Effect of bismuth on structural and electrical properties of InAs films grown on GaAs substrates by MBE
Journal article, 2015

© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. InAs films were grown on GaAs substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) without or with different Bi fluxes. The effect of Bi on the structural and electrical properties of the InAs films was studied. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) measurement showed clear surface steps in all samples, indicating an over-flow growth mode. A more uniform distribution and narrower spacing of the surface steps were observed with increased Bi fluxes. Small area AFM scans showed reduced surface roughness with increased Bi fluxes. Whereas from large area scans, reduced surface roughness was only observed in samples grown under low Bi fluxes, and a deteriorated surface was obtained in the sample grown under the highest Bi flux. Bi was not compositionally incorporated to the InAs films confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Second Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS) measurements. The electron mobility of the InAs films, measured at room temperature, decreased monotonically with increased Bi fluxes. This is correlated to the Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) results in which increased threading dislocation (TD) densities were shown with increased Bi fluxes. Therefore, Bi-mediated growth deteriorates the electron mobility of the MBE-grown InAs films, whereas smoother surface can be obtained by applying low Bi fluxes. Possible mechanisms were proposed to explain these phenomena.

Author

Huan Zhao Ternehäll

Chalmers, Microtechnology and Nanoscience (MC2), Terahertz and Millimetre Wave Laboratory

Aleksandra Malko

Chalmers, Microtechnology and Nanoscience (MC2), Terahertz and Millimetre Wave Laboratory

Zonghe Lai

Chalmers, Microtechnology and Nanoscience (MC2), Nanofabrication Laboratory

Journal of Crystal Growth

0022-0248 (ISSN)

Vol. 425 89-93

Subject Categories

Materials Engineering

Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering

Infrastructure

Nanofabrication Laboratory

DOI

10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2015.02.050

More information

Created

10/7/2017