Growth of GaN on Si(111) Substrates via a Reactive-Sputter-Deposited AlN Intermediate Layer

GaN films were successfully grown on Si(111) substrates using a reactive-sputter-deposited AlN intermediate layer (sp-AlN) at 350 °C. Uniform GaN growth was obtained with the pre sputtering of a thin Al film before the deposition of sp-AlN. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements revealed that the density of pits originating from the ends of mixed/screw-type dislocations is about $10^{9}$ cm-2, which is much lower than that of GaN grown on a metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) deposited AlN intermediate layer. The decrease in the pit density might have originated from the small number of initial nuclei of GaN.