On a reduction in cracking upon the growth of AlN on Si substrates by hydride vapor-phase epitaxy

The main problem of the epitaxial growth of thick AlN layers on a Si substrate consists in the formation of cracks, which complicates the application of structures of this kind in the fabrication of semiconductor devices. The possibility of obtaining crack-free AlN layers with a thickness exceeding 1 μm and a mirror- smooth surface by hydride vapor-phase epitaxy is demonstrated. The properties of the layers are studied by X-diffraction analysis, optical and scanning electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy.