Characterization of Hazy Morphology on AlInP/GaAs Epitaxial Wafers Grown by Organometallic Vapor-Phase Epitaxy

Six-inch AlInP/GaAs epitaxial wafers grown by organometallic vapor-phase epitaxy (OMVPE) are being developed for light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The surface morphology of the epilayer changes under different growth conditions, where hazy features arise under high growth pressure, preventing their use in device fabricatiion. Applying optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and synchrotron x-ray topography, it is observed that the hazy region is rougher than the clear region and additional lattice distortion exists in the hazy region. The tilt and strain are quantitatively analyzed using 004 reciprocal-space mapping (RSM), where the hazy regions are associated with weakened and broadened peaks surrounding the sharp peak from the clear regions of the epilayer. More importantly, by employing 002 RSM to lower the x-ray penetration depth, it is revealed that the hazy features are formed when a certain thickness is exceeded, indicating that the epilayers do not suffer from lattice distortion at the beginning of the epitaxial growth. The characterization results suggest that changes in the growth conditions at the epilayer–substrate interface may not help to avoid the formation of the hazy features, but that other growth parameters at the bulk epilayer are worth investigation.