Non-polar (1 1 2¯ 0) GaN has been successfully grown on (0 0 1) LaAlO
3 (LAO) substrate by
pulsed laser deposition method. The nitrogen plasma is essential to grow pure
a-plane GaN films. The insertion of a ZnO buffer layer improves the quality of GaN thin film as shown by X-ray diffraction. Reflection high energy electron diffraction and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy with selected area diffraction reveal two types of
a-plane GaN domains perpendicular to each other in orientation relationships of [0 0 0 1]
GaN![short parallel short parallel](http://www.sciencedirect.com/scidirimg/entities/2225.gif)
[1 1¯ 0]
LAO and [1 1¯ 00]
GaN![short parallel short parallel](http://www.sciencedirect.com/scidirimg/entities/2225.gif)
[1 1¯ 0]
LAO.