The effect of arsenic vapour species on electrical and optical properties of GaAs grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Hall effect, DLTS and low-temperature photoluminescence measurements were used to study the effect of dimeric (As₂) vs tetrameric (As₄) vapour species on the electrical and optical properties of nominally undoped and of Ge-doped GaAs layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The arsenic molecular beam was generated from separate As₂ and As₄ sources, respectively, and from a single source providing an adjustable As₂/As₄ flux ratio. The occurence of the previously described defect related bound exciton lines in the luminescence spectra at 1.504–1.511 eV was found to be directly correlated with the presence of three deep states (M1, M3, M4) which are characteristic of MBE grown GaAs. The intensity of the extra luminescence lines and simultaneously the concentration of the deep electron traps can be reduced substantially simply by decreasing the As₄/As₂ flux ratio. The incorporation of defect related centers as well as of amphoteric dopants like Ge strongly depends on the surface chemistry involved. Therefore, a considerably lower autocompensation ratio in Ge-dopedn-GaAs is obtained with As₂ molecular beam species which provide a higher steady-state arsenic surface population.     

Atomic layer molecular beam epitaxy growth of InAs on GaAs substrates

InAs layers with thickness ranging from 0.1 to 2.5 m have been grown directly on highly mismatched (7.4%) (001) GaAs substrates by atomic layer molecular beam epitaxy (ALMBE). This growth method, based on the modulated deposition of one or both component species, provides InAs layers with excellent flat morphology, independently of the total thickness. A detailed study of the evolution of the electron diffraction (RHEED) pattern indicates that a complete decoupling between the InAs epitaxial layer and the GaAs substrate is reached in less that 10 monolayers. Evidence is obtained that layer-by-layer nucleation takes place from the beginning of the growth.     

Self-organized in-plane incorporation of Si atoms in GaAs by molecular beam epitaxy

The preferential attachment of Si atoms at misorientation steps on vicinal GaAs(001) surfaces has been studied by RHEED. By analysing the time evolution of the specular beam intensity and the change in surface reconstruction during Si deposition we show that a self-organized Si incorporation along the step edges takes place. The observed (3×2) structure is due to an ordered array of dimerized Si atoms with missing dimer rows. Taking into account the structure of the (3×2) unit mesh and its orientation with respect to the As-terminated or Ga-terminated steps, a characteristic minimum in the RHEED intensity recording corresponds to the number of Ga step-edge sites. Since the preferential path for Ga as well as for Si adatom diffusion is along the [110] direction, the critical terrace width for wirelike Si attachment is much larger for a misorientation toward (111)As than for a misorientation toward (111)Ga. Despite the high local impurity concentration, the Si-modified surface can be overgrown with GaAs without adverse effects on the growth front. This is promising for the fabrication of doping wires.     

Heavy carbon doping of AlAs by elemental-source molecular beam epitaxy

Heavily carbon-doped AlAs films with free-hole concentrations in excess of 10¹⁹ cm^–3 have been grown by conventional molecular beam epitaxy using elemental sources. The hole concentration in AlAs:C saturates at 6×10¹⁹ cm^–3 without any detectable deterioration of the smooth surface morphology and of the structural properties. At very high carbon concentrations the lattice contraction due to the smaller covalent radius of carbon leads to an in-plane lattice constant of the AlAs:C films which is even smaller than that of the GaAs substrate. The high freehole concentration and the tunability of the lattice constant are important for application in p-type GaAs/AlAs Bragg reflectors in surface emitting lasers having a low series resistance and a significantly reduced lattice mismatch.     

