In原子在GaAs(001)表面的成核与扩散研究

近年来,半导体量子点特别是InAs量子点的基本物理性质和潜在应用得到了广泛研究。许多研究者利用InAs量子点结构的改变以调制其光电特性。本文采用液滴外延法在GaAs(001)表面沉积了不同沉积量的In(3 ML、4 ML、5 ML),以研究In的成核机制和表面扩散。实验发现,随着In沉积量的增加,液滴尺寸(包括直径、高度)明显增大。不仅如此,在相同的衬底温度下,沉积量越大,液滴密度越大。利用经典成核理论,计算了GaAs(001)表面In液滴形成的临界厚度为0.57 ML,计算的结果与已报道的实验一致。从In原子在表面的迁移和扩散,以及衬底中Ga和液滴中的In之间的原子互混原理解释了In液滴形成和形貌演化的机理。实验中得到的In液滴临界厚度以及In液滴在GaAs(001)上成核机理,可以为制备InAs量子点提供实验指导。     

GaAs衬底温度对液滴外延法生长In液滴的影响

采用液滴外延法在GaAs(001)衬底上生长In液滴,利用原子力显微镜(AFM)对不同衬底温度下生长的样品进行表征,观察其表面形貌。研究表明In液滴的生长对衬底温度十分敏感,随着衬底温度的升高,液滴密度逐渐减小,液滴尺寸逐渐增大。分析了In液滴在不同衬底温度形成过程的物理机制,解释了该实验现象的原因。根据成核理论中最大团簇密度与衬底温度之间的关系,拟合计算出In液滴密度与衬底温度满足的函数关系为n_x=5.17 exp(0.69 eV/kT)。     

基于液滴外延法的Al(In)纳米结构在GaAs(001)的形成机制

采用液滴外延法在GaAs(001)衬底上同时沉积In、Al液滴形成纳米结构,利用原子力显微镜(AFM)对实验样品进行形貌表征,并通过X射线光电子能谱(XPS)与扫描电子显微镜分析In、Al组分比样品表面元素分布。实验结果显示,混合沉积后的表面InAlAs纳米结构密度随着In组分的降低而降低,而单个纳米结构的尺寸变大。SEM与XPS测试结果证明表面的In并没有因为衬底温度过高而全部偏析。根据实验结果推测,In&Al液滴同时沉积到表面形成InAl混合液滴。当液滴完全晶化后纳米结构中心出现孔洞,而产生这一现象的主要原因是液滴向下刻蚀。     

半导体所在纳米线量子结构材料研究方面取得新进展

<正>中国科学院半导体研究所超晶格国家重点实验室研究员牛智川课题组近年来深入系统地研究了In(Ga)As量子点、量子环、纳米线中量子点、纳米线中量子环的自组织外延生长、液滴外延生长方法。最近,课题组查国伟、喻颖等在研究中发现:通过优化GaAs纳米线侧壁淀积Ga液滴成核温度与晶化条件等参数,可以生长出密度与形貌可控量子点、量子环等新奇量子结构,首次发现单根纳米线侧壁形成单个"方形"量子环且具有高品质发光特性。(Nanoscale,10.1039(2013))。他们进一步生长了GaAs/AlGaAs纳米线中的GaAs量子点,以及置于AlGaAs量子环中心并覆盖AlGaAs     

不同衬底表面上大晶粒多晶Si薄膜的制备

利用高频感应加热化学气相沉积(HFCVD)工艺,以H2稀释的SiH4作为反应气体源,分别在n-(111)Si衬底上常规热生长的SiO2层、织构的SiO2层和纳米晶粒多晶Si薄膜表面上,制备了具有均匀分布的大晶粒多晶Si膜.采用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和X射线衍射(XRD)等检测手段,测量和分析了沉积膜层的表面形貌、晶粒尺寸、密度分布与择优取向等结构特征.结果表明,多晶Si膜中Si晶粒的尺寸大小和密度分布不仅与衬底温度、SiH4浓度与反应气压等工艺参数有关,而且强烈依赖于衬底的表面状态.本实验获得的最好的薄膜中,Si晶粒平均尺寸约为2.3 μm,密度分布约为3.8×107/cm2.对薄膜的沉积机理分析表明,衬底表面上Si原子基团的吸附、迁移、成核与融合等热力学过程支配着大晶粒多晶Si膜的生长.     

纳米晶粒多晶Si薄膜的低压化学气相沉积

利用低压化学气相沉积(LPCVD)方法,以充Ar的SiH4作为反应气体源,在覆盖有热生长SiO2层的p-(100)Si衬底上制备了具有均匀分布的纳米晶粒多晶Si膜(nc-poly-Si).采用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、原子力显微镜(AFM)和拉曼谱等检测手段,测量和分析了沉积膜层的表面形貌、晶粒尺寸与密度分布等结构特征.结果表明,nc-poly-v膜中Si晶粒的尺寸大小和密度分布强烈依赖于衬底温度、SiH4浓度与反应气压等工艺参数.典型实验条件下生长的Si纳米晶粒形状为半球状,晶粒尺寸约为40nm,密度分布约为4.0×1010cm-2和膜层厚度约为200nm.膜层的沉积机理分析指出,衬底表面上Si原子基团的吸附、迁移、成核与融合等热力学过程支配着nc-poly-Si膜的生长.     

