Self-organized InAs/InAlGaAs quantum dots as dislocation filters for InP films on (001) Si

Abstract We report the effects of multi-layer InAs/InAlGaAs quantum dots (QDs) inserted as dislocation filters into an InP thin film epitaxially grown on (001) Si substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The surface of the InP-on-Si template using 500 nm GaAs as an intermediate buffer is anti-phase-boundary-free. With the QD filters introduced, a four-fold reduction of dislocation density, to the order of 3.2×10 8 /cm 2 was achieved, based on observation of large-area cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The dislocation filtering mechanism was further analyzed through zoomed-in TEM images. Bending or coalescence of threading dislocations in the presence of the strain field induced by the QD filters led to annihilation reactions. Moreover, the improved crystalline quality of the InP above the dislocation filters was manifested by enhanced intensities and reduced full-width at half-maximum values in the statistical room temperature photoluminescence spectra. These results indicate that introducing QD dislocation filters could be beneficial for the epitaxial growth of high quality 1.55 µm band lasers on a Si manufacturing platform.

[1]  Kei May Lau,et al.  Enhanced optical properties of InAs/InAlGaAs/InP quantum dots grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition using a double-cap technique , 2016 .

[2]  Jang-Kyoo Shin,et al.  Reduction of threading dislocation density in InP‐on‐Si heteroepitaxy with strained short‐period superlattices , 1996 .

[3]  Richard Beanland,et al.  Dislocation filters in GaAs on Si , 2015 .

[4]  R. Leonelli,et al.  Structural and optical characterization of InP grown on Si(111) by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy using thermal cycle growth , 1996 .

[5]  John E. Bowers,et al.  Study of planar defect filtering in InP grown on Si by epitaxial lateral overgrowth , 2013 .

[6]  Zetian Mi,et al.  Quantum dot lasers: From promise to high-performance devices , 2009 .

[7]  Masami Tachikawa,et al.  InP Layer Grown on (001) Silicon Substrate by Epitaxial Lateral Overgrowth , 1995 .

[8]  John E. Bowers,et al.  Simple Epitaxial Lateral Overgrowth Process as a Strategy for Photonic Integration on Silicon , 2014, IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics.

[9]  S. Baker,et al.  Capture cross-section of threading dislocations in thin films , 2012 .

[10]  Zetian Mi,et al.  High-Performance $\hbox{In}_{0.5}\hbox{Ga}_{0.5} \hbox{As/GaAs}$ Quantum-Dot Lasers on Silicon With Multiple-Layer Quantum-Dot Dislocation Filters , 2007, IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices.

[11]  Kei May Lau,et al.  Defect reduction in epitaxial InP on nanostructured Si (001) substrates with position-controlled seed arrays , 2014 .

[12]  G. Dewey,et al.  MOVPE III–V material growth on silicon substrates and its comparison to MBE for future high performance and low power logic applications , 2011, International Electron Devices Meeting.

[13]  Wei Li,et al.  Electrically pumped continuous-wave III–V quantum dot lasers on silicon , 2016, Nature Photonics.

[14]  K. Lau,et al.  InAlGaAs/InAlAs MQWs on Si Substrate , 2015, IEEE Photonics Technology Letters.

[15]  E. Fitzgerald,et al.  Compositionally-graded InGaAs–InGaP alloys and GaAsSb alloys for metamorphic InP on GaAs , 2011 .

[16]  J. Bowers,et al.  Optical and structural properties of sulfur-doped ELOG InP on Si , 2015 .

[17]  M. Z. M. Khan,et al.  Self-assembled InAs/InP quantum dots and quantum dashes: Material structures and devices , 2014 .

[18]  Pallab Bhattacharya,et al.  High-Performance Quantum Dot Lasers and Integrated Optoelectronics on Si , 2009, Proceedings of the IEEE.

[19]  K. Barla,et al.  Heteroepitaxy of InP on Si(001) by selective-area metal organic vapor-phase epitaxy in sub-50 nm width trenches: The role of the nucleation layer and the recess engineering , 2014 .

[20]  David J. Dunstan,et al.  Design rules for dislocation filters , 2014 .