Hydrogen ion beam smoothening of oxygen roughened Ge(001) surfaces

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:6825102

Horn, K M; Chason, E; Tsao, J Y; Picraux, S T

A smooth Ge(001) surface can be severely roughened by chemical etching with oxygen gas and then returned to its original smoothness by exposure to hydrogen. The rate of recovery of the surface depends strongly on temperature, as well as on whether the hydrogen is introduced as a low energy ion beam or simply as a gas. The roughness induced in the surface by etching is ''locked-in'' after removal of the oxygen gas through pinning of ledges by residual contamination. This pinning prevents the surface from smoothening thermally. The introduction of hydrogen to the surface promotes a chemical reaction which frees the pinned sites and allows thermal smoothening to proceed. 7 refs., 3 figs.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 6825102
• Report Number(s): SAND-88-1655C; CONF-881155-17; ON: DE89004375
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360101 -- Metals & Alloys-- Preparation & Fabrication
656003* -- Condensed Matter Physics-- Interactions between Beams & Condensed Matter-- (1987-)
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
BEAMS
CRYSTALS
ELEMENTS
EPITAXY
GERMANIUM
HYDROGEN 1 MINUS BEAMS
ION BEAMS
METALS
MOLECULAR BEAM EPITAXY
NONMETALS
OXYGEN
ROUGHNESS
SURFACE PROPERTIES
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE