X-ray analysis of spontaneous lateral modulation in (InAs)(n)/(AlAs)(m) short-period superlattices

The lateral composition modulation in (InAs)(n)/(AlAs)(m) short-period supe rlattices was studied by means of synchrotron x-ray diffraction. By choosin g specific diffraction vectors having a large component closely parallel to the modulation direction, we are able to observe a number of lateral satel lite peaks around the zero-order short-period superlattice peak. A model, i ncorporating both composition and strain, is used to simulate the intensiti es of these satellites. Our results provide a quantitative fit and permit t he evaluation of the composition amplitude. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.