LAUSR

Solid state devices based on InGaN\penalty1000-\hskip0ptalloys have revolutionized lighting applications and have resulted in huge energy savings. Here, the authors investigate the growth of single monolayer InGaN layers by well-designed growth experiments, advanced characterization, and theoretical modeling. Specifically, they show that the growth of the InGaN films is self-limited with respect to thickness and chemical composition, but shows a unique chemical ordering absent in conventional InGaN films. The origin of the self-limitation is a novel surface stabilization mechanism---elastically frustrated rehybridization. The discovery of this new mechanism not only explains the origin of the experimental observations but provides also the basis for new strategies of controlled homogeneous alloying.