Ion-beam-induced porosity of GaN

Wurtzite GaN films bombarded with heavy ions (197Au+) show anomalous swelling of the implanted region with corresponding volume expansion up to ∼50%. Results show that this phenomenon is due to the formation of a porous layer of amorphous GaN. An important implication of this study for the fabrication of GaN-based devices is that amorphization of GaN should be avoided during ion implantation.