InSb 1−x N x was grown by radio frequency plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The effect of nitrogen plasma power ͑200-500 W͒ and growth temperature ͑330-420°C͒ on nitrogen incorporation was investigated. A combined analysis involving x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and secondary ion mass spectroscopy measurements indicates that the dominant nitrogen defect is interstitial N-Sb. Increasing the plasma power resulted in increase in the interstitial N-Sb amount rather than the substitutional N Sb amount. For fixed plasma power, decreasing the growth temperature helped reduce the interstitial N-Sb defect. Under the experimental conditions, the average value of substitutional N is approximately 1.6%-2%.

We report the growth of InSbN on a lattice-mismatched GaAs substrate using radio frequency nitrogen plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The effects of a two-step thin InSb buffer layer grown at 330 and 380 °C and substrate temperature (270–380 °C) on the properties of the InSbN are studied. The crystalline quality of the InSbN is significantly improved by the two-step buffer layer due to defect suppression. The shifting in the absorption edge of the InSbN from ∼5 to 8 µm following an increase in the substrate temperature is correlated with the reduction in free carrier concentration from ∼1018 to 1016 cm−3 and increase in concentration of N substituting Sb from ∼0.2 to 1%. These results will be beneficial to those working on the pseudo-monolithic integration of InSbN detectors on a GaAs platform.

We report the growth of InSb1−xNx using radio frequency nitrogen plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy and its characterization using visible wavelength Raman scattering and x-ray diffraction. The effects of the growth temperature (330–420 °C) and the plasma power (200–500 W) on the N-induced defects were studied. Sb antisite defects from the A1gSb mode are shown to be dominant at a high growth temperature and a low plasma power. On the other hand, the high growth temperature and high plasma power induce the formation of interstitial Sb–N defects. A reduction in Sb related defects is observed at the lowest substrate temperature (330 °C) and plasma power (200 W). Based on the experimental results, a possible mechanism of defect formation is suggested.