Synthesis of GaN network by nitridation of hexagonal ε-Ga2O3 film

GaN network structure was synthesized on a hexagonal e-Ga2O3 film by performing thermal nitridation under ammonia atmosphere in III-nitride MOCVD system. High-resolution X-ray diffraction revealed that the GaN had a (0002) preferred orientation, and no other polymorphs of GaN were detected. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results confirmed the formation of Ga–N bonds as well as other element status induced from nitridation process. According to field-emission scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy images, the surface of GaN layer shows network morphology, which was caused by etching from hydrogen gas along GaN grain boundary. Our results indicated the potential applications of nitrided GaN/e-Ga2O3 structure in fabricating novel electronic and optoelectronic devices.