ZnSe heteroepitaxy on GaAs (110) substrate

ZnSe heteroepitaxial layers have been grown on GaAs (100), (110) on axis, and (110) 6 degrees miscut substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. ZnSe on GaAs (110) shows smooth and featureless spectra from Rutherford backscattering channeling measurements taken along major crystalline directions, whereas ZnSe on GaAs (100) without pre-growth treatments exhibit large interface disorder in channeling spectra. ZnSe films grown on GaAs (110) on axis show facet formation over a wide range of growth conditions. The use of (110) 6 degrees miscut substrates is shown to suppress facet formation; and under the correct growth conditions, facet-free surfaces are achieved. Etch pit density measurements give dislocation densities for ZnSe epitaxial layers grown on GaAs (100), (110) on axis, and (110) 6 degrees miscut substrates of 10(7)/cm(2), 3 x 10(5)/cm(2) and 5 x 10(4)/cm(2), respectively. These results suggest that with further improvements to ZnSe growth on GaAs (110)-off substrates it may be possible to fabricate defect free ZnSe based laser devices.