Raman spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction are used to characterize Gallium Nitride (GaN) films grown on (100) Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) substrates. Reflection X-ray diffraction data from (200) planes of GaAs and cubic GaN are presented. The linewidth of the cubic GaN diffraction peak is shown to be a strong function of the growth temperature. Raman spectra are presented for a series of samples grown at different temperatures. Raman scattering is characterized by strong peaks at 560 cm-1 and at 736 cm-1, corresponding to TO and LO phonon modes of cubic GaN, respectively. An additional, unexplained feature at 768 cm-1 is clearly observed in Raman spectra of c-GaN samples grown at lower temperatures. The polarization dependence of the intensity of the GaN LO phonon mode is presented and compared with the GaAs LO phonon mode to establish the relative orientation of the c-GaN epitaxy on GaAs.
