Strain from modified interface compositions in InGaAs/InP superlattices

Thin strained regions have been inserted at the interfaces of lattice-matched InGaAs/lnP superlattices to assess growth conditions for tailoring of localized compositional changes and for studying As-P intermixing behavior during heterojunction growth. Also, precise growth rates of binary composition layers were determined from specially designed superlattices using strained layers of common anion compounds inserted periodically into InP and GaAs. Growth rates of fractional monolayers are found to be identical to thick layer growth rates. When thin InAs, GaAs, GaP, ALAs, or AIP layers were inserted at the InGaAs/lnP heterojunctions, the measured strain at either one or both interfaces was equal to the strain predicted from the growth rate x time product. Excess strain seen in some cases is due to a change in As-P intermixing and this component can be separated from the predicted strain. Insertion of Ga-compounds at the InP-grown-on-InGaAs interface causes interface roughening which degrades the superlattice. For all other compositions the thin, highly strained regions are not detrimental to the crystalline quality of the periodic structure.     

Surface photoabsorption monitoring of the growth of GaAs and InGaAs at 650°C by MOCVD

By monitoring the cyclic behavior of surface photoabsorption (SPA) reflectance changes during the growth of GaAs at 650°C and with sufficient H₂ purging time between the supply of trimethylgallium and AsH₃, we have been able to achieve controlled growth of GaAs down to a monolayer. Our results show, as confirmed by photoluminescence (PL) measurements, the possibility of growing highly accurate quantum well heterostructures by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition at conventional growth temperatures. We also present our PL measurements on the InGaAs single quantum wells grown at this temperature by monitoring the SPA signal.     

InGaAs/GaAs应变量子阱激光器MOCVD生长研究

采用金属有机物化学气相淀积(MOCVD)方法生长了InGaAs/GaAs应变量子阱(QW),通过降低生长温度、提高生长速度以及采用应变缓冲层(SBL)结构,改善了应变QW生长表面质量和器件荧光(PL)谱特性,实验表明,通过优化工艺条件和采用SBL等手段提高了应变QW质量。生长的QW结构用于1054 nm激光器的制作,经测试,器件具有较低的阈值电流和较高的单面斜率效率,性能较好。     

Electron microscope studies of InxGav1−xAs/GaAs/Si grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

The microstructure of In_xGa_1−xAs/GaAs (5 nm/5 nm, x < 0 to 1.0), as grown by a metalorganic chemical vapor deposition two-step growth technique on Si(100) at 450‡C, and subsequently annealed at 750‡C, is investigated using plan-view and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. The variations in resultant island morphology and strain as a function of the In content were examined through the comparison of the misfit dislocation arrays and moirés observed. The results are discussed in relation to the ways in which the island relaxation process changes for high In content.     

MOCVD生长1．06μm InGaAs／GaAs量子阱LDs

用低压MOCVD生长应变InGaAs/GaAs量子阱,采用中断生长、应变缓冲层(SBL)、改变生长速度和调节Ⅴ/Ⅲ等方法改善InGaAs/GaAs量子阱的光致发光(PL)质量。PL结果表明,10s生长中断结合适当的SBL生长的量子阱PL谱较好。该量子阱应用于1.06μm激光器的制备,未镀膜的宽条激光器(100μm×1000μm)有低阈值电流密度(110A/cm2)和高的斜率效率(0.256W/A,per.facet)。     

InGaAs quantum dots formed in tetrahedral-shaped recesses on GaAs (111)B grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

Novel semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), grown in tetrahedral-shaped recesses (TSRs) formed on a (111)B GaAs substrate, are described from both material science and device application points of view. After explaining the fabrication procedure for TSRs, growth of InGaAs QDs and their optical properties are explained. It is revealed that an InGaAs QD of indium-rich chemical composition is formed spontaneously at the bottom of each TSR. The mechanism of the QD formation is discussed in detail. It is proved from magneto-photoluminescence that the QDs actually have optical properties peculiar to zero-dimensional confinement. Several experimental results indicating excellent growth controllability of the QDs are presented. Finally, recent challenges to apply the QDs to electronic memory devices are reported. Two kinds of devices, where the position of individual QD is artificially controlled, are proposed for the first time and the preliminary experimental results are explained.     

