The effect of metal‐rich growth conditions on the microstructure of ScxGa1−xN films grown using molecular beam epitaxy

Epitaxial Sc x Ga 1− x N films with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.50 were grown using molecular beam epitaxy under metal‐rich conditions. The Sc x Ga 1− x N growth rate increased with increasing Sc flux despite the use of metal‐rich growth conditions, which is attributed to the catalytic decomposition of N 2 induced by the presence of Sc. Microstructural analysis showed that phase‐pure wurtzite Sc x Ga 1− x N was achieved up to x = 0.26, which is significantly higher than that previously reported for nitrogen‐rich conditions, indicating that the use of metal‐rich conditions can help to stabilise wurtzite phase Sc x Ga 1− x N.