Atomically flat (0 0 1)GaAs surface prepared by two-step atomic-hydrogen treatment and its application to heteroepitaxy of GaN

Substrate surface treatment techniques and growth conditions are the key of growing high-quality cubic GaN (c-GaN) epitaxial layers on (0 0 1) GaAs substrates. An atomically flat (0 0 1) GaAs substrate surface can be obtained by a two-step atomic hydrogen (atomic-H) irradiation technique. The typical surface of the substrate treated by the atomic-H consists of narrow terraces of one monolayer step height with acute-angle polygonal structures. The X-ray rocking curve FWHM of GaN (0 0 2) grown on the atomic-H treated substrate is less than 90 arcsec. It is shown that high-density monolayer steps and kinks at the surface terrace edge would be preferable for the uniform nucleation of the c-GaN buffer layer.