Relaxation mechanisms in single InxGa1−xAs epilayers grown on misoriented GaAs(111¯)B substrates

Autor: Saroja P. Edirisinghe, Robert Grey, Anne E. Staton-Bevan
Rok vydání: 1997
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Applied Physics. 82:4870-4876
ISSN: 1089-7550
0021-8979
DOI: 10.1063/1.366349
Popis: Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has been used to investigate the mechanisms of misfit strain relaxation in InxGa1−xAs epilayers grown on GaAs(111¯)B substrates misoriented 2° towards [211¯]. It was found that the relaxation was brought about by a triangular network of misfit dislocations lying along the three 〈110〉 directions near the interface. However, the dislocation distribution was anisotropic with a much higher density of dislocations lying parallel to the [011] direction. A second relaxation mechanism was also observed which involved the formation of deformation twins. These had nucleated at the epilayer surface and grown down into the epilayer, sometimes entering the underlying buffer layer. Twin formation was also anisotropic with twins forming on the (111)[211] system only. The dislocation and twin anisotropy may not be explained using the Schmid Factor considerations but is thought to be associated with heterogeneous nucleation of dislocations at the [011] surface steps caused by the...
Databáze: OpenAIRE