Growth of GaN thin film on amorphous glass substrate by direct-current pulse sputtering deposition technique

Abstract

We deposited 300-nm-thick GaN films on an amorphous glass substrate at a substrate temperature of 300 °C by using pulsed direct current (DC) sputtering. A ZnO buffer layer was utilized to improve the crystalline quality of the GaN films. Scanning electron microscopy results showed that the GaN thin films were grown along the c-axis and possessed a columnar structure. Atomic force microscopy results revealed that the GaN film deposited at a sputtering power of 75 W had the maximum grain size (24.1 nm). Room-temperature photoluminescence measurement of the GaN films indicated an ultraviolet near-band-edge emission at 365 nm and a Zn impurity energy transition level at 430 nm. In addition, X-ray diffraction conducted on the GaN films revealed a predominant (002) hexagonal wurtzite structure. The GaN film deposited at the sputtering power of 75 W demonstrated a high optical transmittance level of 88.5% in the wavelength range of 400-1100 nm. The material characteristics of the GaN films and ZnO buffer layer were studied using cross-sectional high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The deposition of GaN films by using pulsed DC magnetron sputtering can result in high material quality and has high potential for realizing GaN-related optoelectronic devices on glass substrates.