Transmission electron microscopic, photoluminescence and low-temperature reflectance techniques were used to characterize hetero-epitaxial (111) layers which had been grown, by means of molecular beam epitaxy, directly onto nominally flat or misoriented Si(001) substrates. The transmission electron microscope observations confirmed that a 1 deviation, towards [110], of the Si(001) substrate suppressed the formation of double domains. Increasing the azimuthal deviation angle, relative to [110], suppressed twin formation. Under optimum growth conditions, residual twinning defects disappeared within some 2 of the substrate.

S.C.Y.Tsen, D.J.Smith, J.W.Hutchins, B.J.Skromme, Y.P.Chen, S.Sivananthan: Journal of Crystal Growth, 1996, 159, 58-63