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Semiconductors such as InAs with high dopant concentrations have a variety of applications, including as components of mid-infrared optoelectronic devices. Unfortunately, growth of these materials by molecular beam epitaxy is challenging, requiring high growth rates and low growth temperatures. We show that the use of a bismuth surfactant improves silicon incorporation into InAs while simultaneously reducing the optical scattering rate, increasing the carrier mobility, reducing surface roughness, and enabling growth at higher substrate temperatures and slower growth rates. We explain our findings using microscopic theories of dopant segregation and defect formation in III-V materials.

The group III–V semiconductor photonic system is attractive to photonics engineers because it provides a complete set of photonic components. A plasmonic material that can be epitaxially integrated with the group III–V photonic system will potentially lead to many applications leveraging plasmonics and metamaterials. In this work, the shortest plasma wavelength ever reported in a III–V‐based material is demonstrated by epitaxially embedding ErAs into GaAs. This composite material acts as a tunable plasmonic material across the technologically important 2.68–6 µm infrared window. The growth window of this material is demonstrated to be much wider than other current heavily doped III–V plasmonic materials. Additionally, it is shown that the scattering rate can be reduced by increasing the growth temperature. The wide growth temperature range, designer plasmonic response, and the ease of epitaxial integration with other III–V semiconductor devices demonstrate the potential of ErAs:GaAs nanocomposites for the creation of a new type of metamaterial and other novel optoelectronic and nanophotonic applications.