Investigation of a GaN Nucleation Layer on a Patterned Sapphire Substrate

A low-temperature GaN (LT-GaN) nucleation layer is grown on a patterned sapphire substrate (PSS) using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The surface morphology of the LT-GaN is investigated and the selective nucleation phenomenon in the growth process of the LT-GaN nucleation layer is discovered. Meanwhile, effects of thickness of the LT-GaN and the annealing process on the phenomenon are also discussed. A pattern model is also proposed to analyze the possible mechanisms in atomic scale.