Extremely Flat Interfaces in GaAs/AlGaAs Quantum Wells Grown on GaAs (411)A Substrates by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

Abstract

GaAs/Al 0.3 Ga 0.7 As quantum wells (QWs) grown on (411)A-oriented GaAs substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) showed extremely flat interfaces over a macroscopic area (about 200 µm φ) even for the case of no growth interruption, which is mainly due to the intrinsically large migration of Ga atoms and layer growth in the step-flow mode on the (411)A plane. Photoluminescence linewidths at 4.2K were almost the same as or better than the narrowest linewidths reported for GaAs/AlGaAs and GaAs/AlAs QWs grown on GaAs (100) substrates with growth interruption at each GaAs/AlGaAs(AlAs) interface. Only one sharp luminescence peak was observed for each QW on the (411)A substrates, in contrast with three luminescence peaks for the QWs on the (100) substrates, indicating that extremely flat and uniform interfaces over a macroscopic area of laser excitation (200 µm diameter) are realized in the GaAs/AlGaAs QWs grown on (411)A GaAs substrates.