Lattice parameters and Raman-active phonon modes of β-(AlxGa1-x)2O3

We present X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy investigations of a (100)-oriented (AlxGa1-x)(2)O-3 thin film on MgO (100) and bulk-like ceramics in dependence on their composition. The thin film grown by pulsed laser deposition has a continuous lateral composition spread allowing to determine precisely the dependence of the phonon mode properties and lattice parameters on the chemical composition. For x < 0.4, we observe the single-phase beta-modification. Its lattice parameters and phonon energies depend linearly on the composition. We determined the slopes of these dependencies for the individual lattice parameters and for nine Raman lines, respectively. While the lattice parameters of the ceramics follow Vegard's rule, deviations are observed for the thin film. This deviation has only a small effect on the phonon energies, which show a reasonably good agreement between thin film and ceramics. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.