SELF-LIMITING MONOLAYER EPITAXY OF WIDE GAP II-VI SUPERLATTICES

We propose a novel growth technique for the preparation of wide gap II-VI compounds and heterostructures, self-limiting monolayer epitaxy (SME). The basic idea of SME is that atoms physisorbed on top of an atomically flat surface are more loosely bound than atoms incorporated into a completed monolayer. Thus one expects eventual re-evaporation of the material which has been deposited in excess to complete monolayers, leading to a two-dimensional and self-limiting growth process. ZnS epitaxial layers and ZnSe/CdSe superlattices were grown on GaAs substrates using the SME technique, giving evidence for the self-limiting behaviour of this growth process. The superlattices grown using this method are of very good quality, as revealed by high-resolution X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence measurements.