Molecular beam epitaxy and reconstructed surfaces

In the last years molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) has become a very important method to create new materials. Scattering and channeling of high-energy ions is a mass-dispersive, surface-sensitive crystallographic technique, particularly suited for the investigation of epitaxial systems. The combination of both techniques allows new insight into some of the fundamental processes at interfaces and surfaces. As an example we discuss the influence of substrate reconstruction on epitaxial growth. We show for the Si/Ge and Si/Si systems that the reordering of the reconstruction-induced displacements at the substrate surface, a necessary condition for epitaxial growth, is critically dependent on the type of reconstruction: Deposition of Ge or Si on Si(100)2×1 at room-temperature relieves the reconstruction, whereas Si(111)7×7 appears unaffected. This difference is discussed in terms of structural models for these surfaces. We shall also discuss the implications of these results with respect to MBE and, in particular, to Si homoepitaxial temperatures.     

Lateral variation of quantum-well confinement energy in triangular-shaped dot-like structures grown by molecular beam epitaxy on patterned GaAs (311)A substrates

Received: 13 Oktober 1997/Accepted: 25 January 1998     

Atomic layer molecular beam epitaxy (Almbe) of III–V compounds: Growth modes and applications

A new development of molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) for III–V compounds is described, based on cyclic perturbation of the growth front at atomic layer level by periodic pulsing, alternating or interrupting the molecular beams. The modification of the growth mechanism caused by this perturbations is discussed and related to periodic changes of surface stoichiometry which induce 2D growth mechanism by enhanced layer nucleation.Under appropriate modulation conditions, an atomic layer by layer growth mode can be achieved. A practical implementention of this mode, that we denote atomic layer MBE (ALMBE), is considered in which only group V beams are pulsed in a specially designed effusion cell. A number of growth applications of ALMBE are presented, including growth of highly mismatched heterostructures and short period superlattices containing two different group V elements such as arsenic and phosphorous.     

The simulation of single-crystal growth by molecular beam epitaxy using a kinetic rate-equation model

A computer simulation of Molecular Beam Epitaxial (MBE) growth under typical growth conditions is presented. The method is based on a solution of kinetic rate equations that govern the time dependence of the concentration of islands of varying sizes and differing heights on the top of the surface during the MBE growth. The time dependence for the coverage of each monolayer () is calculated. The mode of the MBE growth is determined by a calculation of the RHEED (Reflection High-Energy Electron Diffraction) intensity. A calculation of the Exposed Coverage (EC) (which is defined as the number of surface atoms in each layer unscreened by other atoms directly above them) and the interface width (IW) (which determines the roughness of the growing surface) serves to confirm the growth mode of the MBE structure. The possible role of these type of calculations in determining the optimized growth conditions for the production of 2D growth in a general materials system is also described.On leave from Department of Microelectronics, Slovak Technical University, Bratislava, Slovakia     

Electrochemical oxidation of La2CuO4 thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Thin insulating and c-axis oriented films of La₂CuO₄ are grown using a molecular beam epitaxy technique. Subsequently, these films are oxidized electrochemically using a 1N KOH solution. This approach is used to induce superconductivity, leading to a maximum T_c0 of 31 K,, measured both resistively and inductively. The surface morphology, lattice constants and the resistivity before and after the electrochemical treatment are compared.     

Coevaporation phosphorus doping in Si grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Phosphorus-doped Si epilayers with bulk-like mobilities were grown by molecular beam epitaxy (Si-MBE) by coevaporation of phosphorus from a tin phosphide source. The behaviour of P doping as a function of growth parameters and of potential enhanced doping indicates a non-unity, almost growth-temperature independent incorporation efficiency with negligible surface segregation -a unique combination among coevaporated dopants in Si-MBE.     

Surface preparation effect of GaAs(110) substrates on the ZnSe epitaxial layer grown by molecular beam epitaxy

The effect of the surface preparation of the GaAs(110) substrate on the ZnSe epitaxial layer grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) was investigated by means of etch-pit density (EPD) measurements, surface morphology observation, and reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) analysis. The ZnSe epitaxial layer grown on a GaAs(110) surface prepared by cleaving the (001)-oriented wafer in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) showed about 5×10⁴ cm^-2 of EPD. This value is much lower than that observed from both the samples grown on the mechanically polished surface with and without a GaAs buffer layer. Due to the non-stoichiometric surface after thermal evaporation of the surface oxide, three-dimensional growth can easily occur on the mechanically polished GaAs(110) substrate. These results suggest that the stoichiometric and atomically flat substrate surface is essential for the growth of low-defect ZnSe epitaxial layers on the GaAs(110) non-polar surface. Received: 21 August 1998 / Accepted: 19 October 1998 / Published online: 28 April 1999     