Al液滴在GaAs表面的熟化行为研究

为探究Al液滴在GaAs表面的熟化行为,利用液滴外延法在GaAs衬底表面制备Al液滴.在零As压环境下,通过控制退火时间有效控制Al液滴的生长、成核.结合热力学原理和晶体生长理论对样品形貌变化现象进行物理解释,构建出液滴形貌变化过程中熟化、刻蚀和扩散行为的基本模型.理论计算表明,液滴在熟化行为达到退火239 s的平衡点后,被向下刻蚀和向外扩散两个行为同时消耗.     

外加氩气流下脉冲激光烧蚀制备纳米硅晶粒成核生长动力学研究

为研究纳米硅晶粒成核生长动力学过程,采用脉冲激光烧蚀(PLA)技术,在室温,50～200 Pa的氩气氛围中,通过引入垂直于烧蚀羽辉轴线的外加气流,在水平放置的衬底上沉积了一系列纳米Si晶薄膜.扫描电子显微镜( SEM)、拉曼(Raman)散射和X射线衍射(XRD)检测结果表明,未引入气流时,衬底上相同位置处晶粒尺寸随气体压强的增大逐渐减小;在距靶1 ～2cm范围内引入气流后,尺寸变化规律与未引入气流时相反.通过分析晶粒尺寸及其在衬底上的位置分布特点,结合流体力学模型和热动力学方程,分析得出在激光能量密度一定的条件下,环境气体压强、烧蚀粒子温度和密度共同影响着纳米晶粒的成核生长.     

等离子体CVD金刚石薄膜衬底正偏压增强成核效应机理研究

衬底正偏压增强成核效应是最近等离子体ＣＶＤ金刚石薄膜中光滑衬底表面金刚石的成核研究发现的，它对于增强和控制金刚石在非金刚石衬底光滑表面的成核行为具有重要的意义。基于已经得到的实验结果。本文分析了衬底正偏压作用于成核过程的机理，提出了这种效应的电子流密度模型，并且给出了正偏压增强效应与沉积参数的关系，描述了正偏压处于过渡和饱和区时的成核状态，合理地解释了所谓“正偏压阻止成核”现象，本模型的结果与已经     

GaSb薄膜生长的RHEED研究

采用分子束外延技术,在GaAs衬底上生长GaSb薄膜时,利用反射式高能电子衍射仪(RHEED)对衬底表面清洁状况、外延层厚度等进行在线监控.通过RHEED讨论低温缓冲层对GaSb薄膜表面结构和生长机制的作用,可以估算衬底温度,并能计算出薄膜的生长速率.实验测量GaSb的生长周期为1.96s,每秒沉积0.51单分子层.低温缓冲层提高了在GaAs衬底上外延GaSb薄膜的生长质量.     

Multiatomic step formation on GaAs(001) vicinal surfaces during thermal treatment

We observed the surface morphology of vicinal GaAs(001) after thermal treatment in AsH₃/H₂ atmosphere by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Clear multiatomic steps were formed under the high temperature thermal treatment. Next, we investigated the mechanism of step bunching during thermal treatment by two experiments from the view point of Ga atom evaporation. One is the selective thermal treatment using a partially masked GaAs wafer, and the evaporation amount of Ga atoms was estimated by AFM. The other is the investigation of photoluminescence (PL) peak energy shifts for AlGaAs/GaAs single quantum wells with a thermal treatment process at the top of the GaAs quantum well layer, compared to those without thermal treatment. These results indicate that the evaporation hardly occurs during the thermal treatment process. Therefore, step bunching phenomena on GaAs(001) vicinal surfaces during thermal treatment are probably caused by migration of the atoms detached from upside steps and their re-incorporation to downside steps.     

Formation of Ge-diffusion-suppressed GaAs layers and InAs quantum dots on Ge/Si substrates

Crystal growth of GaAs layers and InAs quantum dots (QDs) on the GaAs layers was investigated on Ge/Si substrates using ultrahigh vacuum chemical vapor deposition. Ga-rich GaAs with anti-site Ga atoms grown at a low V/III ratio was found to suppress the diffusion of Ge into GaAs. S-K mode QD formation was observed on GaAs layers grown on Ge/Si substrates with Ga-rich GaAs initial layers, and improved photoluminescence from 1.3 μm-emitting InAs QDs was demonstrated.     

