Abstract Cubic boron phosphide (BP) is one of the least studied III-V compound semiconductors, in part because it is difficult to prepare in high quality form. In this study, zirconium diboride (ZrB 2 ) was studied as a potential substrate for BP epitaxial layers, because of its advantages of a low lattice constant mismatch and high thermal stability. Two types of substrates were considered: ZrB 2 (0 0 0 1) epitaxial films on 4H-SiC(0 0 0 1) and bulk ZrB 2 (0 0 0 1) single crystals. The optimal temperature for epitaxy on these substrates was 1100 °C; higher and lower temperatures resulted in polycrystalline films. The BP film/ZrB 2 interface was abrupt as confirmed by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, attesting to the stability of ZrB 2 under BP deposition conditions. The BP films were under compressive and tensile strain on ZrB 2 and ZrB 2 /4H-SiC substrates, respectively, as determined by Raman spectroscopy, due to differences in the substrate/film coefficients of thermal expansion. This study suggests that with further optimization, ZrB 2 can be an excellent substrate for BP epitaxial films.

中文翻译：

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二硼化锆上的立方磷化硼外延

摘要立方磷化硼 (BP) 是研究最少的 III-V 族化合物半导体之一，部分原因是它难以以高质量的形式制备。在这项研究中，二硼化锆 (ZrB 2 ) 被研究作为 BP 外延层的潜在衬底，因为它具有低晶格常数失配和高热稳定性的优点。考虑了两种类型的衬底：4H-SiC(0 0 0 1) 上的ZrB 2 (0 0 0 1) 外延膜和体ZrB 2 (0 0 0 1) 单晶。这些衬底上外延的最佳温度为 1100 °C；更高和更低的温度导致多晶薄膜。BP 膜/ZrB 2 界面是陡峭的，如横截面透射电子显微镜证实的那样，证明了 ZrB 2 在 BP 沉积条件下的稳定性。由于衬底/膜的热膨胀系数不同，BP 膜分别在 ZrB 2 和 ZrB 2 /4H-SiC 衬底上承受压缩应变和拉伸应变，由拉曼光谱确定。该研究表明，通过进一步优化，ZrB 2 可以成为 BP 外延膜的优良基材。