RHEED OSCILLATIONS OF ARSENIC-CONTROLLED GROWTH-CONDITIONS TO OPTIMIZE MBE GROWTH OF III/V HETEROSTRUCTURES

RHEED intensity oscillations of arsenic-controlled growth conditions have been used to measure the sticking coefficient of As2 on InGaAs, GaAs, and AlGaAs surfaces. The sticking coefficient shows two types of discrete behavior: (1) a substrate temperature independent region where the sticking coefficients are maximized and of the same value for the three surfaces; (2) a substrate temperature dependent region where the sticking coefficient decreases as the substrate temperature is increased. The onset of the temperature dependent regions differ for the three surfaces. The onset occurs at the highest temperature for AlGaAs, at a lower temperature for GaAs, and at a still lower temperature for InGaAs. The arsenic sticking coefficient not only changes with substrate temperature but also with the group III species and the group III/III combination. Measurements of how the arsenic sticking coefficient changes at a given substrate temperature for different III-III/V compounds provides an understanding for improving growth conditions of heteroepitaxial films and their interfaces.