Aspects of low heterostructure symmetry in (311)A (In,Ga)As/GaAs

We investigate the structural and optical properties of (In,Ga)As/GaAs heterostructures induced by the low symmetry of the [311]A orientation. High-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRDXD) measurements reveal the existence of a shear-strained unit cell. The onset of relaxation in heavily strained structures leads to pronounced anisotropies and to satellite splittings in the X-ray diffraction patterns. Optical investigations indicate that the impact of the piezoelectric fields on the ground state energy is compensated for by In segregation. Nevertheless these fields cause a pronounced reduction of the excitonic binding energy in the (311)A structures.