Pit assisted oxygen chemisorption on GaN surfaces

A comprehensive analysis of oxygen chemisorption on epitaxial gallium nitride (GaN) films grown at different substrate temperatures via RF-molecular beam epitaxy was carried out. Photoemission (XPS and UPS) measurements were performed to investigate the nature of the surface oxide and corresponding changes in the electronic structure. It was observed that the growth of GaN films at lower temperatures leads to a lower amount of surface oxide and vice versa was observed for a higher temperature growth. The XPS core level (CL) and valence band maximum (VBM) positions shifted towards higher binding energies (BE) with oxide coverage and revealed a downward band bending. XPS valence band spectra were de-convoluted to understand the nature of the hybridization states. UPS analysis divulged higher values of electronic affinity and ionization energy for GaN films grown at a higher substrate temperature. The surface morphology and pit structure were probed via microscopic measurements (FESEM and AFM). FESEM and AFM analysis revealed that the film surface was covered with hexagonal pits, which played a significant role in oxygen chemisorption. The favourable energetics of the pits offered an ideal site for oxygen adsorption. Pit density and pit depth were observed to be important parameters that governed the surface oxide coverage. The contribution of surface oxide was increased with an increase in average pit density as well as pit depth.