The As vapor pressure dependence of interdiffusion in a hetero-interface at high temperatures was studied by measuring the wavelength shift of the photoluminescence in a multi quantum well. It was found that interdiffusion at a temperature of 850C was minimized by an As pressure of 100torr and was enhanced at both lower and higher As pressures. A degradation of the photoluminescence intensity was observed only at higher As pressures. These effects were attributed to the presence of excess Al and Ga vacancies, and their associated defects.

A.Furuya, O.Wada, A.Takamori, H.Hashimoto: Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, 1987, 26[6], L926-8