ABSTRACT
Oxidation phenomena of AlxGal+xAs/AlAs multilayers were studied in detail on vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser diodes grown by metal-organic vapour phase epitaxy on (001)GaAs. The topography of cross-section samples prepared for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was investigated by atomic force microscopy, whereas high-resolution and analytical TEM were used to characterize their microstructure and microchemistry. It is shown that sputtering of Si onto the specimen surfaces helps to protect (Al,Ga)As/AlAs layers from oxidation.
