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Atomic simulations and HRTEM observations of a Σ 18 tilt grain boundary in GaN
Author(s) -
Kioseoglou J.,
Béré A.,
Komninou Ph.,
Dimitrakopulos G. P.,
Nouet G.,
Iliopoulos E.,
Serra A.,
Karakostas Th.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
physica status solidi (a)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.532
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1862-6319
pISSN - 1862-6300
DOI - 10.1002/pssa.200461419
Subject(s) - high resolution transmission electron microscopy , grain boundary , materials science , tilt (camera) , atomic units , transmission electron microscopy , bar (unit) , condensed matter physics , thin film , chemical physics , crystallography , nanotechnology , chemistry , microstructure , physics , composite material , geometry , quantum mechanics , meteorology , mathematics
The crystalline quality of GaN thin films grown on foreign substrates for opto‐ and micro‐electronics applications depends strongly on the growth conditions. Among a variety of microstructural defects that appear in GaN epilayers, grain boundaries (GBs) are extended defects that may be formed during the growth process under certain circumstances. In this work, the atomic structures of a ‘symmetric' and an ‘asymmetric' 70.53° 〈 $ 1 \bar 2 10$ 〉 Σ18 tilt boundaries are investigated by combining large scale energetic calculations, using a modified Stillinger–Weber interatomic potential, with high resolution transmission electron microscopy observations. The energetically favourable short‐period asymmetric interface is matched to the experimental observations. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)