Heterojunction diodes of (AlGa)As−GaAs with improved degradation resistance

The resistance to gradual degradation of (AlGa)As−GaAs heterojunction structures prepared by liquid phase epitaxy is shown to be greatly improved by using a very fast cooling rate. The specific diodes described are of interest as high−speed (200 MHz) LED sources for fiber−optic communications. It is suggested that the improved degradation resistance results from a reduction in the arsenic vacancy concentration incorporated in the GaAs grown at the high cooling rates.