Patent attributes
A method of fabricating a superlattice structure requires that atoms of a first III-V semiconductor compound be introduced into a vacuum chamber such that the atoms are deposited uniformly on a substrate. Atoms of at least one additional III-V compound are also introduced such that the atoms of the two III-V compounds form a repeating superlattice structure of alternating thin layers. Atoms of a surfactant are also introduced into the vacuum chamber while the III-V semiconductor compounds are being introduced, or immediately thereafter, such that the surfactant atoms act to improve the quality of the resulting SL structure. The surfactant is preferably bismuth, and the III-V semiconductor compounds are preferably GaSb along with either InAs or InAsSb; atoms of each material are preferably introduced using molecular beam epitaxy. The resulting superlattice structure is suitably used to form at least a portion of an IR photodetector.
