Abstract: An improved GaN film with low dislocation density was grown on a C-face patterned sapphire substrate (PSS) by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The vapor phase epitaxy starts from the regions with no etched pits and then spreads laterally to form a continuous GaN film. The properties of the GaN film have been investigated by double crystal X-ray diffraction (DCXRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and photoluminescence (PL), respectively. The full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the X-ray diffraction curves (XRCs) for the GaN film grown on PSS in the (0002) plane and the (102) plane are as low as 312.80 arcsec and 298.08 acrsec, respectively. The root mean square (RMS) of the GaN film grown on PSS is 0.233 nm and the intensity of the PL peak is comparatively strong.

Key words: double crystal X-ray diffraction,  atomic force microscopy,  photoluminescence,  GaN,  wet-etching