In/GaAs reaction: influence of an intervening oxide layer

Technical Report · Tue Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:5700383

Ding, J

The interface morphologies of the In/GaAs heterojunction with and without a thin (1 approx.2 nm) intervening native oxide layer have been studied before and after annealing at 350/sup 0/C by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and diffraction, energy dispersive spectrometry of x-rays and cross-sectional high resolution transmission electron microscopy. Results were combined to provide a detailed description of the structural evolution of the In/GaAs heterojunction and the effect of the intervening oxide on the In/GaAs reaction. The SEM and TEM images revealed the surface morphologies of the as-deposited indium on the GaAs substrate with and without the intervening oxide. Epitaxial indium islands were formed on the oxide-free substrate with the orientation relationship (011)/sub GaAs/ parallel to (111)/sub In/, (200)/sub GaAs/ parallel to (110)/sub In/. This morphology was explained by considering the surface energy of indium and the reduction in interfacial energy due to epitaxy. Instead of a graded heterojunction, an abrupt interface was found between the epitaxial phase In/sub 1-x/Ga/sub x/As formed after annealing and the GaAs substrate. The results also showed that the native oxide on the substrate disrupts the orientation relationship at the In/GaAs interface, and greatly inhibits the In/GaAs reaction at 350/sup 0/C.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-76SF00098
• OSTI ID: 5700383
• Report Number(s): LBL-21371; ON: DE86012017
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360603* -- Materials-- Properties
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420800 -- Engineering-- Electronic Circuits & Devices-- (-1989)
ANNEALING
ARSENIC COMPOUNDS
ARSENIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COHERENT SCATTERING
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
DIFFRACTION
ELECTRON DIFFRACTION
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
ELEMENTS
EPITAXY
GALLIUM ARSENIDES
GALLIUM COMPOUNDS
HEAT TREATMENTS
HETEROJUNCTIONS
INDIUM
INTERFACES
JUNCTIONS
METALS
MICROSCOPY
MICROSTRUCTURE
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PNICTIDES
SCATTERING
SEMICONDUCTOR JUNCTIONS
SPECTROSCOPY
X-RAY SPECTROSCOPY