title: Blocking growth by an electrically active subsurface layer: the effect of Si as an antisurfactant in the growth of GaN.
abstract: Combining aberration corrected high resolution transmission electron microscopy and density functional theory calculations we propose an explanation of the antisurfactant effect of Si in GaN growth. We identify the atomic structure of a Si delta-doped layer (commonly called SiN(x) mask) as a SiGaN(3) monolayer that resembles a √3×√3 R30° surface reconstruction containing one Si atom, one Ga atom, and a Ga vacancy (V(Ga)) in its unit cell. Our density functional theory calculations show that GaN growth on top of this SiGaN(3) layer is inhibited by forming an energetically unfavorable electrical dipole moment that increases with layer thickness and that is caused by charge transfer between cation dangling bonds at the surface to V(Ga) bound at subsurface sites.
authors: Leibniz Institute for Crystal Growth, Berlin, Germany. toni.markurt@ikz-berlin.de
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Markurt
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Lymperakis
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Neugebauer
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Drechsel
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Stauss
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Schulz
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Remmele
authors: V
authors: V
authors: Grillo
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Rotunno
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Albrecht