It was shown that implantation of O (a basically non-dopant impurity), after adequate high-temperature furnace annealing (750C, 1h), led to significant interdiffusion of group-III atoms in molecular beam epitaxially grown In0.53Ga0.47As-In0.52Al0.48As multi-quantum wells. Photoluminescence and Auger electron spectroscopic measurements (coupled with Ar+ ion etching) were used to monitor the disordering of multi-quantum wells which were implanted with O (5 x 1013 to 5 x 1014/cm2) and then annealed by using either rapid thermal annealing or long-term furnace annealing. The role which was played by O in enhancing Ga interdiffusion was unambiguously established, and a tentative explanation for this was based upon the possible migration of O in these multi-quantum wells.

E.V.K.Rao, P.Ossart, H.Thibierge, M.Quillec, P.Krauz: Applied Physics Letters, 1990, 57[21], 2190-2