Microtwin nucleation and propagation in heteroepitaxial II-VI compounds on (001)-oriented GaAs substrates

Abstract
II-VI/(001)GaAs heterostructures showing strong microtwin anisotropy for conditions of tensile and compressive strain are examined. Epitaxial ZnS/GaAs, (Cd,Zn)Te/GaAs and (Cd,Zn)S/GaAs exhibit microtwins exclusively for the [110] projection, when far from the interface, indicating that a growth model is most appropriate for the description of microtwin propagation in these cases. Profile imaging is used to examine the first stages of twinning in (Hg,Mn)Te. The importance of interface integrity when distinguishing between processes of growth- and deformation-induced microtwinning is emphasized.