PLANARIZED GROWTH OF ALGAAS/GAAS HETEROSTRUCTURES ON PATTERNED SUBSTRATES BY MOLECULAR-BEAM EPITAXY

The profiles of AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures grown by gas-source molecular beam epitaxy (GSMBE) on patterned substrates at different growth temperatures have been studied. It was found that at higher substrate temperature, the GSMBE growth results in Al clustering and the formation of high index planes. With a proper combination of low growth temperature and etched profile, a quasiplanarized surface is obtainable. A process simulation program is found to be capable of simulating the GSMBE growth profile at lower substrate temperature with reasonable accuracy.