The relationship between the dislocations and microstructure in In(0.82)Ga(0.18)As/InP heterostructures

In this work, we propose a formation mechanism to explain the relationship between the surface morphology (and microstructure) and dislocations in the In(0.82)Ga(0.18)As/InP heterostructure. The In(0.82)Ga(0.18)As epitaxial layers were grown on the InP (100) substrate at various temperatures (430 °C, 410 °C and 390 °C) using low pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (LP-MOCVD). Obvious protrusions and depressions were obseved on the surface of the In(0.82)Ga(0.18)As/InP heterostructure because of the movement of dislocations from the core to the surface. The surface morphologies of the In(0.82)Ga(0.18)As/InP (100) system became uneven with increasing temperature, which was associated with the formation of dislocations. Such research investigating the dislocation of large lattice mismatch heterostructures may play an important role in the future-design of semiconductor films.