Critical Composition Buffering for Growing InxGa1-xAs on InP

A method of growing lattice-mismatched InxGa1-xAs epitaxial layers on InP substrates using intermediate buffer layers of InAsyP1-yhas been invented to improve the performance of InxGa1-xAs thermophotovoltaic devices. The use of buffer layers is required to minimize the density of threading dislocations generated because of the lattice mismatch between low-bandgap InxGa1-xAs and InP. These defects degrade the electrical performance of the InGaAs device by acting as recombination centers for minority carriers.