We studied growth mechanisms in semiconducting Ga1 - xIn xAs ySb1 - y films grown by liquid phase epitaxy on (100) GaSb:Te (10(17) cm- 3) substrates at 600 ºC solution-substrate temperature. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) images of these films show step-like corrugations, undulations, grooves, and terraces. The terraces are a few nm in height and hundreds of nanometers in length. Epitaxial Ga1 - xIn xAs ySb1 - y films grow lattice-matched to the (100) GaSb substrates. These narrow-gap quaternary Ga1 - xIn xAs ySb1 - y compounds are suitable materials for heterostructure devices operating in the infrared wavelength range. The estimated x and y values are in the GaSb-rich zone. The step-like corrugations (bunching steps) are formed by different mechanisms, such as pinning effect probably due to impurities on the substrate surface.
Liquid phase epitaxy; Surface structure; Quaternary semiconductors
