Improvement of wet-oxidized Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}As (x{approx}1) through the use of AlAs/GaAs digital alloys

Journal Article · Mon May 01 00:00:00 EDT 2000 · Applied Physics Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.126403· OSTI ID:20216177

Pickrell, G W ^[1]; Epple, J H ^[1]; Chang, K L ^[1]; Hsieh, K C ^[1]; Cheng, K Y ^[1]

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1. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Microelectronics Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States)

A comparison of the water vapor oxidation characteristics of AlAs, Al{sub 0.98}Ga{sub 0.02}As, and an Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}As digital alloy was performed. The Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}As digital alloy consists of periods of 49 monolayers of AlAs and 1 monolayer of GaAs and has an equivalent composition of x=0.98. Oxidation rates and the structural integrity of the three layers were compared. When oxidized in water vapor, the Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}As digital alloy and the AlAs have similar oxidation rates, both of which are twice as fast as the Al{sub 0.98}Ga{sub 0.02}As layer. Post-oxidation annealing of these samples at 450 degree sign C showed severe delamination at the oxide/GaAs interface in the AlAs sample while the Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}As digital alloy sample was not damaged. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics.

• OSTI ID: 20216177
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 76, Issue 18; Other Information: PBD: 1 May 2000; ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
GALLIUM ARSENIDES
ALUMINIUM ARSENIDES
OXIDATION
WATER VAPOR
LAYERS
ANNEALING
MOLECULAR BEAM EPITAXY
EXPERIMENTAL DATA