Characterization of Modulation Doped Pseudomorphic AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs Hemt Structures by Electron Beam Electroreflectance and Photoluminescence

We have investigated the optical transitions present in MBE-grown modulation doped pseudomorphic AlxGa1-xAs/InyGa1-yAs/ GaAs HEMT structures of 120A InGaAs thickness, y values 0 to 0.28, and x values 0.20 to 0.30. From both 300K electron beam electroreflectance (EBER) and 4K photoluminescence (PL) measurements we observe transitions from the InGaAs strained quantum well layer. The intensity and lineshape of the InGaAs transition in both optical spectra are affected by processing temperatures, and provides an indication of the quality of the HEMT. In addition to strong, sharp features arising from the GaAs substrate and the superlattice buffer, the EBER data shows important characteristics of the AlGaAs layer which are unavailable from the PL. The latter include the presence of Franz-Keldysh oscillations, from which the crystal quality, composition, and electric field strength within the AlGaAs can be assessed. Specifically, when the growth temperatures are excessive, the disappearance of the Franz-Keldysh oscillations appears to be associated with outdiffusion of In from the strained layer, and consequent deterioration of active device performance.