Heterointerfaces in quantum wells and epitaxial growth processes: Evaluation by luminescence techniques

Abstract

This paper presents a review devoted to the problem of how optical and structural properties of quantum-well heterostructures (QWH) can be correlated in detail, and how these properties may be connected with the parameters of the epitaxial growth process. It demonstrates how luminescence techniques, mainly photoluminescence (PL) and cathodoluminescence imaging (CLI), may be used for evaluation of the structural disorder on the atomic scale, which occurs at the growth surfaces creating the interfaces of the QWH. The physics of the excitonic luminescence in QWH (theory and experiment) is presented in detail in the first part of the review. This is followed by a comprehensive discussion of experimental aspects (hardware and software) of the luminescence techniques, as applied for studying QWH grown by molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) and metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE). The specific features of both the epitaxial growth techniques, when used for growing QWH are presented in the next part of this review. Finally, the possibilities of application of PL and CLI to studies on growth of QWH by MBE and MOVPE are demonstrated on a couple of selected examples. The review concludes with a short discussion on possible interpretation mistakes which may occur when one applies the CLI to studies of interfaces in QWH without taking into account the basic parameters of the excitonic luminescence lines creating the CL images of the relevant interfaces.