Selective Area Growth and Structural Characterization of GaN Nanostructures on Si(111) Substrates

Selective area growth (SAG) of GaN nanowires and nanowalls on Si(111) substrates with AlN and GaN buffer layers grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy was studied. For N-polar samples filling of SAG features increased with decreasing lattice mismatch between the SAG and buffer. Defects related to Al–Si eutectic formation were observed in all samples, irrespective of lattice mismatch and buffer layer polarity. Eutectic related defects in the Si surface caused voids in N-polar samples, but not in metal-polar samples. Likewise, inversion domains were present in N-polar, but not metal-polar samples. The morphology of Ga-polar GaN SAG on nitride buffered Si(111) was similar to that of homoepitaxial GaN SAG.