Composition measurement of epitaxial Sc<inf>x</inf>Ga<inf>1-x</inf>N films

Four different methods for measuring the compositions of epitaxial ScxGa1-xN films were assessed and compared to determine which was the most reliable and accurate. The compositions of epitaxial ScxGa1-xN films with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.26 were measured directly using Rutherford backscattering (RBS) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and indirectly using c lattice parameter measurements from x-ray diffraction and c/a ratio measurements from electron diffraction patterns. RBS measurements were taken as a standard reference. XPS was found to underestimate the Sc content, whereas c lattice parameter and c/a ratio were not reliable for composition determination due to the unknown degree of strain relaxation in the film. However, the Sc flux used during growth was found to relate linearly with x and could be used to estimate the Sc content

Band gaps of wurtzite ScxGa1-xN alloys

Optical transmittance measurements on epitaxial, phase-pure, wurtzite-structure Sc x Ga1− x N films with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.26 showed that their direct optical band gaps increased from 3.33 eV to 3.89 eV with increasing x, in agreement with theory. These films contained I1- and I2-type stacking faults. However, the direct optical band gaps decreased from 3.37 eV to 3.26 eV for Sc x Ga1− x N films, which additionally contained nanoscale lamellar inclusions of the zinc-blende phase, as revealed by aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy. Therefore, we conclude that the apparent reduction in Sc x Ga1− x N band gaps with increasing x is an artefact resulting from the presence of nanoscale zinc-blende inclusions