In-situ monitoring and control for MOCVD growth of AlGaAs and InGaAs

We have used spectroscopic ellipsometry to perform real-time monitoring during metalorganic chemical vapor deposition growth of AlGaAs (on GaAs) and InGaAs (on GaAs and InP). Optical constants for these materials were obtained up to growth temperatures of 600 to 700°C. This information permits real-time extraction of composition and layer thickness from the raw ellipsometric data at sample rates on the order of 0.5 Hz. We describe closed-loop control of composition and total layer thickness on AlGaAs-based structures, including Bragg reflectors. In-situ data obtained on double-heterostructure quantum-well laser structures demonstrate that spectroscopic ellipsometry is an extremely powerful monitoring and quality-control tool, giving important real-time information on complex structures that would be difficult and time-consuming to obtain after growth.     

LP-MOCVD grown (lnAs)m(GaAs)m short period superlattices on InP

(InAs)_m(GaAs)_m (1 ≤ m ≤ 12) short period superlattices (SPSs) have been grown on semi-insulated InP substrates with a 200 nm InP cap layer using low pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). According to double crystal x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy results, the critical layer thickness of (InAs)_m(GaAs)_m SPS was observed to be ～30Å (m = 5). For the SPS below the critical layer thickness, mirror-like surface morphology was found without defects, and strong intensity Fourier transformed photoluminescence (FT-PL) spectra were also obtained at room temperature. The SPS with m = 4 showed a drastic improvement in photoluminescence intensity of order of two compared to an InGaAs ternary layer. However, the SPS with a large value of m (m ≥ 6), rough surface was observed with defects, with broad and weak FT-PL spectra. The surface morphology of SPS was greatly affected by the substrate orientation. The SPS with m = 5 was grown on two degree tilted substrate from (100) direction and showed poor surface morphology as compared to the one grown on (100) exact substrate Moreover, the SPS grown on a (111)B substrate showed a rough triangular pattern with Nomarski optical microscopy. In-situ thermal annealed SPS with m = 4 showed a 18 meV increase in PL peak energy compared to the as-grown sample due to phase separation resulting from thermal interdiffusion.     

Interdiffusion and relaxation in metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy grown InGaAs/GaAs strained layer quantum wells

Low pressure metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy grown strained InGaAs/GaAs quantum well structures have been characterized by photoluminescence and x-ray diffraction. It is shown that beyond the pseudomorphic limit, these structures show considerable gallium/indium interdiffusion at the interfaces and partial strain relaxation in the quantum well layers.     

Metalorganic chemical vapor deposition growth and characterization of InGaP/GaAs superlattices

Lattice-matched In_0.49Ga_0.51P/GaAs superlattices were grown on (001) GaAs substrates using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The interface properties were characterized by photoluminescence, transmission electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction. By varying the growth temperature, the precursor flow rates, and the growth interruption at the interfaces, we found that, while arsenic and phosphorus carry over have some effect on the formation of a low-bandgap InGaAsP quaternary layer at the interfaces, the In surface segregation seems to play an important role in the formation of the interface quaternary layer. Evidence of this indium segregation comes from x-ray and photoluminescence studies of samples grown at different temperatures. These studies show that the formation of an interfacial layer is more prominent when the growth temperature is higher. Growing a thin (∼1 monolayer thick) GaP intentional interfacial layer on top of the InGaP before the growth of the GaAs layer at the P→As transition effectively suppresses the formation of the low-bandgap unintentional interface layer. On the other hand, the growth of a thin GaAsP (or GaP) layer before the growth of the InGaP layer, at the As→P transition increases the formation of a low-bandgap interfacial layer. This nonequivalent effect of a GaP layer at the two interfaces on the PL properties is discussed.     

Wavelength tuning in strained layer InGaAs-GaAs-AlGaAs quantum well lasers by selective-area MOCVD

Selective-area growth and regrowth using conventional atmospheric pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition is investigated for wavelength tuning in strained layer In_xGa_1-xAsGaAs-Al_y Ga_1-yAs quantum well lasers. Growth inhibition from a silicon dioxide mask is the mechanism used for the selective-area growth rate enhancement. By varying the width of the oxide stripe opening, differences in the growth rate yield different quantum well thicknesses, and hence different lasing wavelengths for devices on the same wafer. Both two-and three-step growth processes are utilized for selective-area epitaxy of strained layer In_xGa_1-xAs-GaAs quantum well active regions, with lasers successfully fabricated from the three-step growth. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy indicate that the absence of an oxide mask during Al_yGa_1-yAs growth is essential for successful device operation. A wide wavelength tuning range of over 630Å is achieved for lasers grown on the same substrate.     

