Effect of rapid thermal annealing on GaN damages induced by electron cyclotron resonance reactive ion etching

The effects of ECR-RIE (Electron Cyclotron Resonance Reactive Ion Etching) with chemistries of BCl₃, Cl₂, Ar and a subsequent thermal annealing on the electrical and optical properties of the GaN layer were investigated by employing transmission line measurements, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, photoluminesconce. It was found that electrical properties were greatly affected by etching conditions, and these alterations of the properties were mainly due to a physical damage. And the dry etching caused a degradation of the optical properties of GaN, and a thermal treatment could be used to anneal out the damage partially.