Abstract
We have conducted a theoretical study of the equilibrium strain and misfit dislocation density profiles for “S-graded” buffer layers of In x Ga1−x As on GaAs (001) substrates in which the compositional profile follows a normal cumulative distribution function. On the basis of this modeling work we show that the S-graded layer exhibits misfit dislocation-free regions near the substrate interface and the free surface (or device interface). The equilibrium peak misfit dislocation density as well as the thicknesses of the dislocation-free regions may be tailored by design of the compositional profile; this in turn should enable minimization of the density of electronically active threading dislocations at the top surface. S-graded buffer layers may therefore facilitate the achievement of metamorphic device structures with improved performance compared with similar structures having uniform or linearly graded buffers.
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Xhurxhi, S., Obst, F., Sidoti, D. et al. S-Graded Buffer Layers for Lattice-Mismatched Heteroepitaxial Devices. J. Electron. Mater. 40, 2348–2354 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-011-1781-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-011-1781-z