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Noelle Gogneau,1 Amira Ben Gouider Trabelsi,2 Mathieu G Silly,3 Mohamed Ridene,1 Marc Portail,4 Adrien Michon,4 Mehrezi Oueslati,2 Rachid Belkhou,3 Fausto Sirotti,3 Abdelkarim Ouerghi1 1Laboratoire de Photonique et de Nanostructures, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Marcoussis, France; 2Unité des Nanomatériaux et Photonique, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar Campus Universitaire, Tunis, Tunisia; 3Synchrotron-SOLEIL, Saint-Aubin, BP48, F91192 Gif sur Yvette Cedex, France; 4Centre de Recherche sur l'HétéroEpitaxie et Ses Application, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Valbonne, France Abstract: Graphene has been intensively studied in recent years in order to take advantage of its unique properties. Its synthesis on SiC substrates by solid-state graphitization appears a suitable option for graphene-based electronics. However, before developing devices based on epitaxial graphene, it is desirable to understand and finely control the synthesis of material with the most promising properties. To achieve these prerequisites, many studies are being conducted on various SiC substrates. Here, we review 3C–SiC(100) epilayers grown by chemical vapor deposition on Si(100) substrates for producing graphene by solid state graphitization under ultrahigh-vacuum conditions. Based on various characterization techniques, the structural and electrical properties of epitaxial graphene layer grown on 3C–SiC(100)/Si(100) are discussed. We establish that epitaxial graphene presents properties similar to those obtained using hexagonal SiC substrates, with the advantage of being compatible with current Si-processing technology. Keywords: epitaxial graphene, electronic properties, structural properties, silicon carbide

This contribution reports the metal organic vapor phase epitaxy of InAsP/InP(001) quantum dots with a voluntary V-alloying obtained owing to an additional phosphine flux during InAs quantum dot growth. The quantum dots were studied by photoluminescence and transmission electron microscopy. We show that the additional phosphine flux allows to tune quantum dot emission around 1.55 μm while improving their optical properties. The comparison of the optical and structural properties of the InAsP quantum dots allows to deduce their phosphorus composition, ranging from 0% to 30% when the phosphine/arsine flow ratio is varying between 0 and 50. On the basis of the compositions deduced, we discuss on the effects of the phosphine flow and of the alloying on the quantum dot growth, structural, and optical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report sub-meV (as low as 0.6 meV) low-temperature photoluminescence linewidth and high low-temperature electron mobility (μ∼1-1.5×106 cm2/Vs) of GaAs quantum wells in AlGaAs barriers grown by standard metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. These records values are achieved by epitaxial growth on (100) slightly misoriented substrates [<=0.6 degrees off-(100) GaAs substrates] in combination with a high V/III ratio for AlGaAs growth. Such small misorientations are sufficient to drastically modify the optical and transport properties as well as the growth mode and surface morphologies of both GaAs and AlGaAs epitaxial layers, allowing greater interface quality and reduced impurity incorporation. The quantum wells so obtained show optical properties comparable to high-quality samples grown by molecular beam epitaxy. In addition, the slight misorientation considerably reduces the impact of substrate temperature on electron mobility, which allows achieving high values of μ within a much broader range of growth temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of AlN overgrowth on the structural properties of GaN nanostructures (quantum wells and quantum dots) grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy have been investigated using Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and reflection high-energy electron diffraction. The capping process induces a remarkable change in the dimensions of the nanostructures. The overgrowth process implies a thinning of the GaN quantum well and an isotropic reduction of the GaN island size. We demonstrate that this thickness/size reduction affects only the top GaN/AlN interface. The phenomenon is attributed to an exchange mechanism between Al atoms from the cap layer and Ga atoms in the nanostructures. We also demonstrate that this exchange is thermally activated and depends on the strain state of the nanostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the controlled growth and characterization of quaternary AlGaInN compounds by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Two-dimensional growth is achieved with a monolayer of In segregating at the growth front. In incorporation is hindered by increasing growth temperature and Al mole fraction, which is explained by the lower binding energy of InN compared to GaN and AlN. The mosaicity of the layers is determined by the substrate quality, whereas the alloy disorder increases with the Al content, independent of the In mole fraction. Room temperature photoluminescence is dominated by a narrow band-edge emission, whose Stokes shift and activation energy increase with the In content. This behavior is interpreted in terms of carrier localization in self-formed alloy inhomogeneities. An In-related band bowing parameter of 2.5 eV has been estimated. © 2003 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a procedure to grow GaN quantum dots (QDs) on AlN by using the Ga surfactant effect in plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Self-formed GaN islands were spontaneously generated under vacuum, after evaporation of the Ga bilayer stabilizing the two-dimensional GaN layer grown under Ga-rich conditions. Island characteristics (size and density) are studied as a function of the nominal amount of GaN deposited. We demonstrate that the QD density can be controlled in the 3 × 10[SUP10]cm[SUP-2] - 2 × 10[SUP11]cm[SUP-2] range. It is shown that beyond a given amount of GaN nominally deposited, there is a coexistence between elastic and plastic relaxation, with GaN islands being formed on a partially relaxed two-dimensional GaN layer thicker than two monolayers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the surfactant capability of In for AlGaN growth by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy has been assessed. We have determined the range of substrate temperatures and In fluxes to form a self-regulated 1 × 1 In adlayer on Al[sub x]Ga[sub 1-x]N(0001). The presence of this In film favors two-dimensional growth of AlGaN under stoichiometric conditions. The formation of metal droplets on the surface is inhibited. In incorporation, if any, is lower than 0.01%. The structural quality of the layers is verified by high-resolution x-ray diffraction, both in symmetric and asymmetric reflections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The metal organic vapor phase epitaxy of InAsP/InP(001) quantum dots with a voluntary V-alloying obtained due to an additional phosphine flux during InAs quantum dot growth is reported. The results from the study offer insight into the effects of the phosphine flow and of the alloying on the quantum dot growth, structural, and optical properties.

Sub-meV low-temperature photoluminescence linewidth and high low-temperature electron mobility of GaAs quantum wells in AlGaAs barriers grown by standard metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy is reported. The choice of slightly misoriented substrates broadens the growth temperature range for which high mobilities are seen and these high-optical and transport -quality structures might be useful in studies of optical properties and quantum transport in low-dimensional structures, such as V-groove quantum wire heterostrucutres relying on the metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) growth peculiarities.