Mechanisms of nanodot formation under focused ion beam irradiation in compound semiconductors
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2136 (United States)
We have examined the responses of GaAs, InP, InAs, and AlAs to 30 keV focused ion beam (FIB) irradiation and applied a unified model that consistently explains the observed effects. Nanodots were observed to form on GaAs, InP, and InAs under irradiation at normal incidence, while nanodots are not observed on AlAs. The FIB response and nanodot formation behavior of each material is discussed with regard to a few basic material properties and a model for nanodot creation and growth by the action of preferential sputtering and Ostwald ripening. The model predicts the development of a stable average nanodot size with increasing ion dose, with the average nanodot size depending on the excess group III adatom yield, adatom surface diffusion rate, and surface tension. These predictions qualitatively agree with the experimentally observed trends for GaAs and InP. They also agree for the initial nanodot formation on InAs, but this material system exhibits a sudden transition in the nanodot size distribution. The model predicts that nanodots will have difficulty forming and growing on AlAs, which is also in agreement with our experimental results.
- OSTI ID:
- 21538035
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 109, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3530839; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0021-8979
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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ALUMINIUM ARSENIDES
DEPOSITION
DIFFUSION
DISTRIBUTION
GALLIUM ARSENIDES
INDIUM ARSENIDES
INDIUM PHOSPHIDES
ION BEAMS
IRRADIATION
KEV RANGE 10-100
NANOSTRUCTURES
QUANTUM DOTS
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
SIMULATION
SPUTTERING
SURFACE TENSION
SURFACES
UNIFIED MODEL
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
ARSENIC COMPOUNDS
ARSENIDES
BEAMS
ENERGY RANGE
GALLIUM COMPOUNDS
INDIUM COMPOUNDS
KEV RANGE
MATERIALS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NUCLEAR MODELS
PHOSPHIDES
PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS
PNICTIDES
SURFACE PROPERTIES