Obtaining Niobium Nitride on n-GaN by Surface Mediated Nitridation Technique
Piotr Mazur,
Agata Sabik,
Rafał Lewandków,
Artur Trembułowicz,
Miłosz Grodzicki
Affiliations
Piotr Mazur
University of Wrocław, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Institute of Experimental Physics, pl. M. Borna 9, 50-204 Wroclaw, Poland
Agata Sabik
University of Wrocław, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Institute of Experimental Physics, pl. M. Borna 9, 50-204 Wroclaw, Poland
Rafał Lewandków
University of Wrocław, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Institute of Experimental Physics, pl. M. Borna 9, 50-204 Wroclaw, Poland
Artur Trembułowicz
University of Wrocław, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Institute of Experimental Physics, pl. M. Borna 9, 50-204 Wroclaw, Poland
Miłosz Grodzicki
Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, Department of Semiconductor Materials Engineering, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland
In this work the n-GaN(1000) surface is used as a source of nitrogen atoms in order to obtain niobium nitride film by a surface-mediated nitridation technique. To this end, the physical vapor deposition of the niobium film on GaN is followed by sample annealing at 1123 K. A thermally induced decomposition of GaN and interfacial mixing phenomena lead to the formation of a niobium nitride compound, which contains Nb from thin film and N atoms from the substrate. The processes allowed the obtaining of ordered NbNx films on GaN. Structural and chemical properties of both the GaN substrate and NbNx films were studied in-situ by surface-sensitive techniques, i.e., X-ray and UV photoelectron spectroscopies (XPS/UPS) and a low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). Then, the NbNx/GaN surface morphology was investigated ex-situ by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM).
