Modulating the growth conditions:: Si as an acceptor in (110)GaAs for high mobility p-type heterostructures -: art. no. 192106

We implement metallic layers of Si-doped (110) GaAs as modulation doping in high mobility p-type heterostructures, changing to p-growth conditions for the doping layer alone. The strongly autocompensated doping is characterized in bulk samples first, identifying the metal-insulator transition density and confirming classic hopping conduction in the insulating regime. To overcome the poor morphology inherent to Si p-type (110) growth, heterostructures are then fabricated with only the modulation-doping layer grown under p-type conditions. Such heterostructures show a hole mobility of mu = 1.75 x 10(5) cm(2)/V s at density p = 2.4 x 10(11) cm(-2). We identify the zero-field spin-splitting characteristic of p-type heterostructures, but observe a remarkably isotropic mobility and a persistent photoconductivity unusual for p heterojunctions grown on other facets. This modulated growth technique is particularly relevant for p-type cleaved-edge overgrowth and for III-V growth chambers, where Si is the only dopant. (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics.