No CrossRef data available.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 February 2011
The microstructural evolution of AlxGa1-xN films grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy on 6H-SiC (0001) was studied by means of X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy in conjunction with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. A significant spatial variation of composition was found in 100 nm thick layers the nature of which could be traced back to the initial stage of film formation. Upon nucleation two phases are formed: a wetting layer and isolated islands of high and low aluminum content, respectively. The observed results are discussed in terms of strain and growth rates.