Surface reconstructions of InGaAs alloys

The surface reconstructions of InxGa1−xAs alloys grown by molecular beam epitaxy on the (0 0 1) surfaces of GaAs and InAs have been studied by reflection high-energy electron diffraction and scanning tunnelling microscopy. A surface phase diagram is presented for the nominally strain-free alloy as a function of substrate temperature and alloy composition, and structural models for the commonly observed 3× reconstructions are discussed. Two new, electronically stable structural models are described that account for the transition of the InxGa1−xAs surface alloy from a c(4 × 4) to an asymmetric 3× reconstruction and that are fully consistent with all current experimental evidence.