Low stacking-fault density in ZnSe epilayers directly grown on epi-ready GaAs substrates without GaAs buffer layers

We report a remarkably low stacking-fault density in ZnSe epilayers directly grown on commercial epi-ready GaAs (001) substrates without GaAs buffer layer growth. It is found that' proper pregrowth treatments on epi-ready GaAs (001) substrates to obtain clean surfaces are crucial for two-dimensional layer-by-layer growth and suppression of stacking fault generation. Chemical etching using a NH₄OH-based solution is found to reduce not only the thickness of the oxide layers but also the ratio of Ga₂O₃ to As₂O₃ to about half of that before etching. A clean GaAs (001) surface characterized by a (4 × 1) reconstruction in the present case is obtained after thermal cleaning followed by Zn pre-exposure. Reflection high-energy electron diffraction intensity oscillations with more than 50 periods are observed even from the very beginning of ZnSe growth on GaAs substrates cleaned as such. The stacking fault density in such a ZnSe layer is in the low-10⁵ cm^-2 range.