MBE growth of compound semiconductors: Part I. Stochastic modeling

Abstract

A stochastic model for the MBE growth kinetic study of compound semiconductors is developed based on the master equation approach, the solid-on-solid restriction, and the quasi-chemical approximation. The developed model is suitable for the zinc blende crystals with 001 as the growth direction. In the modeling, the diamond cubic structure and the two sublattice nature of the zinc blende crystal are taken into account. The stochastic model is extended to compound semiconductor alloys such as GaAlAsSb to make it suitable for the MBE kinetic studies of alloys. Up to four elements with two in each sublattice can be accommodated. The presence of two elements in the same sublattice was taken into account. A procedure for the evaluation of the model parameters based on the available thermodynamic and experimental data is discussed. Advantages and limitations of the stochastic model over the available theoretical models are discussed.