Simultaneous disordering and isolation induced by ion mixing in InGaAs/InP superlattice structures

Abstract

The phenomenon of simultaneous compositional disordering and the formation of electrical resistive layers induced by oxygen implantation in InGaAs/InP superlattices has been investigated. The disordering characteristics have been studied as a function of implantation temperature and ion dose. It was found that implantation at elevated temperatures (referred to as the IM or ion mixing process) usually leads to much more efficient disordering compared to implantation at room temperature followed by annealing at the same elevated temperature (referred to as the implantation plus annealing process). Of particular interest is the observation that ion mixing at 550 °C with 1×1013 O+/cm2 leads to significantly more disordering than implantation with the same dose at room temperature followed by annealing at 550 °C for the same period of ion mixing time. In addition, the electrical resistance of the ion-mixed layer at 550 °C increases 2600 times for the p-type InGaAs/InP superlattice structure, whereas the sample implanted at room temperature and annealed at 550 °C showed only a 20 times increase in electrical resistance. These results indicate a distinct advantage for the IM process in achieving simultaneous compositional disordering and electrical isolation for optoelectronic applications.