Effect of inert components (Y2O3, Al2O3, and Ga2O3) on the chemistimulating effect of the Sb2O3 activator of GaAs thermal oxidation

Chemistimilated thermal oxidation of gallium arsenide was studied using Sb₂O₃ activator oxide in compositions with Ga₂O₃, Al₂O₃, and Y₂O₃ inert components. For Sb₂O₃-Y₂O₃ compositions, the thickness of the resulting oxide layer on GaAs was found to be a linear function of composition over the enter range of the compositions. For antimony oxide compositions with Ga₂O₃ and Al₂O₃ inert components, nonadditivities were observed near the component ordinates. For the Sb₂O₃-Ga₂O₃ system, the chemistimulating efficiency noticeably weakened at low concentrations of the inert component. The linear trend observed for this system within 0–60 mol % Sb₂O₃ is additively determined by the oxide layer thickness on GaAs in the presence of Sb₂O₃ and in the absence of activator. In the presence of inert Al₂O₃, the chemistimulating effect was enhanced near the Al₂O₃ ordinate and the resulting function was nonadditive with respect to the thicknesses reached in the presence of the individual components.