University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Growth mechanisms and electronic structure of epitaxial (III-V)(1-x)(IV(2))(x) metastable semiconductors

Fons, Paul James

This item is only available for download by members of the University of Illinois community. Students, faculty, and staff at the U of I may log in with your NetID and password to view the item. If you are trying to access an Illinois-restricted dissertation or thesis, you can request a copy through your library's Inter-Library Loan office or purchase a copy directly from ProQuest.

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/23110

Description

Title
Growth mechanisms and electronic structure of epitaxial (III-V)(1-x)(IV(2))(x) metastable semiconductors
Author(s)
Fons, Paul James
Issue Date
1990
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Greene, Joseph E.
Department of Study
  • Physics, Condensed Matter
  • Engineering, Materials Science
Discipline
  • Physics, Condensed Matter
  • Engineering, Materials Science
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
  • Physics, Condensed Matter
  • Engineering, Materials Science
Language
eng
Abstract
Single-crystal metastable (III-V)$\sb{\rm 1-x}$(IV)$\sb{\rm x}$ alloys are a new class of semiconductors with the potential, through bandgap engineering, of extending the range of achievable electronic and optical properties available for device design. In addition, metastable (III-V)$\rm \sb{1-x}(IV\sb2)\sb{x}$ semiconducting alloys exhibit unusual long and short range ordering behavior. Although maximum mutual equilibrium solid solubilities for $\rm (GaSb)\sb{1-x}(Ge\sb2)\sb{x}$, $\rm (GaAs)\sb{1-x}(Ge\sb2)\sb{x}$, and $\rm (GaAs)\sb{1-x}(Si\sb2)\sb{x}$ are typically less than 4 at.%, recent developments in ion-surface interaction assisted growth techniques have made it possible to grow alloys ranging throughout the pseudobinary composition diagram. A common characteristic of the (100) oriented (III-V)$\rm \sb{1-x}(IV)\sb{x}$ alloys studied in this work--(GaAs)$\sb{\rm 1-x}$(Ge$\sb2)\sb{\rm x}$, $\rm (GaSb)\sb{1-x}(Ge\sb2)\sb{x}$ and $\rm (GaAs)\sb{1-x}(Si\sb2)\sb{x}$--is that for low x values, they exhibit long-range zincblende order, while for x above a critical value, x$\sb{\rm c}$, they exhibit long-range diamond order. While several metastable (III-V)$\rm \sb{1-x}(IV)\sb{x}$ alloys have been grown and characterized, there still exists no general understanding of this new class of materials. In this work, an energy dependent Monte-Carlo kinetic growth model is developed that simulates the growth of these alloys in a layer-by-layer process. The effects of variations in pair-interaction energies and growth conditions on both structural and electronic properties of the alloys is investigated using the bond-energy kinetic growth model in conjunction with Haydock recursion calculations, a Green's function technique for computation of the valence band density-of-states. The results of these models are compared with experimental results and are used to explain the observed changes in critical composition and other ordering properties among the (III-V)$\rm \sb{1-x}(IV\sb2)\sb{x}$ alloys.
Type of Resource
text
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/23110
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 1990 Fons, Paul James

Owning Collections

Graduate Dissertations and Theses at Illinois PRIMARY
Graduate Theses and Dissertations at Illinois