Dislocation Density In Epilayers Research Articles

TEM study of dislocations structure in In0.82Ga0.18As/InP heterostructure with InGaAs as buffer layer

In order to improve the quality of detector, InxGa1−xAs (x=0.82) buffer layer has been introduced in In0.82Ga0.18As/InP heterostructure. Dislocation behavior of the multilayer is analyzed through plane and cross section [110] by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The dislocations are effectively suppressed in InxGa1−xAs (x=0.82) buffer layer, and the density of dislocations in epilayer is reduced obviously. No lattice mismatch between buffer layer and epilayer results in no misfit dislocation (MD). The threading dislocations (TDs) are directly related to the multiplication of the MDs in buffer layer.

Mechanism of the reduction of dislocation density in epilayers grown on compliant substrates

A simplified model of the mechanism of dislocation reduction in epilayers grown on compliant substrates by molecular-beam epitaxy has been developed based on the dislocation theory and detailed experiments. Theoretical results calculated with this model indicate that up to 100-fold defect reduction can be achieved by using a silicon-on-insulator compliant substrate for the thick epilayer growth as compared to that of using a conventional Si substrate. The advantage of growing thick epilayers on compliant substrates can be predicted quantitatively. The mechanism of a nearly dislocation-free SiGe alloy, as well as GaAs epilayers grown on silicon-on-insulator compliant substrates, is explained and the dislocation density calculated with this model is in good agreement with our experimental results.