Room temperature polarized photoreflectance and photoluminescence characterization of AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs high electron mobility transistor structures

Abstract

We have characterized the properties of three AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor structures with two different well widths fabricated by molecular beam epitaxy on (0 0 1) GaAs substrates with different threading dislocation densities using room temperature photoreflectance (PR) and photoluminescence (PL). The samples were denoted as A, B and C with well widths of 140, 160 and 160 A ̊ , respectively. Samples A and B were grown on substrates with lower threading dislocation densities. For samples B and C, the well width exceeds the pseudomorphic limit so that there is some strain relaxation and related misfit dislocations, as determined from X-ray measurements. In order to detect the anisotropic strain of the misfit dislocations related to strain relaxation, the PR measurements were performed for incident light polarized along [1 1 0] and [1 1 ̄ 0] directions. Evidence for the influence of the strain relaxation upon the relaxed channel was provided by the observed anisotropy of the polarized PR features and reduction of the intensity of PL signals in the InGaAs channel layer. The lowest lying intersubband transition has been confirmed by a comparison of the PR and PL spectra. Signals have been observed from every region of the sample making it possible to evaluate the In and Al compositions, channel width and two-dimensional electron gas density as well as the properties of the GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum well buffer layer.