Formation of ErP Islands on InP(001) Surface by Organometallic Vapor Phase Epitaxy

First observation of ErP islands formed on InP(001) during Er-exposure by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy is demonstrated for 0.7-0.8ML coverage. Different features of the surface morphology for Er-exposed InP are observed depending on substrate temperatures. While large islands (200-300nm) are grown on the InP(001) surface at a substrate temperature of 530 degrees C, small dots (17-30nm) with the density of about 5 x 10(9) cm(-2) are formed at 580 degrees C. ErP islands are preferably grown along the [010] and [100] directions to decrease the lattice distortion.