The influence of growth pressure of GaN buffer layer on the properties of MOCVD GaN on -Al2O3 has been investigated with the aid of a home-made in situ laser reflectometry meas-urement system. The results obtained with in situ measurements and scanning electron micro-scope show that with the increase in deposition pressure of buffer layer, the nuclei increase in size, which roughens the surface, and delays the coalescence of GaN nuclei. The optical and crystalline quality of GaN epilayer was improved when buffer layer was deposited at high pressure.
In this paper we propose a new method for measuring the thickness of the GaN epilayer, by using the ratio of the integrated intensity of the GaN epilayer X-ray diffraction peaks to that of the sapphire substrate ones. This ratio shows a linear dependence on the GaN epilayer thickness up to 2 μm. The new method is more accurate and convenient than those of using the relationship between the integrated intensity of GaN epilayer diffraction peaks and the GaN thickness. Besides, it can eliminate the absorption effect of the GaN epilayer.
