Composite GaN-C-Ga (‘GaCN’) Layers with Tuneable Refractive Index

摘要： This article describes novel composite thin films consisting of GaN, C and Ga (referred to as ‘GaCN’, as an analogue to BCN and other carbonitrides) as a prospective material for future optical applications. This is due to their tuneable refractive index that depends on the carbon content. The composites are prepared by introducing alternating pulses of trimethylgallium (TMG) and ammonia (NH3) on silicon substrates to mimic an atomic layer deposition process. Since the GaCN material is hardly reported to the best of our knowledge, a comprehensive characterization is performed to investigate into its chemical nature, primarily to determine whether or not it exists as a single-phase material. It is revealed that GaCN is a composite, consisting of phase-segregated, nano-scale clusters of wurtzitic GaN polycrystals, in addition to inclusions of carbon, nitrogen and gallium, which are chemically bonded into several forms, but not belonging to the GaN crystals itself. By varying the deposition temperature between 400 and 600 oC, and the NH3 partial pressure between 0.7×10-3 and 7.25 mbar, layers with a wide compositional range of Ga, C and N are prepared.