Observation of overstrain in the coalescence zone of AlAs/AlOx oxidation fronts

Strain from oxidation-induced volume shrinkage is studied by micro-photoluminescence. An InGaAs/GaAs quantum well (QW) placed at the vicinity of the selectively oxidized AlAs layer is used to probe the spatial distribution of the strain with a resolution of 1 µm. A QW wavelength shift of 1 nm imputed to the embedded strain is observed in agreement with finite element calculations. With this method, an overstrained zone is highlighted where the counter-propagative oxidation fronts merge.

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