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We report a detailed compositional analysis of In[sub x]Ga[sub 1 - x]N/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. Depth profiles of the InN fraction, x, in the MQWs were determined from grazing incidence Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) analysis. Simulation of the RBS spectra provides precise estimations of individual well compositions, thickness, and the extent of In/Ga intermixing. It is ascertained that intermixing, and In segregation to the GaN cap layer, strongly increase with the value of x in the wells and with the number of periods in the MQW stack. Deleterious effects of intermixing on the spectral properties are apparent when comparing the photoluminescence spectra of two MQW structures with 8 and 18 wells, grown under the same nominal conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strain and composition distributions within wurtzite InGaN/GaN layers are investigated by high-resolution reciprocal space mapping (RSM). We illustrate the potential of RSM to detect composition and strain gradients independently. This information is extracted from the elongation of broadened reciprocal lattice points (RLP) in asymmetric x-ray reflections. Three In[sub x]Ga[sub 1-x]N/GaN (nominal x=0.25) samples with layer thickness of 60, 120, and 240 nm, were grown in a commercial metal-organic chemical vapor deposition reactor. The RSMs around the (105) reflection show that the strain profile is nonuniform over depth in InGaN. The directions of "pure" strain relaxation in the reciprocal space, for a given In content (isocomposition lines), are calculated based on elastic theory. Comparison between these directions and measured distributions of the RLP shows that the relaxation process does not follow a specific isocomposition line. The In mole fraction (x) increases as the films relax. At the start of growth all the films have x∼0.2 and are coherent to GaN. As they relax, x progressively increases towards the nominal value (0.25). Compositional gradients along the growth direction extracted from the RSM analysis are confirmed by complementary Rutherford backscattering measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents corrections in the topic 'Strain and composition distributions in wurtzite InGaN/GaN layers extracted from x-ray reciprocal space mapping,' published in the volume 80, 2002 issue of the journal 'Applied Physics Letters.' Description of the error; Presentation of the correct form of the equation.