Interfacial Modulated Lattice-Polarity-Controlled Epitaxy of III-Nitride Heterostructures on Si(111)

Monolithic integration of wurtzite III-nitrides with nonpolar silicon (Si), the two most-produced semiconductor materials, is essential and critical for a broad range of applications in electronics, optoelectronics, quantum photonics, and renewable energy. To date, however, it has remained challenging to achieve III-nitride heterostructures on Si with controlled lattice-polarity. Herein, we show that such critical challenges of III-nitrides on Si can be fundamentally addressed through a unique interfacial modulated lattice-polarity-controlled epitaxy (IMLPCE). It is discovered that the lattice-polarity of aluminum nitride (AlN) grown on Si(111) is primarily determined by the AlSiN interlayer: N-polar and Al-polar AlN can be achieved by suppressing and promoting the AlSiN interlayer formation, respectively. Furthermore, we develop a unique active-nitrogen-free in situ annealing process to mitigate the AlSiN layer formation at the GaN/AlN interface, which can eliminate the inverted domain formation commonly seen in N-polar GaN on AlN/Si. This study provides an alternative approach for controlling the lattice-polarity of III-nitrides on Si substrates and will enable their seamless integration with the mature Si-based device technology.

Automated summary

This study presents a unique approach, called interfacial modulated lattice-polarity-controlled epitaxy (IMLPCE), to overcome the challenges in achieving III-nitride heterostructures with controlled lattice-polarity on silicon substrates. It provides an alternative method for seamlessly integrating III-nitrides with mature Si-based device technology.