Formation of Spontaneous Lateral Heterostructures in High Al content AlxGa1−xN Alloys Grown by High-Temperature Plasma-Assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxy

The article delves into the complexities of growing high Al content AlxGa1−xN films using high-temperature plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PA-MBE). It discusses the advantages and challenges of high-temperature growth, including improved surface mobility and thermodynamic stability, but also increased impurity control difficulties. The study focuses on the microstructure of samples grown at different temperatures, revealing compositionally homogenous films at 800°C and self-assembled lateral contrast modulations at 900–950°C. These findings are significant as they showcase the first observation of spontaneous, vertically oriented compositional anomalies in high Al content, high-temperature PA-MBE-grown AlxGa1−xN, which can enhance the material's radiative efficiency. The article underscores the need for further research in this growth regime to optimize the material's properties for various applications in optoelectronics and semiconductor industries.