Solid-phase epitaxy for the formation of superlattices based on A3B5 compounds

To form superlattices based on A³B⁵ compounds, it is suggested to use solid-phase epitaxy (SPE) which includes recystallization of super-thin films of stoichiometric composition deposited by laser evaporation on single-crystal plates or films with the same or close composition. The recrystallization temperature is shown to be reduced considerably for the film grains with its curvature differing significantly from zero and which are in contact with their own single-crystal seed having practically zero curvature. The single-crystal multilayer films GaAs-(Al, Ga)As … GaAs were formed at 300°C. The recrystallization rate at this temperature was 40 Å/min. The autocatalytic action of the single-crystal seed strongly reduced the activation energy of the SPE process, which may be due to diffusion in solid phase.