Thermal cleaning of air-exposed p-type InGaAs films and CBE regrowth of carbon-doped InGaAs layers for optical device applications

• Published in: Journal of crystal growth Vol. 200; no. 1; pp. 13 - 18
• Main Authors: Sugiura, H., Mitsuhara, M., Kondo, S., Suzaki, Y.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.04.1999; Elsevier
• Subjects: Carbon doping; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Defects and impurities: doping, implantation, distribution, concentration, etc; Exact sciences and technology; InGaAs; Laser; Materials science; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Molecular, atomic, ion, and chemical beam epitaxy; Physics; Regrowth; Surface cleaning, etching, patterning; Surface treatments; Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties); Thin film structure and morphology; InGaAs; Laser; Regrowth; Carbon doping; 81.15.Hi; 81.65.Cf; 61.72.Vv; Surface cleaning; Gallium arsenides; Inorganic compounds; Epitaxial layers; Semiconductor materials; Ternary compounds; Doping; Surface treatments; Crystal growth from vapors; Experimental study; Carbon additions; MOCVD; Heat treatments; Indium arsenides; Thin films; Semiconductor lasers; Recrystallization; Chemical beam epitaxy; Charge carrier concentration; P type conductivity; Concentration distribution
• ISSN: 0022-0248; 1873-5002
• DOI: 10.1016/S0022-0248(98)01297-4

We have studied thermal cleaning of air-exposed Zn-doped InGaAs films and regrowth of carbon-doped InGaAs layers in terms of carrier concentration profiles and residual oxides. As the cleaning temperature prior to CBE regrowth is increased, the residual oxides at the regrowth interface exponentially decrease, and the carrier concentration at the interface approaches the intentional doping level. Elevating the temperature to 575°C provides a “clean” interface, i.e., the carrier profiles are flat. SIMS reveals that the carbon atoms doped to 10 20 cm −3 in the CBE film do not diffuse to the adjacent Zn-doped MOCVD film at all. The thermal cleaning and regrowth procedure was applied to an air-exposed MOCVD film with laser structure for the purpose of nonalloy ohmic contact layer. 1.3 μm-wavelength buried-heterostructure laser diodes with cleaved facets have a large light output of more than 20 mW per facet.