EFFECTIVE-MASS THEORY FOR SUPERLATTICES GROWN ON (11N)-ORIENTED SUBSTRATES

An effective-mass formulation for superlattices grown on (11N)-oriented substrates is given. It is found that, for GaAs/AlxGa1-xAs superlattices, the hole subband structure and related properties are sensitive to the orientation because of the large anisotropy of the valence band. The energy-level positions for the heavy hole and the optical transition matrix elements for the light hole apparently change with orientation. The heavy- and light-hole energy levels at k parallel-to = 0 can be calculated separately by taking the classical effective mass in the growth direction. Under a uniaxial stress along the growth direction, the energy levels of the heavy and light holes shift down and up, respectively; at a critical stress, the first heavy- and light-hole energy levels cross over. The energy shifts caused by the uniaxial stress are largest for the (111) case and smallest for the (001) case. The optical transition matrix elements change substantially after the crossover of the first heavy- and light-hole energy has occurred.

Ge composition saturation behavior during low-temperature Si1-xGex growth by disilane and solid Ge molecular beam epitaxy

Ge composition dependence on the Ge cell temperature has been studied during the growth of Si1-xGex by disilane and solid Ge molecular beam epitaxy at a substrate temperature of 500 degrees C. It is found that the composition x increases and then saturates when the Ge cell temperature increases, which is different from the composition-dependent behavior in growth at high temperature as well as in growth by molecular beam epitaxy using disilane and germane. The enhanced hydrogen desorption from a Ge site alone cannot account for this abnormal composition-variation behavior. We attribute this behavior to the increase of rate constant of H desorption on a Si site when the Ge cell temperature increases.

Growth of high-quality relaxed In0.3Ga0.7As/GaAs superlattices

With a low strained InxGa1-xAs/GaAs(x similar to 0.01) superlattice (SL) buffer layer, the crystal quality of 50 period relaxed In0.3Ga0.7As/GaAs strained SLs has been greatly improved and over 13 satellite peaks are observed from X-ray double-crystal diffraction, compared with three peaks in the sample without the buffer layer. Cross-section transmission electron microscopy reveals that the dislocations due to superlattice strain relaxation are blocked by the SLs itself and are buried into the buffer layer. The role of the SL buffer layer lies in that the number of the dislocations is reduced in two ways: (1) the island formation is avoided and (2) the initial nucleation of the threading dislocations is retarded by the high-quality growth of the SL buffer layer. When the dislocation pinning becomes weak as a result of the reduced dislocation density, the SLs can effectively move the threading dislocations to the edge of the wafer.

Optical characterization of InAs monolayer quantum structures grown on (311)A, (311)B, and (100)GaAs substrates

Low-temperature photoluminescence and excitation spectra from InAs monolayer quantum structures, grown on (311)A, (311)B, and (100) GaAs substrates, are investigated, The structures were grown simultaneously by conventional molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE), The experimental results show that the quality of InAs monolayer on (311)B GaAs substrate is obviously better in crystal quality than those on the two other oriented GaAs substrates. In addition, the transition peaks of the InAs layer grown on (311) GaAs substrates shift to higher energy with respect to that from the InAs layer grown on (100) GaAs substrate.

Growth of GaN layers on GaAs and GaP (111) and (001) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy

Films of GaN have been grown using a modified MBE technique in which the active nitrogen is supplied from an RF plasma source. Wurtzite films grown on (001) oriented GaAs substrates show highly defective, ordered polycrystalline growth with a columnar structure, the (0001) planes of the layers being parallel to the (001) planes of the GaAs substrate. Films grown using a coincident As flux, however, have a single crystal zinc-blende growth mode. They have better structural and optical properties. To improve the properties of the wurtzite films we have studied the growth of such films on (111) oriented GaAs and GaP substrates. The improved structural properties of such films, assessed using X-ray and TEM method, correlate with better low-temperature FL.

