skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Spontaneous lateral modulation in short-period superlattices investigated by grazing-incidence x-ray diffraction

Journal Article · · Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;  [1]
  1. Institute of Condensed Matter Physics, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, 611 37 Brno (Czech Republic)

The process of spontaneous lateral composition modulation in short-period InAs/AlAs superlattices has been investigated by grazing-incidence x-ray diffraction. We have developed a theoretical description of x-ray scattering from laterally modulated structures that makes it possible to determine the lateral composition modulation directly without assuming any structure model. From experimental intensity distributions in reciprocal space we have determined the amplitudes of the modulation and its degree of periodicity and their dependence on the number of superlattice periods. From the data it follows that the modulation process cannot be explained by bunching of monolayer steps and most likely, it is caused by stress-driven morphological instabilities of the growing surface.

OSTI ID:
20719148
Journal Information:
Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, Vol. 72, Issue 3; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.72.035313; (c) 2005 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1098-0121
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English