TEM characterization of M -plane InN grown on (100) LiAlO2 substrate by RF-MBE

In this study, we characterized the microstructure of M ‐plane InN using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The M ‐plane InN was grown on a (100) LiAlO2 substrate using radio‐frequency plasma‐assisted molecular beam epitaxy (RF‐MBE). We determined the epitaxial relationships of the M ‐plane InN and LiAlO2 using selected area electron diffraction (SAED). The epitaxial relationships were exactly the same as the M ‐plane GaN grown on the same substrate. Also, the M ‐plane InN was grown on the (100) LiAlO2 despite the high lattice mismatches between M ‐plane InN and LiAlO2. We observed a high density of stacking faults parallel to (0001)InN. The density was estimated about 1.8×106 cm–1, which was one order of magnitude higher than that of non‐polar GaN. The correlation between threading dislocations and stacking faults is investigated. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)