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Quantitative Strain and Compositional Studies of InxGa1−xAs Epilayer in a GaAs-based pHEMT Device Structure by TEM Techniques

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 April 2014

Duggi V. Sridhara Rao ,
Ramachandran Sankarasubramanian ,
Kuttanellore Muraleedharan ,
Thorsten Mehrtens ,
Andreas Rosenauer  and
Dipankar Banerjee
Duggi V. Sridhara Rao*
Affiliation:
Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory, DRDO, Kanchanbagh, Hyderabad 500058, India
Ramachandran Sankarasubramanian
Affiliation:
Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory, DRDO, Kanchanbagh, Hyderabad 500058, India
Kuttanellore Muraleedharan
Affiliation:
Defence Research and Development Organisation, DRDO Bhawan, Rajaji Marg, New Delhi 110011, India
Thorsten Mehrtens
Affiliation:
Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Bremen, Otto-Hahn-Allee 1, 28359 Bremen, Germany
Andreas Rosenauer
Affiliation:
Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Bremen, Otto-Hahn-Allee 1, 28359 Bremen, Germany
Dipankar Banerjee
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India
*
*Corresponding author.dvsridhararao@gmail.com
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Abstract

In GaAs-based pseudomorphic high-electron mobility transistor device structures, strain and composition of the InxGa1−xAs channel layer are very important as they influence the electronic properties of these devices. In this context, transmission electron microscopy techniques such as (002) dark-field imaging, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) imaging, scanning transmission electron microscopy-high angle annular dark field (STEM-HAADF) imaging and selected area diffraction, are useful. A quantitative comparative study using these techniques is relevant for assessing the merits and limitations of the respective techniques. In this article, we have investigated strain and composition of the InxGa1−xAs layer with the mentioned techniques and compared the results. The HRTEM images were investigated with strain state analysis. The indium content in this layer was quantified by HAADF imaging and correlated with STEM simulations. The studies showed that the InxGa1−xAs channel layer was pseudomorphically grown leading to tetragonal strain along the [001] growth direction and that the average indium content (x) in the epilayer is ~0.12. We found consistency in the results obtained using various methods of analysis.

Keywords

TEMHEMTInGaAsquantum wellstraincomposition
Type
Materials Applications
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 20 , Issue 4 , August 2014 , pp. 1262 - 1270
Copyright
© Microscopy Society of America 2014 

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