The low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition of GaAs and InP onto planar Si(111), or patterned Si(001) with V-grooves at the sub- scale, was studied. When InP or GaAs were grown onto planar Si(111), the defect density was reduced by more than an order of magnitude; as compared with layers which were grown onto planar Si(001). In the case of InP/Si(111), an extended hexagonal misfit dislocation network was found near to the interface; with heavy twinning parallel to the interface. In the case of GaAs/Si(111), no twins were detected by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. On sub- V-grooved Si(001), preferential nucleation on the Si(111) facets was found for both InP and GaAs. The InP and GaAs layers became completely plane when less than 1 in thickness. This contrasted with the growth of InP on -grooved Si(001). As-grown and InP layers of comparable thickness on sub- V-grooved Si(001) exhibited full-widths at half maximum X-ray rocking curves which were between those for the planar (001) and (111) cases.

A.Krost, R.F.Schnabel, F.Heinrichsdorff, U.Rossow, D.Bimberg, H.Cerva: Journal of Crystal Growth, 1994, 145[1-4], 314-20