Impurity decoration of native vacancies in Ga and N sublattices of gallium nitride

The effects of impurity atoms as well as various growth methods to the formation of vacancy type defects in gallium nitride (GaN) have been studied by positron annihilation spectroscopy. It is shown that vacancy defects are formed in Ga or N sublattices depending on the doping of the material. Vacancies are decorated with impurity atoms leading to the compensation of the free carriers of the samples. In addition, the vacancy clusters are found to be present in significant concentrations in n-type as well as in p-type GaN. Nitrogen vacancies compensate Mg impurities in magnesium doped GaN. The high Mg content creates a defect profile with a low vacancy concentration near the surface. Post-growth annealing dissociates Vn-related complexes activating the p-type conductivity. Also the vacancy profile is made homogeneous by thermal treatment in highly Mg-doped GaN. The direct experimental evidence of oxygen decorated Ga vacancy is obtained in O-doped n-type GaN. The present study shows that VGa-ON is distinguishable from an isolated Ga vacancy by positron annihilation spectroscopy. Yellow luminescence (YL) is common in n-type GaN, which is usually related to Ga vacancy defects. However, carbon doped semi-insulating GaN is exhibiting strong YL emission, but without the presence of Ga vacancies. The YL is attributed to C interstitials. The investigations concerning silicon doped GaN and GaN grown by the mass-transport method reveal vacancy type defects, which were identified as vacancy clusters.