Open AccessThe use of reactive ion sputtering to produce clean germanium surfaces in a carbon rich environment -- An ion scattering study
Author(s) -
Vincent S. Smentkowski,
A. R. Krauss,
D.M. Gruen,
J. C. Holecek,
James J. Schultz
Publication year - 1997
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/554846
Subject(s) - sputtering , germanium , ion , carbon fibers , nitrogen , analytical chemistry (journal) , materials science , desorption , noble gas , spectroscopy , impurity , chemistry , silicon , thin film , nanotechnology , adsorption , optoelectronics , physics , organic chemistry , chromatography , quantum mechanics , composite material , composite number
The authors have used the ion spectroscopic techniques of direct recoil spectroscopy (DRS) and mass spectroscopy of recoiled ions (MSRI) to demonstrate that low energy reactive ion sputtering of Ge is capable of removing surface impurities such as carbon. The experiments were performed in a vacuum chamber maintained at 3.5 {times} 10{sup {minus}7} Torr. At these pressures, physical sputtering using noble gas is not effective for cleaning Ge surfaces as carbon re-deposits onto the surface. In this paper, the authors demonstrate that reactive sputtering of Ge using 4.0 keV nitrogen at a Ge surface temperature of {approximately} 740 K and above removes surface carbon and deposits nitrogen on the Ge surface. Heating the nitrogen exposed Ge surface to above {approximately} 880 K results in the desorption of nitrogen and generates an atomically clean Ge surface, under poor vacuum conditions