Strain relaxation in In0.2Ga0.8As/GaAs quantum-well structures by x-ray diffraction and photoluminescence

The onset of strain relaxation in In0.2Ga0.8As/GaAs quantum-well structures is investigated. X-ray diffraction shows that when the InGaAs thickness in creases beyond its critical thickness, another peak on the right shoulder o f the GaAs peak appears, indicating that the top GaAs layer is being compre ssed in the growth direction by the relaxation of the InGaAs layer. Energy shifts of 44 and 49 meV are observed, respectively, from the strains of the InGaAs and GaAs top layers when increasing the InGaAs thickness from 300 a nd 1000 Angstrom. These energy shifts are in agreement with theory calculat ed based on the relaxation process observed in x-ray diffraction, providing evidence that the relaxation occurs from near the bottom InGaAs/GaAs inter face while the top interface still remains strained. This result is further corroborated by the images of cross-sectional transmission electron microg raphs which show that most of the misfit dislocations are confined near the bottom interface. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(00)0 7303-5].