COMPARISON BETWEEN ATOMIC LAYER EPITAXY-GROWN AND MOLECULAR-BEAM EPITAXY-GROWN CDTE MNTE SUPERLATTICES - A STRUCTURAL AND OPTICAL STUDY/

Atomic layer epitaxy (ALE) is investigated for the growth of CdTe/MnTe superlattices. A systematic structural characterization (X-ray diffra ction, transmission electron microscopy), together with a magneto-opti cal study (reflectivity and photoluminescence), demonstrate that: (i) for MnTe ALE, all deposited Mn atoms are incorporated, so that no auto regulated growth mode can be obtained, in contrast with CdTe ALE, (ii) atomic layer epitaxy allows well-controlled CdTe/MnTe superlattices t o be achieved but does not prevent the exchange between Cd and Mn atom s which occurs at the interfaces between CdTe and MnTe, as observed in CdTe/MnTe superlattices grown by conventional molecular beam epitaxy. (C) 1998 Academic Press Limited.