MBE growth of AlGaAs on patterned GaAs substrates

We have experimentally and theoretically investigated the molecular-beam epitaxy growth of AlGaAs layers on ridge structures of patterned GaAs(0 0 1) substrates. While the surface morphologies were imaged by scanning electron microscopy, the local Al concentrations were mapped by spatially resolved micro-photoluminescence spectroscopy. Both, the surface morphologies and the profiles of the Al concentration could be well modeled by calculations based on a rate-equation which accounts for the migration of Ga adatoms and for the different growth rates of GaAs and AlAs.