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RDS characterization of InAs wetting
layer in InAs/GaAs Quantum Dots
system by SK Growth Mode

Z.G. Wang and Y.H. Chen

Key Lab. of Semiconductor Materials Science,
Institute of Semiconductors, CAS
P. O. Box 912, Beijing 100083,P.R.China

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Institute of Semiconductors, CAS
Semiconductor nanostructures
• Fundamental study
• Promising device applications

Techniques for nanostructure fabrication

can be simply divided into :
• Top down
• Bottom up: Strain self-assembled technique by
SK growth mode
• Combining both together.
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Institute of Semiconductors, CAS
 There are three growth modes for hetero-epitaxy:
FM, Island and SK. The SK growth mode at an initial
stage is a layer by layer growth, and it is called wetting
layer, the layer exceeds a critical value tc, the growth
mode changes from 2D to 3D, and island starts to
form.
Frank-van de Merwe Volmer - Weber Stranski -Krastinow

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Institute of Semiconductors, CAS
 The wetting layer plays an important role
in SK growth mode for formation and
properties of QDs
Channel for carriers to redistribute between the dots
Fast red shift of PL peaks

WL (a)

Phys. Rev. B 54, 11528, 1996

Theory: limit greatly the modulation response of QD lasers

Appl.Phys. Lett. 77, 3325(2000)
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Institute of Semiconductors, CAS
 How to characterize WL?
● ThePL
was used to obtain the WL related HH transition , however it quenched as
QDs formed.
PR
measurements: interference from band edge emission makes it difficult
to get precise information.
In
segregation coefficient in InAs WLs had been determined by
Cross-section STM.
● The
systematical investigations of the InAs WLs are still absent.
● The
evolutions of InAs WL and QDs by RDS are presented in this talk.

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Institute of Semiconductors, CAS
 Reflectance difference spectroscopy
RDS measures the difference in reflectance of normal
incidence light polarized along two orthogonal directions in
surface plane.
1980s Aspnes et al. y
x
∆ r/r =2(rx-ry)/
(rx+ry)
Sensitivity ： 10-5

reconstruction,
composition
Monitoring growth

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Institute of Semiconductors
The optical anisotropy comes from inversion asymmetry
related to interface, roughness of interface and atom
segregations at hetero epitaxy interface etc.
Projections of AlAs/GaAs Chemical bonds in (001) plane

AlAs GaAs

AlAs AlAs/GaAs GaAs

[110] [110] [110]

[110] [110] [110]

[110] ≠ [110]
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Institute of Semiconductors
 The optical anisotropy resulted from roughness of
GaAs/AlGaAs interface
RDS signal increases with decreasing the width of GaAs/AlGaAs QWs

InAs QD

GaAS

GaAS

Normal reflection spectra InAs WL

The WL can be treated as an asymmetric QW due to the segregation effect.

Phys. Rev. B 66 ， 195321 (2002)
European Physical Journal-Applied Physics 27, 297(2004)
Materials Science Forum 475-479, 1777(2005) 9
Institute of Semiconductors
 Samples preparation
No rotation of MBE subs. And InAs
Based on the Cosine law for MBE
source beam 100nm-GaAs
InAs

200nm-GaAs

2” SI-GaAs
5cm
The sample structure includes two
1 2 3 4-----------------15 16 InAs layers, the buried one foe RDS,
the surface one for AFM.

<t>, Tg, Vg
A: 1.9ML 510oC 0.1ML/s
B: 2.0ML 530oC 0.008ML/s
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Institute of Semiconductors
 AFM images of sample B (5300C,
0.008ML/s)
2×2 µ m SK growth

1 5

6 10

11 15

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Ripening?
Institute of Semiconductors, CAS
Statistics of AFM results for sample B

12#

Small and Huge

dots
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 Evolution of derivative RD spectra for sample
B FM SK R
2
WL as a QW
8 70
Eg
Conduction band -3
8 80
2
Sample 6

Wavelength (nm)
1 GaAs LH HHHH 8 90 LH
LH
0
9 00
∆r/r (10-4)

-1
Valence band
X2
9 10
-2 dot WL
HH
Strained GaAs 9 20
-3
dot WL
-4 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 1 6
S am ple num ber
ρ and d ρ 2 of RDS
2
-5 dλ 13
860 870 880 890 900 910 920 930 940
Institute of Semiconductors, CAS
 Segregation coefficient R versus InAs
amount in WL for sample A
The R varies linearly with the InAs amount in WL shows
the strain is a driven force!

Appl. Phys. Lett. 88, 071903 (2006); Nanotechnology 17 ， 2207 14

(2006) Institute of Semiconductors, CAS
 Summary
RDS is a sensitive tool not only for monitoring
epitaxial growth processes in situ, but also for
characterizing semiconductor surface behavior,
interface roughness, atom intermixing and atom
segregation in semiconductor nanostructures, which
lead to a in-plan optical anisotropy.

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Institute of Semiconductors, CAS
 Acknowledgement
• This work is supported by the NSFC
and Special Funds for Major State
Basic Research Project of MSTC
• Thanks to all my colleagues and post-
graduate students in MBE group for
their contributions to this work.

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Institute of Semiconductors, CAS
Key Lab.of Semiconductor Materials Science,
CAS. MBE Group

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Thanks for your
attention ！
2008. 9. 22

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Institute of Semiconductors, CAS