Stoichiometric defects in semi-insulating GaAs

The influences of arsenic interstitials and dislocations on the lattice parameters of undoped semi-insulating (SI) GaAs single crystals were analyzed. It was shown that the dislocations in such crystals serve as effective gettering sites for arsenic interstitials due to the deformation energy of dislocations. The average excess arsenic in GaAs epilayers grown by molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) at low temperatures (LT) is about 1%, and the lattice parameters of these epilayers are larger than those of liquid-encapsulated Czochralski-grown (LEG) SI-GaAs by about 0.1%. The atomic ratio, [As]/([Ga] + [As]), in SI-GaAs grown by low-pressure (LP) LEC is the nearest to the strict stoichiometry compared with those grown by high-pressure (HP) LEC and vertical gradient freeze (VGF). After multiple wafer annealing (MWA), the crystals grown by HPLEC become closer to be strictly stoichiometric.

Donor acceptor pair in molecular beam epitaxy grown GaN

We have recently found evidence of new donor acceptor pair (DAP) luminescence in molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) grown films. A variety of nominally undoped samples have been studied by photoluminescence (PL) over a temperature range of 5-300 K. The samples show intensive luminescence al energies of 3.404-3.413 eV varying with different sample at 5 K, as well as a fairly strong (DX)-X-0 line at low temperature. We attribute the Line at 3.404-3.413 eV to DAP recombination which is over 0.1 eV different from the well known DAP caused by ME-doping in GaN. The DAP line shows fine structure. it even predominates in one particular sample. The peak position shifts to higher energy with temperature increasing from 5 up to 70 K, and as the excitation laser intensity increases. The data are consistent with DAP luminescence involving an acceptor level of about 90 meV (presumably carbon) above the valence band edge in GaN. It is much shallower than the acceptor level of 250 meV produced by the p-type dopant Mg which is commonly used at present. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.

Study of double barrier superlattice by synchrotron radiation and double-crystal x-ray diffraction

An (A1As/GaAs/A1As/A1GaAs)/GaAs(001) double-barrier superlattice grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) is studied by combining synchrotron radiation and double-crystal x-ray diffraction (DCD). The intensity of satellite peaks is modulated by the wave function of each sublayer in one superlattice period. Simulated by the x-ray dynamical diffraction theory, it is discovered that the intensity of the satellite peaks situated near the modulating wave node point of each sublayer is very sensitive to the variation of the layer structural parameters, The accurate layer thickness of each sublayer is obtained with an error less than 1 Angstrom. Furthermore, x-ray kinematical diffraction theory is used to explain the modulation phenomenon. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.

CHARACTERISTICS OF OXIDES FORMED FROM A SI0.5GE0.5

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) combined with Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) have been used to study the oxides from a Si0.5Ge0.5 alloy grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The oxidation was performed at 1000 degrees C wet atmosphere. The oxide consists of two layers: a mixed (Si,Ge)O-x layer near the surface and a pure SiOx layer underneath. Ge is rejected from the pure SiOx and piles up at the SiOx/SiGe interface. XPS analysis demonstrates that the chemical shifts of Si 2p and Ge 3d in the oxidized Si0.5Ge0.5 are significantly larger than those in SiO2 and GeO2 formed from pure Si and Ge crystals.

BACKGATING AND LIGHT SENSITIVITY IN GAAS METAL-SEMICONDUCTOR FIELD-EFFECT TRANSISTORS

Three different types of GaAs metal-semiconductor field effect transistors (MESFET) by employing ion implantation, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and low-temperature MBE (LT MBE) techniques respectively were fabricated and studied in detail. The backgating (sidegating) measurement in the dark and in the light were carried out. For the LT MBE-GaAs buffered MESFETs, the output resistance R(d) and the peak transconductance g(m) were measured to be above 50 k Omega and 140 mS/mm, respectively, and the backgating and light sensitivity were eliminated. A theoretical model describing the light sensitivity in these kinds of devices is given. and good agreement with experimental data is reached.

