Growth of optically‐active InN with AlInN buffer by plasma‐assisted molecular beam epitaxy

InN films have been grown by plasma-assisted MBE on Al2O3(0001) substrates using different buffer fabrication techniques: thermo-activated In diffusion into nitridated sapphire during InN buffer annealing and deposition of 20 nm AlxIn1−xN buffer layers with x = 0.1–0.5. Different In/N flux ratio conditions are employed. The InN epilayers demonstrate IR photoluminescence in the 0.6–1.0 μm range, with an ambiguous dependence of the PL intensity on structural quality of the films. The highest quality 0.5 μm thick InN layer having (0002) XRD Θ-rocking curve width below 400 arcsec and smooth continuous interface with the substrate does not show any PL. (© 2003 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)