GaN growth on Si substrates is very attractive for low-cost, high-frequency, high-power electronics. It can also enable opportunity towards an integration with Si electronics and offers very good thermal conductivity. Along with benefits of using silicon as substrate there comes many issues that were already attempted to be either eliminated or minimized. In this paper the advantages and disadvantages of using Si as substrate are reviewed, possible problems during metalorganic vapour phase epitaxy (MOVPE) of GaN on Si described and most common solutions discussed. The major problems for device structure growth on Si are related to large lattice and thermal mismatch and chemical reactivity between Ga and Si at high temperatures.  Most promising concepts to eliminate problems described in this paper are presented, such as for instance strain engineering, patterning, seed layers or using interlayers, along with new idea regarding usage of high index silicon substrates. Experimental work performed or planned at our laboratory using 3x2” Thomas Swan Close Coupled Showerhead MOVPE system will be shown and discussed.  

Acknowledgements:

This work was co-financed by the European Union within European Regional Development Fund, through grant Innovative Economy (POIG.01.01.02-00-008/08-05), National Centre for Science under the grant no. N N515 495740, by National Centre for Research and Development through Applied Research Program grant no. 178782, by Wroclaw University of Technology statutory grants and Slovak-Polish International Cooperation Program no. SK-PL-0017-09 & 0005-12.

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