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Effect of carrier concentration on the microhardness of GaN layers

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Abstract

The paper presents a microhardness study of thick crack-free hydride vapor phase epitaxial GaN layers (not intentionally doped), and of thin metal-organic vapor phase epitaxial (MOVPE) GaN layers (undoped and Si-doped), grown on sapphire. A Vickers indentation method was used to determine the microhardness under applied loads up to 2 N. An increase in the microhardness was observed with decreasing carrier concentration and increasing mobility. A dip at an indentation depth of about 0.75 μm is observed in the microhardness profile in the MOVPE films, and is correlated with peculiarities in the spatially resolved cathodoluminescence spectra. The relationship between the mechanical and electrophysical parameters is discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Physics, Sofia University, 5 J. Bourchier blvd, 1164, Sofia, Bulgaria

    S. Evtimova & B. Arnaudov

  2. Department of Physics and Measurement Technology, Linkoping University, S-581 83, Linkoping, Sweden

    T. Paskova & B. Monemar

  3. Aixtron AG, D-52072, Aachen, Germany

    M. Heuken

Authors
  1. S. Evtimova
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  2. B. Arnaudov
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  3. T. Paskova
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  4. B. Monemar
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  5. M. Heuken
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Evtimova, S., Arnaudov, B., Paskova, T. et al. Effect of carrier concentration on the microhardness of GaN layers. Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics 14, 771–772 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026188701129

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026188701129

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