RECOMBINATION-ENHANCED ANNEALING IN GAAS AND ALGAAS LAYERS

Epitaxial layers of GaAs and AlGaAs grown with superhigh cooling rates have been studied by spectral measurements, using deep-level transien t spectroscopy and photoluminescence. It was found that nonequilibrium growth conditions result in the formation of defects which are charac teristic of irradiated GaAs and AlGaAs and which are associated with V -As and As (Ga) centers. After these layers were irradiated with a las er having a wavelength of lambda = 0.51 mu m, significant changes were observed in the deep-level transient spectroscopy for GaAs and AlGaAs and the photoluminescence spectra of AlGaAs. These changes are associ ated with the partial optically induced annealing of defects and with the recombination-stimulated diffusion of a donor impurity D, resultin g in the formation of a V-As-D complex. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.