Description

A microscopic image of gallium nitride bears remarkable resemblance to the famous ‘Water Lilies’ series by impressionist Claude Monet. The creation of gallium nitride is often coined growth, with the fitting result here being the growth of three-dimensional, flower-like structures. 

Clusters of crystalline material form into flowers and ridges on the material surface, resembling waves in a pond in this atomic force micrograph. Atomic force microscopy utilizes a very fine tip probe that scans across a surface to feel the topology of the material underneath. Brushstroke like patterns emerge due to the varying height of the sample, with height differences on the order of one nanometer being resolved here. This 1.5 micron square micrograph of gallium nitride, grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition, was collected with an Asylum MFP-3D atomic force microscope.