Heteroepitaxial growth of InAs on GaAs(100) mediated by Te at the interface

The heteroepitaxy of InAs on a Te covered GaAs surface is investigated by photoelectron spectroscopy. Core-level spectra probed with synchrotron radiation show that Te remains at the interface between InAs and GaAs in a concentration much higher than the solubility limit of this element in III-V compounds, suggesting that a new compound is being formed. We propose that this interlayer is responsible for the observed changing in the growth mode of the InAs overlayer from islands to layer by layer.