Open AccessComposition and band structure of the native oxide nanolayer on the ion beam treated surface of the GaAs wafer
Author(s) -
V. M. Mikoushkin,
V. Bryzgalov,
С.В. Никонов,
A. P. Solonitsyna,
D. Marchenko
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
fizika i tehnika poluprovodnikov
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1726-7315
pISSN - 0015-3222
DOI - 10.21883/ftp.2018.05.45850.39
Subject(s) - x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , materials science , wafer , heterojunction , oxide , gallium , nanostructure , layer (electronics) , dielectric , optoelectronics , ion , analytical chemistry (journal) , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , chemistry , metallurgy , organic chemistry , chromatography , engineering
Detailed information on GaAs oxide properties is important for solving the problem of passivating and dielectric layers in the GaAs-based electronics. The elemental and chemical compositions of the native oxide layer grown on the atomically clean surface of an n -GaAs (100) wafer etched by Ar^+ ions have been studied by synchrotron-based photoelectron spectroscopy. It has been revealed that the oxide layer is essentially enriched in the Ga_2O_3 phase which is known to be a quite good dielectric as compared to As_2O_3. The gallium to arsenic ratio reaches the value as high as [Ga]/[As] = 1.5 in the course of oxidation. The Ga-enrichment occurs supposedly due to diffusion away of As released in preferential oxidation of Ga atoms. A band diagram was constructed for the native oxide nanolayer on the n -GaAs wafer. It has been shown that this natural nanostructure has features of a p–n heterojunction.