Structural Analysis of ZnSe-GaAs Quantum Wells

The structural properties of ZnSe-GaAs quantum wells (QWs) grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy are described. Detailed theoretical and experimental studies on X-ray diffraction show that when the thickness of the QW well layer is comparable to that of the barrier layer, satellite peaks which reflect the period of QW can appear even in diffraction patterns of a single quantum well. It is also shown that the intensity of X-ray interference fringes can be modulated by fluctuation of each individual layer thickness in a multiple quantum well. These analyses revealed that it was possible to fabricate ZnSe-GaAs QWs with only 10 Å well thickness, and that these structures had high crystalline quality, a high degree of lateral uniformity, well-defined interfaces, and strong periodicity. Transmission electron microscopy also gave evidence for these properties.