The process and mechanism of the GaN nanoparticles formed by nitridation of β-Ga2O3 crystal

The process of conversion from β-Ga2O3 single crystal to gallium nitride (GaN) in an atmosphere of NH3 by chemical vapor deposition is investigated. The surface morphology and microstructure of the GaN nanoparticles are observed by scanning electron microscope, which indicates that the growth of GaN is via the Volmer–Weber mechanism. The β-Ga2O3 is firstly evaporated at high temperature to form the porous layer, followed by the surface-defect induced GaN nucleation formation. The crystalline structure and epitaxial relationship of the GaN nanoparticles are investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) via ω–2𝜃, showing GaN (0002) and (0004) diffraction peaks in the XRD spectra. It is concluded that the polycrystalline GaN film with hexagonal structure has a strong c-axis preferential orientation.