Inductively Coupled Argon Plasma-Enhanced Quantum-Well Intermixing: Cap Layer Effect and Plasma Process Influence

Comprehensive investigation on inductively coupled argon plasma-enhanced quantum-well intermixing is done on an InGaAs-InP quantum-well structure with p-/n-doped InP and InGaAs caps using polarized edge-emitting photoluminescence analysis technique. The derived diffusion lengths on group V and III sublattices show that the cap material plays an important role as it influences both the accumulation and diffusion of point defects during plasma process and annealing process, respectively. The large blue and red shift can be realized with p-InP and n-InGaAs caps, respectively, by controlling the diffusion length ratio for interdiffusion on two sublattices.