Panchromatic cathodoluminescence characterization of III‐V lattice‐mismatched heterostructures

AbstractSome examples of the possibilities that panchromatic cathodoluminescence (PCL) offers in the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) characterization of III‐V semiconductors are presented. Investigations on lattice‐mismatched InGaAs/InP, InGaAs/ GaAs single heterostructures, and InGaAs/GaAs superlattices and GaAs/Ge and GaAs/InP single layers are shown. Further, the use of PCL as a support in the nondestructive determination of the sensitivity limit of Rutherford backscattering and x‐ray diffraction techniques in the study of strain release in some of the above mentioned heterostructures is presented. Finally, PCL on‐line study of dislocation movement induced by electron beam irradiation in the SEM, as evidence of InGaAs/GaAs superlattice metastability, is also presented.