Non-polar (11•0) films having various basal-plane stacking-fault densities (determined via transmission electron microscopy) were investigated using X-ray diffraction. Diffuse streaking from I1 and I2 basal stacking faults was observed in reciprocal space maps of the 10•0 and 20•0 reflections. X-ray calibration curves, for basal stacking fault density determination, could be plotted by using the diffusely scattered intensity of open detector 10•0 or 20•0 ω-scans; measured at a fixed large separation from the peak maximum. The ab initio determination of stacking-fault densities was not possible due to an additional broadening arising from other defects. The ω-scan peak widths were also poor indicators of basal stacking-fault densities.

Investigating Stacking Faults in Nonpolar Gallium Nitride Films using X-ray Diffraction. M.A.Moram, C.F.Johnston, M.J.Kappers, C.J.Humphreys: Physica B, 2009, 404[16], 2189-91