Effects of growth sequence on atomic level interfacial structures and characteristics of GaInP/GaAs/GaInP double heterostructures grown by low-pressure organometallic vapor phase epitaxy

We have investigated atomic level interface structures and characteristics of GaInP/GaAs/GaInP double heterostructures grown by low-pressure organometallic vapor phase epitaxy. In photoluminescence (PL) measurements, interface-related emission was clearly observed in the sample grown at 580 °C, while it disappeared in the sample grown at 540 °C. X-ray crystal truncation rod scattering measurement revealed that In atoms distribute significantly in the GaAs layer (∼12 ML) when the GaAs-on-GaInP interface is grown at 580 °C and the distribution is highly suppressed when grown at 540 °C. By insertion of a thin GaInP layer grown at 540 °C to the GaAs-on-GaInP interface in GaInP/GaAs/GaInP laser diodes, threshold current densities were much lower and more uniform than those of the diodes with GaAs-on-GaInP interfaces grown at 580 °C.