Strain in Si doped GaN and the Fermi level effect

Using high resolution x-ray diffraction and Hall effect measurements, we found that the tensile strain caused by dislocation inclination in Si doped GaN became immeasurable when carbon codoping was used to compensate the free carriers. This result suggested that the tensile strain is related to free carrier concentration instead of Si concentration. Such an effect could be explained by the Fermi level effect on the surface-mediated dislocation climb governed by Ga vacancies, whose concentration is strongly influenced by the Fermi level position. This phenomenon is possibly similar to the well-known Fermi level effect in GaAs and GaP systems. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3589978]