Effect of Si, Mg, and Mg–Zn doping on structural properties of a GaN layer grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

We have studied the structural properties of undoped, Si-doped, Mg-doped, and Mg–Zn codoped GaN using high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) and transmission electron microscopy. When compared with undoped GaN, the dislocation density at the surface of the GaN layer decreases with Si doping and increases with Mg doping. In addition, we observed a reduction of dislocation density by codoping with Zn atoms in the Mg-doped GaN layer. The full width at half maximum of HRXRD shows that Si doping and Mg–Zn codoping improve the structural quality of the GaN layer as compared with undoped and Mg-doped GaN, respectively.