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Title: Laterally modulated composition profiles in AlAs/InAs short-period superlattices

Journal Article · · Journal of Applied Physics
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.368921· OSTI ID:664664
; ; ;  [1]; ; ; ; ;  [2]
  1. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401-3393 (United States)
  2. Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-1056 (United States)

Laterally modulated composition profiles in AlAs/InAs short-period superlattices grown by molecular-beam epitaxy under tensile strain on (001) InP are examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and x-ray diffraction {ital K} mapping. Weak, one-dimensional modulation with a wavelength of {lambda}{sub m}=110thinsp{Angstrom} is observed for a period of 1 ML. At 2 ML, the composition profile is irregular, while a two-dimensional network of wire and dot structures with {lambda}{sub m}=130thinsp{Angstrom} occurs at 3 ML. At a high growth rate, 4-ML samples exhibit smooth modulated profiles with {lambda}{sub m}=220thinsp{Angstrom}. When the growth rate is reduced with beam interrupts, sharp profiles develop that show strong alignment in the substrate plane with {lambda}{sub m}=270thinsp{Angstrom}. TEM dark-field image contrast of the modulated profiles is simulated using dynamical diffraction theory to reproduce features observed in experiment. {copyright} {ital 1998 American Institute of Physics.}

OSTI ID:
664664
Journal Information:
Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 84, Issue 11; Other Information: PBD: Dec 1998
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English