Spontaneous Formation of Indium Clusters in InN Epilayers Grown by Molecular-Beam Epitaxy

Abstract

We have studied the influence of growth conditions on the number of metallic indium clusters formed spontaneously in indium nitride (InN) layers grown by nitrogen plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy (PAMBE). InN epilayers of N-and In-polarity were grown on c-sapphire substrates and GaN and AlN templates, respectively. N-polar layers were obtained in the standard PAMBE regime, while In-polar layers were grown using a three-stage regime including the stages of epitaxy with enhanced atomic migration and interruption of growth under nitrogen flow. A series of samples were prepared at various growth temperatures and relative In/N flow rates. Measurement of the magnetic-field dependences of the Hall-effect coefficient and its model approximation were used to determine the percentage content of In clusters in various InN layers and the minimum amount of such inclusions that can be achieved by varying the conditions of MBE growth.