First observation of electronic trap levels in freestanding GaN crystals extracted from Si substrates by hydride vapour phase epitaxy

The electronic deep level states of defects embedded in freestanding GaN crystals exfoliated from Si substrates by hydride vapour phase epitaxy (HVPE) is investigated for the first time, using deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS). The electron traps are positioned 0.24 eV (E1) and 1.06 eV (E2) below the conduction band edge, respectively. The capture cross sections of E1 and E2 are evaluated to be 1.65 × 10(−17) cm(2) and 1.76 × 10(−14) cm(2) and the corresponding trap densities are 1.07 × 10(14) cm(−3) and 2.19 × 10(15) cm(−3), respectively. The DLTS signal and concentration of the electronic deep levels are independent of the filling pulse width, and the depth toward the bottom of the sample, evidenced by the fact that they are correlated to noninteracting point defects. Furthermore, Photoluminescence (PL) measurement shows green luminescence, suggesting that unidentified point defects or complex, which affect the optical characterisitics, exhibit. Despite the Si-based materials, the freestanding GaN exhibits deep level characteristics comparable to those of conventional freestanding GaN, suggesting that it is a desirable material for use in the next generation optoelectronic devices with the large-scalibilityand low production costs.