Pressure reduction of parasitic parallel conduction in InGaAs/InP heterostructures containing LT-InP layers

Abstract

We have measured classical and quantum (Shubnikov-de Haas effect) magnetotrans-port properties of InGaAs/InP heterostructures in which phosphorus antisite defects incorporated in low temperature MBE-grown InP (LT-InP) layers are the main source of electrons. The heterostructures show strong parasitic parallel conduction, which is reduced under hydrostatic pressure. The comparison of the experimental results with the calculations of the potential profile and the charge distribution in the heterostructures enables to identify all the conduction channels in the structures and unambiguously proves that the parasitic parallel conduction is due to spontaneous formation of the quantum well in the LT-InP buffer.

Key Words:

• Electron transport properties
• heterostructures
• parasitic parallel conduction
• low temperature InP phosphorus antisite
• hydrostatic pressure