The effects of laser irradiation on InGaAs/GaAs multiple quantum wells grown by metalorganic molecular beam epitaxy

We studied the effects of Ar ion laser irradiation during the growth of InGaAs/ GaAs multiple quantum wells (MQW) structures by metalorganic molecular beam epitaxy. Structural and optical properties were characterized by Nomarski microscopy, Dektak stylus profiler, and low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) measurements. For MQW structures grown at a relatively low substrate temperature (500°C), the laser irradiation influences greatly the growth process of the In^Ga^^As well and results in a large blue shift of about 2000à in the PL peak. Such a large blue shift suggests that laser modification during growth could have some novel applications in optoelectronics. On the other hand, the laser irradiation has relatively small effects on samples grown at a higher substrate temperature (550°C).     

Passivation of carbon acceptors during growth of carbon-doped GaAs,InGaAs, and HBTs by MOCVD

Carbon dopedp-type GaAs and In_0.53Ga_0.47As epitaxial layers have been grown by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition using CC1₄ as the carbon source. Low-temperature post-growth annealing resulted in a significant increase in the hole concentration for both GaAs and In_0.53Ga_0.47As, especially at high doping levels. The most heavily doped GaAs sample had a hole concentration of 3.6 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³ after a 5 minute anneal at ≈400° C in N₂, while the hole concentration in In_0.53Ga_0.47As reached 1.6 × 10¹⁹ cm⁻³ after annealing. This annealing behavior is attributed to hydrogen passivation of carbon acceptors. Post-growth cool-down in an AsH₃/H₂ ambient was found to be the most important factor affecting the degree of passivation for single, uncapped GaAs layers. No evidence of passivation is observed in the base region of InGaP/GaAs HBTs grown at ≈625° C. The effect ofn-type cap layers and cool-down sequence on passivation of C-doped InGaAs grown at ≈525° C shows that hydrogen can come from AsH₃, PH₃, or H₂, and can be incorporated during growth and during the post-growth cool-down. In the case of InP/InGaAs HBTs, significant passivation was found to occur in the C-doped base region.     

Interface strain in organometallic vapor phase epitaxy grown InGaAs/InP superlattices

The spatial distribution of strain in organometallic vapor phase epitaxy grown InGaAs/InP superlattice structures has been studied by varying the thicknesses of the InGaAs well and the InP barrier layers and measuring the strain. High resolution x-ray diffraction rocking curves were used to measure the strain from angular separation between the zeroth-order superlattice peak and the substrate (004) peak. The results are consistent with a compressive strain resulting from arsenic carryover into the InP following InGaAs growth. The strain is not localized at the interfaces but extends into the InP barrier layer. The amount of arsenic carryover increases with the growth time of the InGaAs well.     

Ion beam mixing of silicon-germanium thin films

An overview of processing silicon-germanium (Si-Ge) alloys for various applications is presented here. Several methods of formation are briefly summarized. In particular, results of preliminary experiments on ion-beam mixing of Si-Ge layered structures deposited by physical vapor deposition and subsequently ion implanted with varying doses of argon are presented. Different layered structures have been designed and mixed to obtain optimal process conditions. The ion beam mixing process yields films with a gradual band-gap variation from 1.12 eV to 0.85 eV, thus allowing quite a wider spectrum of wavelengths to be absorbed. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) has been used to characterize the nature and extent of the mixing of as-deposited and irradiated films.     

Growth,characterization, and modeling of ternary InGaAs-GaAs quantum wells by selective-area metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

A computational diffusion model is used to predict thickness and composition profiles of ternary In_xGa_1-xAs quantum wells grown by selective-area, atmospheric pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), and its accuracy is investigated. The model utilizes diffusion equations and boundary conditions derived from basic MOCVD theory, with reaction parameters derived from experimental results, to predict the concentration of each column III constituent throughout the concentration boundary layer. Solutions to these equations are found using the two-dimensional, finite element method. The growth thickness profiles of GaAs, InP, and In_xGa_1-xAs deposited by selective-area MOCVD are observed by conventional profilometry, and compositions are measured indirectly by laser emission wavelengths. The data presented show that the model accurately predicts growth thickness and composition profiles of ternary III-V materials grown by selective-area MOCVD.     

