Journal
JOURNAL OF CRYSTAL GROWTH
Volume 366, Issue -, Pages 20-25Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2012.12.141
Keywords
Etching; Surfaces; Nitrides; Semiconducting III-V materials; Light emitting diodes
Funding
- Army Research Laboratory
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High-quality AlN and GaN bulk crystals were etched in a KOH aqueous solution or a KOH/H2O2 mixture. As etched surfaces were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was found that the N-polar surfaces had approximately 900 and 20 times higher etch rate than the III-polar surface for AlN and GaN, respectively. AlN had a higher total etch rate than GaN at the same condition. Hexagonal hillocks were observed on N-polar face with {10-1-1} boundary planes for both AlN and GaN, while metal polar surfaces remAlNed smooth. Formation of aluminum oxide/hydroxide AlOx(OH)(y) was confirmed by XPS on as etched N polar AlN surface; the addition of H2O2 resulted in a higher total surface oxygen concentration. The smoothening effect by adding H2O2 oxidizer was explAlNed by the formation and dissolution of aluminum oxide/hydroxide. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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