Résumé
We review the newly emerging field of surfactant-mediated molecular beam epitaxy (SM-MBE) and its applications to the growth of strained layer heterostructures (SLHs). We first describe the different growth modes existing, together with the means to influence them and the role of a surfactant in epitaxy. We then review the experimental results obtained in SLH epitaxy of the Si/Ge, Ga
x
In
1−
x
As/GaAs and InAs/Al
x
Ga
0.48−
x
In
0.52As/InP systems. In each case the current knowledge of the growth mechanism in conventional MBE is summarized before exposing the results obtained in SM-MBE. Particular attention is devoted to the influence of the surfactant on the growth mode and strain relaxation of the samples. We present the characterization of the structural and electronic properties performed on SM-MBE-grown samples and we compare it with conventionally grown samples. Finally, the applications of SM-MBE to other material systems and to lattice-matched epitaxy are summarized.