X-ray diffraction study on an InGaN/GaN quantum-well structure of prestrained growth

We compare the x-ray diffraction (XRD) results of two InGaN/GaN quantum-well (QW) structures to observe the effects of prestrained growth by depositing a low-indium QW before the growth of five high-indium QWs. From the results of reciprocal space mapping, we observe the fully strained condition in the QWs of the control sample. However, in the sample of prestrained growth, the average strain is partially relaxed. By using an XRD fitting algorithm for calibrating QW parameters, we obtain reasonable values for the compositions and thicknesses of the QWs in both samples. In particular, by assuming a nonuniform strain relaxation distribution among the five high-indium QWs in the prestrained sample, we obtain reasonable composition variations among the QWs. The high-indium QW closest to the low-indium one is most strain-relaxed and has the highest indium incorporation, leading to the longest-wavelength emission. The observed red shift with increasing electron penetration depth in the cathodo-luminescence spectra of the prestrained sample is consistent with the distributions of calibrated strain relaxation and indium composition. The results of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and effective band gap calculation also agree with the above conclusions. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.