Morphology and spatial distribution of ordered domains in GaInP/GaAs(001) according to transmission electron microscopy

Abstract

The structure of epitaxial films of the GaInP solid solution, in which ordering occurs, was studied using transmission electron microscopy. The films were grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy on GaAs (001) substrates near the half-composition point. During the study, dark-field images obtained using superstructure reflections for cross-sectional and plan-view specimens of films were analyzed. The morphology and relative spatial arrangement of ordered domains have been determined. The phenomenon of spontaneous self-organization of regions with CuPt–B+ and CuPt–B– ordering near the surface was discovered, while in the bulk of the film the domains are uniformly located and mutually overlap each other. The effect of spatial separation of domains is associated with the lattice relaxation, leading to a change in the surface topology.