High resolution X-Ray diffraction analysis of InGaAs/InP superlattices

Abstract

The interfacial properties of lattice-matched InGaAs/InP superlattice (SL) structures grown by gas source molecular beam epitaxy were investigated by high resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD). SLs with various periods were grown to determine the contributions of the interface layers to the structural properties of the SLs. The HRXRD curves exhibited a number of features indicative of interfacial layers, including weak even-order satellite peaks, and a zero-order diffraction peak that shifted toward lower diffraction angles with decreasing SL period. A detailed structural model is proposed to explain these observations, consisting of strained InAsP and InGaAsP monolayers due to the group-V gas switching and atomic exchange at the SL interfaces.