Molecular beam epitaxy and characterization of high Bi content GaSbBi alloys

The epitaxial growth, structural and optical properties of GaSb1−xBix layers are reported. The incorporation of Bi into GaSb is varied in the 0 < x ⩽ 14% range by varying the growth temperature and V:III BEP ratio. The Bi content and the structural properties were determined by Rutherford backscattering and X-ray diffraction, respectively. The optical properties have been studied by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The surface morphology was observed by optical and atomic force microscopies. The samples show a smooth, droplet free surface up to 11.4% Bi incorporation. All samples exhibit room temperature PL up to a wavelength of 3.8 μm achieved for 14% Bi incorporation. Finally, these alloys have shown a great thermal stability after several annealing at 450 °C. This work thus presents the highest Bi-content GaSbBi alloys and the first demonstration of room-temperature PL emission from GaSbBi alloys.