Imaging Atomic-Scale Clustering in III-V Semiconductor Alloys

Quaternary alloys are essential for the development of high-performance optoelectronic devices. However, immiscibility of the constituent elements can make these materials vulnerable to phase segregation, which degrades the optical and electrical properties of the solid. High-efficiency III-V photovoltaic cells are particularly sensitive to this degradation. InAlAsSb lattice matched to InP is a promising candidate material for high-bandgap subcells of a multijunction photovoltaic device. However, previous studies of this material have identified characteristic signatures of compositional variation, including anomalous low-energy photoluminescence. In this work, atomic-scale clustering is observed in InAlAsSb via quantitative scanning transmission electron microscopy. Image quantification of atomic column intensity ratios enables the comparison with simulated images, confirming the presence of nonrandom compositional variation in this multispecies alloy.