Local Strain and Crystalline Defects in GaN/AlGaN/GaN(0001) Heterostructures Induced by Compositionally Graded AlGaN Buried Layers

Plastic strain relaxation in epitaxial layers is one of the crucial factors that limits the performance of III-nitride-based heterostructures. In this work, we report on strain relaxation and crystalline defects in heterostructures consisting of compositionally graded AlGaN epitaxial layers tensile-strained between a GaN-buffer and a GaN-cap. We demonstrate the effects of Al concentration and the shape of the concentration-depth profile in the buried graded layers on the accumulated elastic strain energy and how this influences the critical thickness for crack generation or fracture. It is shown that this fracture leads to the formation of partially relaxed regions with their degree of strain relaxation directly related to the density of cracks. Nevertheless, even though the in-plane coherency between the AlGaN layer and the GaN-buffer is broken, the in-plane coherency within the AlGaN layer is preserved for all regions. Furthermore, the tensile strain released in the buried graded AlGaN layers is consistent with compressive strain induced in the GaN-cap layers. Finally, the localized stress and the densities of threading dislocations are correlated with the features of the resulting fractured heterostructures. These results are important toward the control of complex plastic strain relaxation and further facilitate the growth of high quality compositionally graded AlGaN-based devices.