Relaxation dynamics and residual strain in metamorphic AlSb on GaAs

We have observed the evolution of the accumulated stress during heteroepitaxial growth of highly lattice mismatched AlSb on GaAs by measuring the deformation of the substrate as a function of time. High resolution transmission electron microscopy images show almost all of the plastic relaxation is accommodated by an array of 90° misfit dislocations at the interface. The in-plane lattice parameter of the resulting metamorphic AlSb is slightly smaller (0.3%) than the bulk value and perfectly matches the lattice parameter of bulk GaSb. It is, therefore, possible to grow nearly stress-free GaSb on GaAs using a metamorphic AlSb buffer layer.