Exfoliation of GaN layers using hydrogen implantation

In this paper, the successful exfoliation of 200 nm GaN layers grown on sapphire substrates was achieved usiing H₂⁺ implantation and subsequent annealing. We demonstrate that the extent of exfoliation depends not only on the implant dose, but also on the crystallinity of the GaN layer. Extended defects are not uniformally distributed over the wafer, so certain areas showed much more pronounced exfoliation than other areas.