Nearly ideal InP/In0.53Ga0.47As heterojunction regrowth on chemically prepared In0.53Ga0.47As surfaces

When III-V growth is interrupted for processing, in the ambient laboratory environment for example, regrown heterojunction quality has been rather disappointing in comparison to uninterrupted epitaxial growth. We have conducted a search for surface chemical preparations on In0.53Ga0.47As which would produce the highest-quality InP/In0.53Ga0.47As regrown heterojunction interface, as measured by surface recombination velocity (SRV). After an extensive survey, we have found that dilute bromine-based etching solutions are best for preparing a free In0.53Ga0.47As surface for subsequent InP regrowth. The resulting InP/In0.53Ga0.47As interfacial SRV is ≲20 cm/s, comparable to heterojunctions grown without any interruption at all.