Structure of InAs/AlSb/InAs Resonant Tunneling Diode Interfaces

Abstract

We have used in situ plan-view scanning tunneling microscopy to study the surfaces and interfaces within an InAs/AlSb/InAs resonant tunneling diodelike structure grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The nanometer and atomic-scale morphologies of the surfaces have been characterized following a number of different growth procedures. When InAs(001)-(234) is exposed to Sb2 a bilayer surface is produced, with 1 monolayer (ML) deep (3 ) vacancy islands covering approximately 25% of the surface. Both layers exhibit a (1*3)-like reconstruction characteristic of an InSb-like surface terminated with .1 ML Sb, indicating that there is a significant amount of Sb on the surface. When 5 ML of AlSb is deposited on an Sb-terminated InAs surface, the number of layers observed on each terrace increases to three. Growth of an additional 22 ML of InAs onto the AlSb layer, followed by a 30's interrupt under Sb2, further increases the number of surface layers observed. The root-mean-square roughness is found to increase at each subsequent interface; however, on all the surfaces the roughness is <2 . The surface roughness is attributed to a combination of factors, including reconstruction-related stoichiometry differences, kinetically limited diffusion during growth, and lattice-mismatch strain. Possible methods to reduce the roughness are discussed.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 1998
Accession Number
ADA482513

Entities

People

  • B. R. Bennett
  • B. Z. Noshoa
  • J. J. Zinck
  • Lloyd J. Whitman
  • V. Shanabrook
  • W. H. Weinberg

Organizations

  • University of California, Santa Barbara

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Crystal Lattices
  • Diodes
  • Epitaxial Growth
  • Films
  • Infrared Lasers
  • Military Research
  • Molecular Beam Epitaxy
  • Molecular Beams
  • Monomolecular Films
  • Quantum Tunneling
  • Resonant Tunneling Diodes
  • Roughness
  • Surface Roughness
  • Three Dimensional
  • Transition Temperature
  • Tunnel Diodes
  • Tunneling

Fields of Study

  • Materials science

Readers

  • Semiconductor Device Technology
  • Thin Film Deposition Science.