The influence of growth conditions on the composition of GaInAsP grown by gas-source molecular beam epitaxy

We have studied the effect of growth temperature and growth rate on the composition of GaInAsP grown by gas-source molecular beam epitaxy on InP substrates. The composition of GaInAsP was found to be independent of substrate temperature below a transition temperature, approximately 530°C, at which appeared an abrupt change in the group V composition of GaInAsP for the wavelengths 1.05 < λ ≤ 1.3 μm. We observed that the magnitude of the abrupt change in the composition, as well as group V composition as a whole, is a function of growth rate, or V/III ratio. The main behaviour of the sticking coefficients of As and P as a function of growth rate will be explained in a qualitative manner