Optical characterization of stress in narrow GaAs stripes on patterned Si substrates

Abstract
Photoluminescence (PL) and spatially resolved cathodoluminescence (CL) techniques are used to characterize the stress in narrow GaAs stripes grown on Si platforms. Since no overgrowth occurs over the recess edges, the GaAs stripes are grown unconstrained along one dimension. A duplication of the optical transitions is found in the PL spectrum from a region containing embedded GaAs and stripes. The peaks in the high-energy shoulders of the PL spectrum are identified by CL measurements with high spatial resolution as the luminescence contribution of the GaAs stripes. They are submitted to lower internal stress values. A study on the geometrical dependence of the strain regime shows that a nonuniform biaxial strain field with a dominant longitudinal component is present in the stripes. The uniform biaxial strain, found in GaAs on Si (001), is present at stripe intersections.