Within the last decade, a lot of research efforts have been devoted to Indium Nitride (InN), the least known of the semiconducting group-III nitrides.
Most of the samples available today have been grown using the Molecular Beam Epitaxy technique, and fewer using the Metal Organic Vapor Phase Epitaxy (MOVPE) method. Whatever the method, InN is extremely chalenging, in particular due to the fact that no lattice matched substrate is available. The use of low temperature InN buffer layers was investigated, in order to transpose the successful process for GaN growth to the epitaxy of InN. The growth of low temperature InN buffer layers on both sapphire and GaN layers will be discussed here, along with the use of surfactants (indium halides) in the growth ambient to improve morphology. Furthermore, we will show that post-growth thermal treatment of InN films improves the layers properties. Regarding the growth of InN quantum dots, we present an alternative approach consisting of the thermal annealing of a very thin InN layer deposited at low temperature. The recrystallization process which occurs, leads to the formation of dots with an improved orientation distribution, compared to as-grown InN dots |
