Molecular beam epitaxial growth and characterization of InSb1-xNx on GaAs for long wavelength infrared applications

Recent research progress and findings in InSbN have attracted great attention due to its use in long wavelength infrared applications. A large bandgap reduction in InSb resulting from high N incorporation with minimal crystal defects is challenging due to relatively small atomic size of N. Hence optimization of growth conditions plays an important role in the growth of high-quality InSbN epilayers for device purposes. In this paper, we report on the correlation of structural, vibrational, electrical, and optical properties of molecular beam epitaxially grown InSbN epilayers grown on GaAs substrates, as a function of varying growth temperatures. Two dimensional growths of InSb and InSbN were confirmed from dynamic reflection high energy electron diffraction patterns and growth parameters were optimized. High crystalline quality of the epilayers is attested to by a low full width at half maximum of 200 arcsec from high resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD) scans and by the high intensity and well-resolved InSb longitudinal optical (LO) and 2nd order InSb LO mode observed from micro-Raman spectroscopy. The N incorporation in these InSbN epilayers is estimated to be 1.4% based on HRXRD simulation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies reveal that most of the N present in the layers are in the form of In-N bonding. Variation of the lattice disorder with growth temperature is correlated with the types of N bonding present, the carrier concentration and mobility, observed in the corresponding XPS spectra and Hall measurements, respectively. XPS analysis, HRXRD scans, and Raman spectral analysis indicate that lower growth temperature favors In-N bonding which dictates N incorporation in the substitutional sites and lattice disorder, whereas, high growth temperature promotes the formation of In-N-Sb bonding. The best room temperature and 77 K electrical transport parameters and maximum redshift in the absorption edge have been achieved in the InSbN epilayer grown in the 290 deg. C ∼ 330 deg. C temperature range.