Nanoscale spatial phase modulation of GaAs growth in V-grooved trenches on Si (001) substrate

This letter reports the nanoscale spatial phase modulation of GaAs growth in V-grooved trenches fabricated on a Si (001) substrate by metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy. Two hexagonal GaAs regions with high density of stacking faults parallel to Si 111 surfaces are observed. A strain-relieved and defect-free cubic phase GaAs was achieved above these highly defective regions. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and fast Fourier transforms analysis were performed to characterize these regions of GaAs/Si interface. We also discussed the strain relaxation mechanism and phase structure modulation of GaAs selectively grown on this artificially manipulated surface.