Ordered domain structures of nitrogen-doped GaInP layers grown by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies have been performed on organometallic vapor phase epitaxial GaInP heterostructures grown on (001) GaAs singular and vicinal substrates to investigate nitrogen doping effect on the ordering and domain structures. TEM results show that well-defined order–disorder–order heterostructures are formed when nitrogen doping level is high. This indicates that nitrogen hinders the occurrence of ordering. For the singular samples, ordered domain structures are found to be dependent on the nitrogen doping level of the underlying layer, on which they are grown. The doping dependence of ordered structures and the formation of anti-phase boundaries are described based on surface undulations (i.e., hillocks) and step configuration.