Controlling active nitrogen flux in plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy of group III nitrides

The intensity of the flux of activated nitrogen from an RF inductively coupled discharge source for the plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE) of group III nitrides (A3N) can be linearly controlled using a modified output diaphragm design and increased nitrogen supply (∼5 sccm). This source provides a linear variation of the maximum A3N growth rate from 0.2 to 0.8 μm/h for the RF power controlled between 110 and 200 W, respectively. The use of excited nitrogen molecules favorably influences the growth of GaN and InN epilayers, which are characterized by a perfect structure and high optical quality.