Iron and Iron Nitride Layers on Wurtzite Gallium Nitride Studied Using MBE/STM

ORAL

Abstract

It is of interest to study epitaxial growth of iron and iron nitride (FeN) layers on wurtzite gallium nitride (w-GaN) as a possible magnetic/wide-gap semiconductor system for spintronics. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) of Fe deposited on GaN(0001) suggest the existence of the epitaxial relationship [110]$_{Fe}\vert \vert $ [0001]$_{GaN}$. Furthermore, multi-streak RHEED patterns indicate the formation of a multi-domain but smooth film. Also, we have investigated the growth of $\sim $ 1:1 iron nitride on w-GaN(0001) using nitrogen plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Both reciprocal and real space techniques were used to study the growth of FeN, including RHEED and scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS). Bulk characterization was also applied, including XRD and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results indicate that zinc-blende FeN grows on GaN(0001) with the epitaxial relationship [111]$_{FeN }\vert \vert $ [0001]$_{GaN}$, and initial atomically-smooth FeN layers are formed. This work has been supported by DOE (Grant {\#}DE-FG02-06ER46317).

–

Authors

  • Wenzhi Lin

    Nanoscale and Quantum Phenomena Institute, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701

  • J. Pak

    Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ohio University, Nanoscale and Quantum Phenomena Institute, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, Nanoscale and Quantum Phenomena Institute, Department of Physics \& Astronomy, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701

  • Y. Liu

    Nanoscale and Quantum Phenomena Institute, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, Department of Physics, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan, Nanoscale and Quantum Phenomena Institute, Department of Physics \& Astronomy, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701

  • K. Wang

    Nanoscale and Quantum Phenomena Institute, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ohio University, Nanoscale and Quantum Phenomena Institute, Department of Physics \& Astronomy, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701

  • A. Chinchore

    Nanoscale and Quantum Phenomena Institute, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, Ohio University, Nanoscale and Quantum Phenomena Institute, Department of Physics \& Astronomy, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701

  • David Ingram

    Nanoscale and Quantum Phenomena Institute, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701

  • A.R. Smith

    Nanoscale and Quantum Phenomena Institute, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, Ohio University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ohio University, Nanoscale and Quantum Phenomena Institute, Department of Physics \& Astronomy, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701

  • Kai Sun

    Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109