Intermixing of an AlAs-GaAs superlattice by Zn diffusion

The dramatic increase in the intermixing of AlAs and GaAs induced by Zn diffusion is shown to be a natural consequence of the previously predicted and verified dominance of diffusion of As vacancies by nearest-neighbor hopping and the interaction of Zn interstitials with the concomitant antisite defect complexes. Depending on the relative importance of single vacancy or divacancy diffusion, the intermixing on the anion sublattice will be nearly as great or almost nil. Determination of this anion sublattice intermixing is suggested as a means to estimate sample stoichiometry.