O3 crystal while emphasizing the importance of the local pseudo-symmetries in the low-symmetry crystals.