AlGaAs/GaAs quantum well infrared photodetector focal plane array based on MOCVD technology

128 × 128, 128 × 160 and 256 × 256 AlGaAs/ GaAs quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP) focal plane arrays (FPA) as well as a large area test device are designed and fabricated. The device with n-doped back-illuminated AIGaAs/GaAs quantum structure is achieved by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) epitaxial growth and GaAs integrated circuit processing technology. The test device is valued by its dark current performance and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra at 77 K. Cut off wavelengths of 9 and 10.9 μm are realized by using different epitaxial structures. The blackbody detectivity DB* is as high as 2.6 × 109 cm· Hz1/2·W-1. The 128 × 128 FPA is flip-chip bonded on a CMOS readout integrated circuit with indium (In) bumps. The infrared thermal images of some targets under room temperature background have been successfully demonstrated at 80 K operating temperature. In addition, the methods to further improve the image quality are discussed.     

Poly- and single-crystalline h-GaN grown on SiCN/Si(100) and SiCN/Si(111) substrates by MOCVD

This paper reports the growth of polycrystalline GaN on Si(100) and single-crystalline h-GaN on Si(111) substrates with a single-crystalline SiCN burffer layer by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). From high-resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD) and scanning election microscopy (SEM) analyses, GaN on SiCN/Si(100) is polycrystalline and GaN on SiCN/Si(111) is single-crystalline. From photoluminescence analysis, the energy gaps of h-GaN/SiCN/Si(100) and c-GaN/SiCN/Si(100) are ∼3.4 and ∼3.2 eV at 300 K but shift to 3.5 and 3.3 eV at 15 K, respectively. A model to explain the growth mechanism is also proposed.     

The impact of MOCVD growth ambient on carrier transport,defects, and performance of CdTe/CdS heterojunction solar cells

CdTe solar cells were fabricated by depositing CdTe films on CdS/SnO₂/glass substrates in various metalorganic chemical vapor deposition growth ambient with varying Te/Cd mole ratio in the range of 0.02 to 15. The short-circuit current density (J_sc) showed a minimum at a Te/Cd ratio of 0.1 and increased on both sides of this minimum. The open-circuit voltage (V_oc) was found to be the highest for the Te-rich growth ambient (Te/Cd∼6)and was appreciably lower (600 mV as opposed to 720 mV) for the stoichiometric and the Cd-rich growth conditions. This pattern resulted in highest cell efficiency (12%) on Te-rich CdTe films. Auger electron spectroscopy revealed a high degree of atomic interdiffusion at the CdS/CdTe interface when the CdTe films were grown in the Te-rich conditions. It was found that the current transport in the cells grown in the Cd-rich ambient was controlled by the tunneling/interface recombination mechanism, but the depletion region recombination became dominant in the Te-rich cells. These observations suggest that the enhanced interdiffusion reduces interface states due to stress reduction or to the gradual transition from CdS to CdTe. The hypothesis of reduced defect density in the CdTe cells grown in the Te-rich conditions is further supported by the high effective lifetime, measured by time-resolved photoluminescence, and the reduced sensitivity of quantum efficiency to forward/light bias.     

Characterization of very high purity InAs grown using trimethylindium and tertiarybutylarsine

The growth of high purity InAs by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition is reported using tertiarybutylarsine and trimethylindiμm. Specular surfaces were obtained for bulk 5-10 μm thick InAs growth on GaAs substrates over a wide range of growth conditions by using a two-step growth method involving a low temperature nucleation layer of InAs. Structural characterization was performed using atomic force microscopy and x-ray diffractometry. The transport data are complicated by a competition between bulk conduction and conduction due to a surface accumulation layer with roughly 2–4 × 10¹² cm⁻² carriers. This is clearly demonstrated by the temperature dependent Hall data. Average Hall mobilities as high as 1.2 x 10⁵ cm²/Vs at 50K are observed in a 10 μm sample grown at 540°C. Field-dependent Hall measurements indicate that the fitted bulk mobility is much higher for this sample, approximately 1.8 × 10⁵ cm²/Vs. Samples grown on InAs substrates were measured using high resolution Fourier transform photoluminescence spectroscopy and reveal new excitonic and impurity band emissions in InAs including acceptor bound exciton “two hole transitions.” Two distinct shallow acceptor species of unknown chemical identity have been observed.