Tensile/compressive and tensile/lattice matched Ga1-xInxAs multilayers were grown by gas-source molecular beam epitaxy on InP(001) and examined by transmission electron microscopy. The tensile layers exhibited undulations parallel to [1¯10] for a lattice mismatch of −0.5% and prismatic mesas for lattice mismatches of −1 and −1.7%. The facets making up the mesas were mainly of the (114)A and (113)A types. These growth modes were accounted for by elastic relaxation mechanisms. The relationship between the various morphologies and lattice mismatch was discussed by reviewing the competition between elastic energy and surface energy. It was shown that the relaxation could be partially or fully frozen by decreasing the growth temperature or increasing the V/III flux ratio. The dependence upon the growth technique was also underlined by comparison with metalorganic vapour phase epitaxy. The modulation anisotropy and the frequent occurrence of (114)A facets were examined in terms of surface reconstruction. It was suggested that the crystallographic morphology of (114)A facets facilitated a reconstruction which was very similar to the regular 2 x 4 reconstruction of the (001) GaAs-As surface. Therefore the exact nature of steps and facets and their surface reconstruction should be taken into account in elastic relaxation mechanisms.

Influence of Stress and Surface Reconstruction on the Morphology of Tensile GaInAs Grown on InP(001) by Gas Source Molecular Beam Epitaxy. A.Ponchet, A.Le Corre, A.Godefroy, S.Salaün, A.Poudoulec: Journal of Crystal Growth, 1995, 153[3-4], 71-80