Atomic layer epitaxy (ALE) growth of InP was investigated using trimethylindium (TMI) and tertiarybutylphosphine (TBP) in a horizontal atmospheric reactor. The studied growth parameters were exposure times, TMI and TBP fluxes, and growth temperature. Self-limiting ALE growth of InP was achieved at a growth temperature of 340°C. Substantial increases in the TMI flux and higher growth temperatures exceeding 340°C resulted in growth rates exceeding 1 monolayer per cycle. Uniform ALE InP layers were verified by cross-sectional transmission electron micrography and sputtered Auger profiling. The application of thin ALE InP layers (15 Å) on GaAs surfaces was investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, 77 K photoluminescence, and 300 K photoreflectance. The absence of arsenic oxide and an increase in the photoluminescence intensity by a factor of 2 were observed after InP passivation.

Undoped and modulation doped InAlAs/InP heterostructures with excellent optical and electrical characteristics are demonstrated using tertiarybutylphosphine (TBP). Low-temperature photoluminescence spectra showed the presence of a type II interface transition indicating the high quality of the interface. Two-dimensional electron gas transport in a modulation doped sample containing a sheet density of 1.8×1012 cm−2 was verified by observing plateaus in the quantum Hall effect. These results confirmed that TBP can be substituted for phosphine for the growth of high quality InAlAs/InP heterostructures.