Influence of the step height of the vicinal surface of germanium on the formation of antiphase boundaries in a gallium-arsenide-germanium-gallium-arsenide(001) system

An investigation was made of the formation of antiphase boundaries in a GaA s/Ge/GaAs(001) system using accurately oriented substrates and substrates m isoriented by 3 degrees and 5 degrees in the [110] direction. It was shown that growth of germanium on a misoriented gallium arsenide surface leads to the formation of diatomic steps of height a(0)/2 and therefore results in the absence of any antiphase boundaries in a GaAs film grown on this surfac e. Conditions required to obtain a vicinal Ge surface consisting of monatom ic steps of height a(0)/4, whose presence leads to the formation of antipha se boundaries during GaAs growth, are determined. (C) 1998 American Institu te of Physics. [S1063-7850(98)01812-6].