A Study of GaN Grown on SiH₄ Pre-Treated 6H-SiC Substrates

GaN thin films are grown on Si-terminated (0001) 6H-SiC substrates pre-treated with SiH₄ in a metal organic chemical vapor deposition system. The influence of the SiH₄ pre−treatment conditions on the SiC surface is carefully investigated. It is found that SiH₄ could react with the SiC surface oxide, which will change the surface termination. Moreover, our experiments demonstrate that SiH₄ pre-treatment can distinctly influence the AlGaN nucleation layer and the basic characteristics of GaN.