Surface morphology of highly mismatched InSb films grown on GaAs substrates by molecular beam epitaxy

InSb films on GaAs(001) substrates with and without GaAs buffer layer have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Rather than surface undulations, aligned ripples and pyramidal hillocks along the orthogonal 〈110〉 directions were observed on the surface of InSb films. Both the preferential growth and the termination of ripples were proved to be related to strain‐driven mass transport. A model was proposed to elucidate the formation of the hillocks, which are more efficient to relax strain than ripples. Due to the strain relaxation through hillocks with small bases predominantly, the surfaces of the InSb films grown without a GaAs buffer layer are smoother than those of films grown with a GaAs buffer layer. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Raman spectroscopy of macroscopic defects of GaAs grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Macroscopic defects of the GaAs surface grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) have been investigated by using a micro-probing method of Raman spectroscopy. Especially, the oval defects, the most common macroscopic defects in MBE GaAs, were focused in this study. In Raman spectroscopy for the oval defect on the (100)GaAs surface, TO phonon mode of the 269 cm^–1 peak was observed. This indicates that the oval defects can include the (111) growth direction or the amorphized surface. The TO/LO intensity ratios for the defects are in the range from 0.3 to 1.0. In the sample grown under the condition that the substrate temperature is 580° C with the As/Ga ratio of 20, the density of the oval defects is about 200 cm^–2 at a growth thickness of 5 m. With increasing thickness of the epilayer, the density and the size of the -tye oval defect increased, while the TO/LO ratio decreased. From the spatial measurement by Raman spectroscopy for the -type oval defect, it is supposed that the -type oval defect remains in a rather good crystalline state and its orientation along the (100) growth direction is much closer to the (111) direction, but the growth direction of the defect might tend toward the (100) direction with a thicker layer.     

Molecular beam epitaxy growth of GaAs on an offcut Ge substrate

Molecular beam epitaxy growth of GaAs on an offcut Ge (100) substrate has been systemically investigated. A high quality GaAs/Ge interface and GaAs film on Ge have been achieved. High temperature annealing before GaAs deposition is found to be indispensable to avoid anti-phase domains. The quality of the GaAs film is found to strongly depend on the GaAs/Ge interface and the beginning of GaAs deposition. The reason why both high temperature annealing and GaAs growth temperature can affect epitaxial GaAs film quality is discussed. High quality In_0.17Ga_0.83As/GaAs strained quantum wells have also been achieved on a Ge substrate. Samples show flat surface morphology and narrow photoluminescence line width compared with the same structure sample grown on a GaAs substrate. These results indicate a large application potential for III--V compound semiconductor optoelectronic devices on Ge substrates.     

InGaP/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistor grown by solid-source molecular beam epitaxy with a GaP decomposition source

Lattice-matched InGaP epilayers on GaAs (001) and InGaP/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) were successfully grown by solid-source molecular beam epitaxy (SSMBE) with a GaP decomposition source. A 3 μm thick InGaP epilayer shows that low temperature photoluminescence (PL) peak energy is as large as 1.998 eV, full width at half maximum (FWHM) is 5.26 meV, which is the smallest ever reported, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) rocking curve linewidth is as narrow as that of GaAs substrate. The electron mobilities at room temperature of nominally undoped InGaP layers obtained by Hall measurements are comparable to similar InGaP epilayer grown by solid-source molecular beam epitaxy (SSMBE) with other sources or other growth techniques. The large area InGaP/GaAs HBTs show very good Dc characteristics.     

