Gallium clustering and structural effects of hydrogenation in InGaN/GaN nanostructures

We addressed the issue of atomic ordering in a series of In-rich InxGa1-xN epilayers grown on a GaN/AlN/sapphire(0001) epitaxial template by quantitatively measuring the Ga-cation coordination in the second atomic shell of Ga. We used Diffraction Anomalous Fine Structure Spectroscopy (DAFS) at the Ga K-edge to select the signal coming from the Ga atoms in the epilayer and eliminate any contribution from the buffer layer. DAFS measurements were also performed on hydrogenated epilayers in order to investigate the possible formation of Ga-H complexes. We find that deviation from cation random distribution in the form of Ga clustering is present in both untreated and hydrogenated samples and that in the latter ones the second atomic shell around Ga is modified, suggesting an additional perturbation of the cation sublattice related to hydrogen. However, comparing the present results with In K-edge x-ray absorption spectra previously reported, we conclude that the formation of Ga-H complexes vs. In-H ones is unlikely. Cation clustering has to be anyway taken into account as a possible channel playing in the determination of the optical bandgap of these technology-oriented semiconductors. Published by AIP Publishing.