Characterization of III-V Semiconductor Structures Using Electron Beam Electroreflectance (EBER) spectroscopy.

EBER is a form of modulated reflectance spectroscopy in which a low energy electron beam alters the sample surface potential. For III-V semiconductors, the spectra are characteristic of electroreflectance, including excitonic, interband, and impurity transitions. The study of these transitions provides accurate estimations of band gaps in bulk and thick film samples. Measurements of the band gap energy in compounds such as AlxGa1-xAs provide highly precise evaluations of their composition. Additionally, EBER spectra of quantum well structures and heterojunctions provide useful information about the composition and quality of materials and interfaces. For quantum wells, detected features suggest the presence of allowed, disallowed, and resonant states. In EBER spectra of HEMT structures, peaks are apparent resulting from transitions between the valence band and the states in which the electrons are confined. We present examples of EBER determination of AlGaAs composition, single GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well evaluation, and HEMT characterization.