α-Sn thin film grown on GaAs substrate by MBE and investigation of its multiquantum well structure

α-Sn thin films have been grown on GaAs (001) single crystal substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The α-Sn growth process has been characterizedin situ by reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED), and the transmission electron microscope (TEM) was used to analyze the interface structures. The measurement results indicate that our metastable a-Sn films have both higher temperature stability which increases by 30°C (from 70 to 100°C) and thickness stability which increases by 200 nm (from 500 to 700 nm) in comparison with previous reports. Other improvements in electrical properties have also been observed. In addition, a new model of multiquantum well structure has been suggested. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 69586001).