Secondary ion mass spectrometry and cathodoluminescence spectroscopy were used to determine the effects that growth and post-growth conditions had on interdiffusion and near-bandedge emissions in In0.53Ga0.47As/InP heterojunctions grown by molecular beam epitaxy. This lattice-matched interface represented a model system for the study of atomic movements and electronic changes with controlled anion overlap during growth. Structures subjected to annealing at 440 to 495C provided a quantitative measure of the concentration-driven cross-diffusion of group-III and group-V atoms. By measuring annealing-induced broadening at the InGaAs/InP interface, an activation energy of about 2.44eV was determined for As diffusion into InP. An interface layer with Ga–P bonds indicated that Ga competed favorably with As for bonding in the pre-annealed InP near-surface region. Evidence was also presented that interface chemical effects were seen electronically as variations of the InGaAs band-gap energy.

Atomic Layer Diffusion and Electronic Structure at In0.53Ga0.47As/InP Interfaces. P.E.Smith, S.H.Goss, S.T.Bradley, M.K.Hudait, Y.Lin, S.A.Ringel, L.J.Brillson: Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B, 2004, 22[2], 554-9