Research on III-V semiconductor interfaces : Its impact on technology and devices

The paper presents some examples of interface studies which are intimately related to progress in III-V semiconductor technology and device physics. Optical in-situ investigations of the MOVPE growth of InGaP/InP layers are essential for the control of ordering phenomena in these layers which are relevant for high performance optoelectronic devices. Interface roughness, which is an essential parameter for the performance of heterostructure quantum devices, is a typical topic of interface investigations by e.g. transmission electron microscopy or X-ray scattering. As a further example studies on electronic interface states on metal/narrow gap III-V semiconductors are presented which enabled the successful preparation of semiconductor/superconductor hybrid devices. For group III-nitrides with wurtzite structure the interplay of internal polarisation fields and charges in surface states yields new challenges in Girder to understand and control Schottky barrier heights and 2D confinement in heterostructure FETs.