Abstract
The effectiveness of In0.10Ga0.90As/GaAs strained-layer superlattices (SLSs) as barriers for the threading dislocation propagation, in molecular-beam-epitaxy GaAs-on-Si structures with Si buffer layers, has been investigated. It is shown that the interaction of threading dislocations with the strain field of SLSs is effective in limiting their propagation. The interaction is stronger as the total thickness of In0.10Ga0.90As (i.e., SLS periods) is increased. SLSs with thinner individual layers resulted in a lower dislocation density and a better structural quality at the GaAs/Si interface.