TEM study of defect structure in GaAs film on Si substrate

For the GaAs buffer layer deposited on Si substrate at 80 °C and annealed at 300 °C for 10 min, the size of most GaAs islands was observed as approximately 10 nm but large islands (approximately 40 nm) were also seen. According to the calculation of spacing of moire fringes, large GaAs islands are considered to be rotated about 4° with respect to the Si substrate normal. However, for the main GaAs film overgrown on the GaAs buffer layer at 580 °C, moire fringes with the spacing of 5 nm (GaAs film without rotation) completely covered the surface of Si substrate. Misfit dislocations and stacking faults were already formed at the growth stage of buffer layer. Stacking faults and misfit dislocations consisting of Lomer and 60° dislocations were observed in GaAs films grown at 580 °C. However, after rapid thermal annealing at 900 °C for 10 sec, only Lomer dislocations with 1/2[110] and 1/2[-110] Burgers vectors were observed.