Formation of GaAs-on-Insulator Structures on Si Substrates by Heteroepitaxial Growth of CaF2 and GaAs

Epitaxial GaAs layers have been grown on (100) and (111) oriented CaF2/Si structures by molecular beam epitaxy, and characterized mainly by ion channeling and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. GaAs films were found to grow epitaxially at conventional growth temperatures (≤600°C). GaAs films having better crystalline quality could be grown on (111) substrates, though the surface of these GaAs films was not flat. Planar defects were peculiarly observed in GaAs films grown on (100) substrates.