Structural and optical properties of InN/GaN nanodots grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

InN nanodots grown on GaN by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) using conventional growth mode as well as flow-rate modulation epitaxy (FME) at various growth temperatures (550–730 °C) were investigated. We found that different precursor injection schemes together with the effect of growth temperatures greatly influenced the surface morphology of InN dots and their photoluminescence (PL) properties. The best growth efficiency of InN was achieved by FME at around 650 °C. The residual carrier concentration and PL efficiency was also be improved when a high growth temperature was used. Our results indicated that InN nanodots can be grown at a temperature even higher than 700 °C while maintain their optical quality. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)