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Effects of buffer layer thickness on the surface roughness of In0.3Ga0.7As thin films: A phase-field simulation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 November 2013

Pingping Wu ,
Fangliang Gao  and
Guoqiang Li
Pingping Wu
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China
Fangliang Gao
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China
Guoqiang Li*
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: msgli@scut.edu.cn
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Abstract

The graded composition buffer layers are very commonly used in the semiconductor triple-junction solar cell device. To grow a strain-free 1.0-eV In0.3Ga0.7As thin film on a GaAs substrate, a total of 2.2% misfit strain must be relaxed through well-designed buffer layer structures. In this work, a phase-field model of a multilayered system is developed to probe the roughness of top surface morphology and predict optimal buffer layer thickness. Our simulation shows time evolution of the thin film morphology and the root-mean-square roughness of the surface with different buffer layer thickness designs. The strain distribution is investigated to explain the surface morphology evolution with the effect of the buffer layer. The simulation results show that the buffer layer thickness is a key parameter that affects the quality of the In0.3Ga0.7As epilayers. The simulation results can be effective in improving the design of graded buffer layers.

Keywords

buffer layers thicknesssurface morphologyroot-mean-square roughnessphase-field model
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 28 , Issue 23 , 14 December 2013 , pp. 3218 - 3225
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2013 

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References

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