Growth of strained InAs/InP quantum wells by molecular beam epitaxy

InAs/InP compressively strained quantum well structures with well thicknesses (LZ) 5 to 53 Å have been grown by solid source molecular beam epitaxy. Relatively sharp, intense, photoluminescence (PL) is observed over the wavelength range 1.1–2.05 μm at 10 K, with linewidths as narrow as 14 meV for a 30 Å well. Quantum confinement results in a shift of PL peak position of 130–710 meV with respect to the band gap of bulk strained InAs. The shifts are consistent with a conduction band offset (ΔEc) of 40%. At 300 K the wavelength range is extended to 2.23 μm, a value which to our knowledge is the longest wavelength reported for InAs/InP quantum wells. The high quality of pseudomorphic structures with well thicknesses exceeding estimates of critical layer thickness is demonstrated by transmission electron microscopy studies.