Diffusion and interdiffusion in Zn-disordered AlAs-GaAs superlattices

Several superlattices (SL's) with different layer thicknesses, grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), were disordered via low temperature (550?600°C) Zn diffusions to investigate layer thickness effects on both the Zn diffusion process and the Al-Ga interdiffusion process. The Zn diffusion coefficients were measured using secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and found to be ?10^?12 cm²/sec, increasing somewhat with decreasing layer thickness. The activation energy for the Zn diffusion process ranged from 3.1 eV for an 1100Å/period SL to 2.1 eV for a 320Å/period SL. The Al-Ga interdiffusion coefficient and the activation energy associated with the interdiffusion process were calculated from AES depth profiles. The coefficient is on the order of 10^?16 cm²/sec and the activation energy is approximately 1 eV, independent of the SL layer thickness.