Growth-rate distributions of GaAs on alternately inverted GaAs substrates were investigated. Periodic thickness variations of GaAs grown by molecular beam epitaxy on planarized surfaces of alternately inverted GaAs(100) substrates were caused by the anisotropic surface diffusion of Ga atoms. Simulation based on a simple diffusion-equation analysis that takes accounted of the anisotropic diffusion agrees quite well with the measured temperature dependence of the growth-rate distribution. It was also shown that practically flat GaAs surfaces could be attained by molecular beam epitaxy growth at 300C, where the diffusion anisotropy was negligibly small.

Influence of Anisotropic Diffusion of Ga Atoms on GaAs Growth on Alternately Inverted (100) Substrates. T.Yamamura, T.Matsushita, T.Koitabashi, T.Kondo: Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, 2005, 44[46], L1397-9