射频分子束外延生长AlInGaN四元合金

利用射频等离子体辅助分子束外延(RF-MBE)技术在蓝宝石衬底上外延了铝铟镓氮(AlInGaN)四元合金,通过改变Al源的束流生长了不同组分的AlInGaN四元合金,材料生长过程中采用反射式高能电子衍射(RHEED)进行了在位检测.通过扫描电镜(SEM)、卢瑟福背散射(RBS)、X射线衍射(XRD)和阴极荧光(CL)等测试手段表征了AlInGaN四元合金的结构和光学特性.研究结果表明:在GaN层上生长AlInGaN外延层时,外延膜呈二维生长;当铝炉的温度为920℃时,外延AlInGaN四元合金外延薄膜中Al/In接近4.7,X射线衍射摇摆曲线的半高宽最小为5arcmin,四元合金的阴极荧光发光峰的半高宽为25nm,AlInGaN四元合金外延层具有较好的晶体质量和光学质量.

InAs/GaSb Ⅱ型超晶格的拉曼和光致发光光谱

采用分子束外延(MBE)技术,在GaSb(100)衬底上外延生长晶体结构完整和表面平整的Ⅱ型超晶格InAs(1.2 am)/GaSb(2.4 am).拉曼光谱表明:随着温度从70 K升高至室温,由于热膨胀作用和光声子散射过程中的衰减,超晶格纵光学声子拉曼频移向低波数方向移动5 cm~(-1),频移温度系数约为0.023 cm~(-1)/K.光致发光(PL)峰在2.4～2.8 μm,由带间辐射复合和束缚激子复合构成,2.55 μm PL峰随温度变化(15～150 K)发生微小红移,超晶格中InAs电子带与GaSb空穴带带间距随温度变化比体材料的禁带宽度小.PL发光强度在15～50 K随温度升高而升高,在60～150 K则相反,并在不同温度段表现出不同的温度依赖关系.

GaAs基短周期InAs/GaSb超晶格红外探测器研究

采用分子束外延(MBE)方法,在(001)GaAs衬底上生长了短周期Ⅱ型超晶格(SLs):InAs/GaSb (2ML/8ML)和InAs/GaSb (8ML/8ML).从X射线衍射(HRXRD)中计算出超晶格周期分别为31.2(A)和57.3(A).室温红外透射光谱表明两种超晶格结构在短波2.1μm和中波5μm处有明显吸收.通过腐蚀、光刻和欧姆接触,制备了短波和中波的单元光导探测器.在室温和低温下进行光谱响应测试和黑体测试,77K下,50%截止波长分别为2.1μm和5.0μm,黑体探测率D~·_(bb)均超过2×10~8cmHz~(1/2)/W.室温下短波探测器D~·_(bb)超过10~8cmHz~(1/2)/W.

可用于弱光探测器的量子线研究进展

以量子线作为导电沟道的场效应弱光探测器可在低工作电压下达到很高灵敏度.文章主要对可用于此种弱光探测器的V型和脊形量子线的生长机理和制备方法进行综述,给出了量子线的PL测试结果.采用MBE外延生长法在V型槽图形衬底上生长了OaAs/AlGaAs量子线FET外延结构,扫描电子显微镜下初步判定在V型槽底部形成了截面近三角形的量子线结构.

InGaAs/InAlAs雪崩光电二极管仿真设计

设计了一种InGaAs/InAlAs雪崩光电二极管(APD),并利用MEDICI软件进行了模拟仿真。器件采用背入射探测方式。雪崩增益区采用埋层设计,省略了保护环等结构;并使用双层掺杂,有效降低了增益区电场的梯度变化。由于结构简单,因此仅需要利用分子束外延(MBE)生长精确控制每层结构即可。由于InAlAs材料的空穴与电子的离化率有较大的差异,因此器件具有较低的噪声因子。