Effect of dislocations on electron mobility in AlGaN/GaN and AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructures

AlxGa1−xN/GaN (x = 0.06, 0.12, 0.24) and AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructures were grown on 6 H-SiC, GaN-on-sapphire, and free-standing GaN, resulting in heterostructures with threading dislocation densities of ∼2 × 1010, ∼5 × 108, and ∼5 × 107 cm−2, respectively. All growths were performed under Ga-rich conditions by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Dominant scattering mechanisms with variations in threading dislocation density and sheet concentration were indicated through temperature-dependent Hall measurements. The inclusion of an AlN interlayer was also considered. Dislocation scattering contributed to reduced mobility in these heterostructures, especially when sheet concentration was low or when an AlN interlayer was present.