Fabrication of (In,Ga)N Pseudo-Substrates by a Three-Step Growth Protocol without Ex Situ Processing

We fabricate (In,Ga)N pseudo-substrates with a total thickness of ≈1 μm grown on GaN templates using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. In a three-step process, we change growth conditions from N-rich to metal-rich in order to sequentially form a roughened GaN layer, relaxed (In,Ga)N nanostructures, and a coalesced, smooth (In,Ga)N layer. Samples were analyzed by scanning electron and atomic force microscopy and X-ray diffraction, as well as photo- and cathodoluminescence spectroscopy. Compared to a reference layer grown directly on GaN, the pseudo-substrate exhibits a higher In content (≈0.3), a higher strain relaxation degree (≈80%), narrower photoluminescence linewidth, and a larger area fraction of bright regions in cathodoluminescence maps, showing the benefits of the three-step growth protocol. This straightforward approach does not necessitate any ex situ processing and could enable the scalable fabrication of (In,Ga)N pseudo-substrates for high-efficiency red-emitting (In,Ga)N devices.