Transmission electron microscopy study of defects in Sn-doped GaAs films grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Films of GaAs, heavily doped with Sn, which have been grown by molecular-beam epitaxy are found to contain single-crystal Sn particles situated in the nearsurface region of the epilayer GaAs. The morphology and chemical composition of the particles have been examined by using cross-section transmission electron microscopy combined with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. Different growth conditions were used to study the Sn-particle formation and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy was used to investigate microstructures. The observations are discussed in terms of several models previously proposed for these phenomena.     

Observation of triangle pits in PbSe grown by molecular beam epitaxy

PbSe thin films on BaF₂ (1 1 1) were grown by molecular beam epitaxy with different selenium beam flux. Evolution of PbSe surface morphologies with Se/PbSe beam flux ratio (R_f) has been studied by atomic force microscopy and high-resolution X-ray diffraction. Growth spirals with monolayer steps on PbSe surface are obtained using high beam flux ratio, R_f ≥ 0.6. As R_f decreases to 0.3, nano-scale triangle pits are formed on the surface and the surface of PbSe film changes to 3D islands when R_f = 0. Glide of threading dislocations in 〈1 1 0〉{1 0 0}-glide system and Pb-rich atom agglomerations are the formation mechanism of spiral steps and triangle pits. The nano-scale triangle pits formed on PbSe surface may render potential applications in nano technology.     

Investigation of passivation of porous silicon at room temperature

A practical oxidizing technique with ozone has been developed for the passivation of porous silicon (PS) at room temperature. The fundamental role of ozonization may be attributed to the strong oxidizing process for the Si-Hx species and dangling bonds. The subsequent 158 days’ aging effect with the presence of absorbed ozone molecules is very effective for the oxidizing process. At last we achieve a complete replacing Si-Hx coverage with Si-Ox film and Si-alkyl film. The steady increase of photoluminescence (PL) intensity is assigned to the increase in the barrier’s height efficiency and the increase in quantum confinement effect for the silicon nanocrystallites.     

In-Situ High Pressure Raman Spectrum and Electrical Property of PbMoO4

In-situ high pressure Raman spectra and electrical conductivity measurements of scheelite-structure compound PbMoO4 are presented. The Raman spectrum of PbMoO4 is determined up to 26.5 GPa on a powdered sample in a diamond anvil cell （DAC） under nonhydrostatic conditions. The PbMoO4 gradully experiences the trans- formation from the crystal to amorphous between 9.2 and 12.5 GPa. The crystal to amorphous transition may be due to the mechanical deformation and the crystalographic transformation. Furthermore, the electrical conductivity of PbMoO4 is in situ measured accurately using a microcircuit fabricated on a DAC based on the van der Pauw method. The results show that the electrical conductivity of PbMoO4 increases with increases of pressure and temperature. At 26.5 GPa, the electrical conductivity value of PbMoO4 at 295K is 1.93 - 10-4 S/cm, while it raises by one order of magnitude at 430K and reached 3.33 - 10-3 S/cm. However, at 430K, compared with the electrical conductivity value of PbMoO4 at 26.5 GPa, it drops by about two order magnitude at 7.4 GPa and achieves 2.81 × 10^-5 S/cm. This indicates that the effect of pressure on the electrical conductivity of PbMoO4 is more obvious than that of temperature.     

Growth of highly disordered InGaP on (100) GaAs by molecular beam epitaxy with a GaP decomposition source

High-quality, lattice-matched InGaP on exact (100) GaAs was successfully grown by molecular beam epitaxy with a GaP decomposition source. The ordering parameter (η) of the InGaP is investigated as a function of the growth temperature. η is as low as 0.22 and almost insensitive to the growth temperature below 460 °C. It increases abruptly around 475 °C and has a maximum value of 0.35 at ≈490 °C. Double crystal X-ray diffraction and a low-temperature photoluminescence spectrum reveal that the present growth method is robust and provides better quality InGaP compared to other state-of-the-art growth technologies. Received: 20 November 2000 / Accepted: 27 January 2001 / Published online: 21 March 2001