Tracking atomic processes throughout the formation of heteroepitaxial interfaces

Understanding the atomic processes governing the formation a heteroepitaxial interface is central to predict and control the basic physical and chemical properties of a variety of hetero‐structures. With this perspective, we address in this work the dynamic behavior of Ge atoms deposited on Si‐surfaces by molecular dynamics simulations using enhanced bond order potentials. We demonstrate that the deposition of Ge atoms on Si surface induces the competition between several processes including adsorption, desorption, and bulk and surface diffusion involving atomic exchange, substitution, and clustering. By tracking these process, the simulations provide unprecedented insights onto the assembly of the first atomic layer of Ge on Si, the nucleation, growth, and relaxation of islands and quantum dots as well as of defect generation in the bulk.     

The kinetics of parasitic growth in GaAs MOVPE

Gallium arsenide (GaAs) deposition was carried out in a horizontal quartz reactor tube with trimethylgallium (TMGa) and arsine (AsH₃) as precursors, using a hydrogen (H₂) carrier gas. Temperatures were in the range 400–500 °C, where surface reactions limit deposition rate. Nucleation time and deposition rate were monitored using laser interferometry, optimum reflectance was gained by aligning a quartz wafer to back reflect the incident beam. The 980 nm infrared laser beam was sufficiently long in wavelength to be able to penetrate the wall deposit. Results showing the effect of temperature and V/III ratio on the nucleation time and deposition rate are presented, where with temperature the nucleation delay was observed to reduce and the growth rate to increase. The nucleation delay is consistent with a thermally activated surface nucleation for the parasitic GaAs. A theoretical growth rate model, based on a restricted set of reaction steps was used to compare with the experimental growth rates. Without any free parameters, the growth rates from theoretical calculation and experiment agreed within a factor of two and showed the same trends with V/III ratio and temperature. The non-linearity of the theoretical growth rates on an Arrhenius plot indicates that there is more than one dominant reaction step over the temperature range investigated. The range of experimental activation energies, calculated from Arrhenius plots, was 17.56–23.59 kJ mol⁻¹. A comparison of these activation energies and minimum deposition temperature with the literature indicates that the wall temperature measurement on an Aixtron reactor is over 100 °C higher than previously reported.     

在预涂陶瓷过渡层的多谱段ZnS衬底上沉积金刚石膜的探索研究

本文采用真空电子束蒸镀技术在多谱段ZnS衬底上沉积了适合金刚石膜沉积的致密陶瓷过渡层,并利用微波等离子体CVD金刚石膜低温沉积技术进行了金刚石膜沉积研究.发现在陶瓷过渡层上的金刚石形核极其困难,其原因可能是陶瓷涂层在沉积过程中龟裂导致ZnS蒸汽扩散逸出干扰金刚石形核所致.本文采用诱导形核技术在过渡层/ZnS试样表面观察到极高密度(1010/cm2)的金刚石形核,并对金刚石/过渡层/ZnS试样的红外透过特性进行了评价.     

Transmission electron microscopy observation of GaAs/Al0.3Ga0.7As T-shaped quantum well structure fabricated by glancing angle molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs(100) reverse-mesa etched substrates

GaAs/Al_0.3Ga_0.7As multi-layer structures were grown on GaAs (100) reverse-mesa etched substrates by glancing angle molecular beam epitaxy (GA-MBE). A(111)B facet was formed as a side-facet. Surface migration of Ga and Al atoms from the (100) flat region to the (111)B side-facet region has been investigated to fabricate T-shaped GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells (QWs) under the condition that Ga and Al atoms impinge only an the (100) flat region and do not impinge on the (111)B side-facet. Observation of T-shaped GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wires (QWRs) by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that there is no migration of Al atoms from the (100) to the (111)B facet region at a substrate temperature (T_s) as high as 630°C, under a V/III ratio of 28 (in pressure ratio). On the other hand, very thin GaAs epitaxial layers grown on the (111)B side-facet region owing to the Ga migration were observed for substrate temperatures of 600 and 630°C. It was found that the mass flow of Ga atoms from the (100) region to the (111)B side-facet region increases, with the thermal activation energy of 2.0 eV, as the substrate temperature increases from 570 to 630°C. The GA-MBE growth on a reverse-mesa etched GaAs substrate at a low temperature 570°C or lower is desirable to fabricate a nm-scale GaAs/AlGaAs QWR structure with nm-scale precision.     

Heteroepitaxial growth of GaP on silicon

Epitaxial gallium phosphide layers have been grown on silicon substrates by the metal-organic process. This process involves the reaction between trimethylgallium (CH₃)₃Ga and PH₃ and gives a high density of nucleation sites on the silicon. The influence of the substrate orientation and of the deposition temperature on the crystallinity of the layers has been studied. Best results were obtained on (001) oriented substrate at a deposition temperature of 800°C. X-ray reflection topographs of the layers have revealed the formation of cracks extending along the [110] direction, which are explained by the lattice mismatch and the difference in thermal expansion coefficients. The cracking is asymmetric with the main direction parallel to [110]. The density of cracks can be reduced by a two stage epitaxy. The electrical properties of undoped and n-type doped layers have been assessed by Hall and C(V) measurements. It shows auto-doping with silicon coming from the substrate.