Abstract
Using X-ray reflectivity (XRR) measurements and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), we demonstrate that a thin AlN layer is formed on top of a γ-LiAlO2(100) substrate by a nitridation process using NH3 in a metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) reactor. This thin layer is identified to be monocrystalline, M-plane AlN, enabling the growth of nonpolar M-plane GaN on γ-LiAlO2(100) by MOVPE. HRTEM reveals that this thin nitridation layer is grown pseudomorphically without any detectable misfit dislocations.