Strained- layer semiconductor superlattices

Abstract Epitaxial growth techniques, especially molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), have allowed the growth of semiconductor stmctures with layer thicknesses that can be controlled at nearly the atomic scale. A wide range of materials systems have been grown and studied. Established epitaxial growth techniques are capable of growing new materials systems which have not yet been investigated. The precise control of layer thickness which can be achieved offers the possibility of being able to design the electronic band structure of semiconducting materials. The flexibility in electronic properties that are introduced by these design possibilities makes such layered materials potentially useful in technological applications.