Optical constants of Ga1−xInxAsySb1−y lattice matched to GaSb (001): Experiment and modeling

The optical constants ε(E)[=ε1(E)+iε2(E)] of two epitaxial layers of GaInAsSb/GaSb have been measured at 300 K using spectral ellipsometry in the range of 0.35–5.3 eV. The ε(E) spectra displayed distinct structures associated with critical points (CPs) at E0 (direct gap), spin-orbit split E0+Δ0 component, spin-orbit split (E1,E1+Δ1) and (E0′,E0′+Δ0′) doublets, as well as E2. The experimental data over the entire measured spectral range (after oxide removal) has been fit using the Holden model dielectric function [Holden et al., Phys. Rev. B 56, 4037 (1997)] based on the electronic energy-band structure near these CPs plus excitonic and band-to-band Coulomb-enhancement effects at E0, E0+Δ0, and the E1, E1+Δ1 doublet. In addition to evaluating the energies of these various band-to-band CPs, information about the binding energy (R1) of the two-dimensional exciton related to the E1, E1+Δ1 CPs was obtained. The value of R1 was in good agreement with effective mass/k⋅p theory. The ability to evaluate R1 has important ramifications for recent first-principles band-structure calculations which include exciton effects at E0, E1, and E2 [M. Rohlfing and S. G. Louie, Phys. Rev. Lett. 81, 2312 (1998); S. Albrecht et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 4510 (1998)]. The experimental absorption coefficients in the region of E0 were in good agreement with values obtained from a linear interpolation of the end-point materials. Our experimental results were compared to a recent evaluation and fitting (Holden model) of the optical constants of GaSb.