A double buffer layer (DBL), interface reaction epitaxy (IRE) AlN/beta-Si3N4/Si, grown by an IRE of beta-Si3N4 and AlN films on Si, was fabricated to improve the crystalline quality of successively grown 30 nm GaN on a 30 nm AlN buffer layer using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PA-MBE). The DBL was first prepared by surface nitridation of Si and successively prepared by IRE between the deposited Al and N atoms in beta-Si3N4. Both the AlN buffer layer on the DBL and GaN film on the AlN buffer layer were grown by activity-modulation migration enhanced epitaxy (AM-MEE). Hetero epitaxial grown films of GaN(30 nm)/AlN buffer(30 nm)/DBL/Si(1 1 1) were prepared for analysis using a three layer model of grazing incidence-angle X-ray reflectivity (GIXR), which consisted of three layers of GaN, AlN buffer and Si and of the three interfaces of the GaN surface, GaN/AlN buffer and AlN buffer/DBL/Si. The nitridation temperature dependence of the interface roughness of the DBL was measured to be 0.5 and 0.6 nm, for nitridation temperatures of 780 and 830 degrees C, respectively. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) of rocking curve GaN(0 0 0 2) measured by X-ray diffraction (XRD) for nitridation temperatures of 780 and 830 degrees C were 58.2 and 55.2 arcmin, respectively. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.