Characterization of vertical-cavity semiconductor structures

The characteristics of vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser semiconductor structures grown on GaAs wafer substrates were investigated using x-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that vertical-cavity semiconductor structures were amenable to optical, x-ray and electron beam metrologies. Reflectance spectroscopy provided direct information on cavity resonance, molecular beam epitaxy provided uniform and accurate tolerances and x-ray diffractometry allowed for the nondestructive analysis of the structures.