Surface photoabsorption study of the effects of growth temperature and V/III ratio on ordering in GaInP

Surface photoabsorption (SPA) measurements were used to clarify the Cu-Pt ordering mechanism in Ga0.5In0.5P layers grown by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy. The Cu-Pt ordering is strongly affected by the growth temperature and the input partial pressure of the phosphorus precursor, i.e., the V/III ratio. SPA was used to measure the concentration of [1-bar 10]-oriented phosphorus dimers on the surface, which are characteristics of the (2×4) reconstruction, as a function of the growth temperature and V/III ratio. The degree of order decreases markedly with increasing growth temperature above 620 °C at a constant V/III ratio of 40 [tertiarybutylphosphine (TBP) partial pressure of 50 Pa]. This corresponds directly to a decrease of the P-dimer concentration on the surface. Below 620 °C, the degree of order decreases as the growth temperature decreases, even though the concentration of P dimers increases. This is most likely due to the slow migration of adatoms on the surface during growth. The degree of order is found to decrease monotonically with decreasing V/III ratio in the range from 160 to 8 at 670 °C. This corresponds directly to the decrease of the P-dimer concentration on the surface. The direct correlation of the [1-bar 10]-oriented phosphorus dimer concentration and the degree of order with changes in both temperature (>=620 °C) and V/III ratio suggests that the (2×4) surface reconstruction is necessary to form the Cu-Pt structure, in agreement with published theoretical studies. The physical structure of the surface of these Ga0.5In0.5P layers was also characterized, using atomic force microscopy. For growth at 670 °C and a V/III ratio of 160, the structure of the layers growth on exactly (001) oriented GaAs substrates consists of islands surrounded mainly by bilayer (approximately 6 Å) steps. As the V/III ratio is reduced, the step height transforms to one monolayer. Exclusively monolayer steps are formed at a V/III ratio of 8. This is interpreted in terms of the stabilization of the bilayers by formation of the (2×2) reconstruction on the (111)B step face at high V/III ratios.