Experimental evidence of homonuclear bonds in amorphous GaN

Abstract

Although GaN is an important semiconductor material, its amorphous structures are not well understood. Currently, theoretical atomistic structural models which contradict each other, are proposed for the chemical short-range order of amorphous GaN: one characterizes amorphous GaN networks as highly chemically ordered, consisting of heteronuclear Ga-N atomic bonds; and the other predicts the existence of a large number of homonuclear bonds within the first coordination shell. In the present study, we examine amorphous structures of GaN via radial distribution functions obtained by electron diffraction techniques. The experimental results demonstrate that amorphous GaN networks consist of heterononuclear Ga-N bonds, as well as homonuclear Ga-Ga and N-N bonds. © 2011 American Institute of Physics.