Epitaxial growth and characterisation of nonpolar m-plane GaN on LaAlO3 substrate

GaN and related group III nitrides have been attracting enormous attention due to their successful applications in light-emitting diodes (LEDs), laser diodes (LDs), field effect transistors (FETs), photo-detectors (PDs), high power devices, etc. This work reports on the epitaxial growth of high quality m-plane GaN films on LaAlO₃ (001) substrates by pulsed laser deposition. In situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) is used to monitor the growth condition during the whole course. X-ray diffraction rocking curves are used to determine crystallinity of as-grown GaN films and atomic force microscopy are utilized for surface morphology. The interface between GaN films and the substrates as well as the films´ microstructure are characterized by transmission electron microscopy.