Photoreflectance characterization of CdTe thin films grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy on GaAs(100)

CdTe films have been grown on top of GaAs(100) by means of Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) at 300 °C substrate temperature. Different procedures for the CdTe growth and for the preparation of the GaAs substrates resulted in diverse crystalline qualities of the CdTe films. We present the results obtained from PhotoReflectance (PR) measurements of these films employing HeNe and Ar-ion lasers as modulating excitation. For Ar excitation, the ratio of CdTe to GaAs signal strength for the E ₀ transition is enhanced, allowing a differentiation of the contributions from film and substrate. Both the PR line shape and intensity are correlated to the structural quality of the CdTe films. One of the samples presented a below-band-gap transition of the GaAs substrate around 30±5 meV from E ₀ which is attributed to donor states produced by Te atoms diffused in the interface; this result demonstrates the high sensitivity of the photoreflectance technique to the structural properties of interfaces.     

Influence of initial surface reconstruction on the interface structure of HfO2/GaAs

We show that the bonding structures and electrical properties of the HfO₂/GaAs interface can be controlled by a choice of the reconstruction on the initial GaAs surface. Electron-beam evaporation of HfO₂ onto the c(4 × 4) surface yielded As-O bonds at the interface, while Ga-O bonds were dominant at the interfaces formed on the (2 × 4) and (4 × 6) surfaces. Influences of the initial surface reconstruction on the interface structure persisted even after annealing at 673 K. Electrical characterization of Ir/HfO₂/GaAs capacitors indicated that the interfacial As-O bonds cause weak Fermi level pinning. It was also suggested that the interfaces dominated by the Ga-O bonds have trapping states in the upper half of the GaAs bandgap.     

Interface models and processing technologies for surface passivation and interface control in III-V semiconductor nanoelectronics

Interface models and processing technologies are reviewed for successful establishment of surface passivation, interface control and MIS gate stack formation in III-V nanoelectronics. First, basic considerations on successful surface passivation and interface control are given, including review of interface models for the band alignment at interfaces, and effects of interface states in nanoscale devices. Then, a brief review is given on currently available surface passivation technologies for III-V materials, including the Si interface control layer (ICL)-based passivation scheme by the authors’ group. The Si-ICL technique has been successfully applied to surface passivation of nanowires and to formation of a HfO₂ high-k dielectric/GaAs interfaces with low values of the interface state density.     

Self-consistent tight-binding total energy calculations: Application to GaAs/Si and ZnSe/GaAs (100) interfaces

Self-consistent tight-binding total energy calculations are performed for various models of GaAs/Si and ZnSe/GaAs (100) interfaces. A graded GaAs/Si interface with the first monolayer on substrate having 1 As atom per 3 Si atoms followed by a second monolayer with 3 Ga atoms per 1 Si atom and continued with 2 bulk-like As and Ga monolayers is found to be structurally more stable than other interfaces. The instability of the abrupt interface is driven by elastic rather than electrostatic forces. Similar results are obtained for the ZnSe/GaAs (100) interface. The graded interface with Ga atoms exchanged against Zn atoms is found to be energetically most stable. Strong macroscopic electric fields are found in the surface and interface regions for both the GaAs/Si and ZnSe/GaAs interfaces.     

Studies of the promising material CoSi2 on GaAs substrates

The thermal stability of CoSi₂ thin films on GaAs substrates has been studied using a variety of techniques. The CoSi₂ thin films were formed by depositing Co(500 Å) and Si(1800 Å) layers on GaAs substrates by electron-beam evaporation followed by annealing processes, where the Si inter-layer was used as a diffusion/reaction barrier at the interface. The resistivity of CoSi₂ thin films formed is about 30 cm. The Schottky barrier height of CoSi₂/n-GaAs is 0.76 eV and the ideality factor is 1.14 after annealing at 750° C for 30 min. The CoSi₂/GaAs interface is determined to be thermally stable and the thin film morphologically uniform on GaAs after 900° C/30 s anneal. The CoSi₂ thin films fulfill the requirements in GaAs self-aligned gate technology.     

Surface and interface states of (111) faces of semiconductors

The surface and interface states of the (111) and (1?1?1?) faces of Ge and GaAs have been studied self-consistently within the tight binding approach. The surface and interface states occupation and energy levels are determined. The results obtained for the surface are compared with available experimental evidence. Those obtained for the interfaces suggest that some relaxation must occur at the interfaces between Ge and GaAs.     

Passivation of defect states in Si-based and GaAs structures

Formation of defect states on semiconductor surfaces, at its interfaces with thin films and in semiconductor volumes is usually predetermined by such parameters as semiconductor growth process, surface treatment procedures, passivation, thin film growth kinetics, etc. This paper presents relation between processes leading to formation of defect states and their passivation in Si and GaAs related semiconductors and structures. Special focus is on oxidation kinetics of yttrium stabilized zirconium/SiO₂/Si and Sm/GaAs structures. Plasma anodic oxidation of yttrium stabilized zirconium based structures reduced size of polycrystalline silicon blocks localised at thin film/Si interface. Samarium deposited before oxidation on GaAs surface led to elimination of EL2 and/or ELO defects in MOS structures. Consequently, results of successful passivation of deep traps of interface region by CN⁻ atomic group using HCN solutions on oxynitride/Si and double oxide layer/Si structures are presented and discussed. By our knowledge, we are presenting for the first time the utilization of X-ray reflectivity method for determination of both density of SiO₂ based multilayer structure and corresponding roughnesses (interfaces and surfaces), respectively.     

Interface engineering with an MOCVD grown ZnO interface passivation layer for ZrO2-GaAs metal-oxide-semiconductor devices

This work deals with the fabrication of a GaAs metal-oxide-semiconductor device with an unpinned interface environment. An ultrathin (∼2 nm) interface passivation layer (IPL) of ZnO on GaAs was grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition to control the interface trap densities and to prevent the Fermi level pinning before high-k deposition. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy results show that an ultra thin layer of ZnO IPL can effectively suppress the oxides formation and minimize the Fermi level pinning at the interface between the GaAs and ZrO₂. By incorporating ZnO IPL, GaAs MOS devices with improved capacitance-voltage and reduced gate leakage current were achieved. The charge trapping behavior of the ZrO₂/ZnO gate stack under constant voltage stressing exhibits an improved interface quality and high dielectric reliability.     

Theoretical investigations for zinc blende-wurtzite polytypism in GaAs layers at Au/GaAs(1 1 1) interfaces

The zinc blende (ZB)-wurtzite (W) polytypism of GaAs layers at the Au/GaAs(1 1 1)B interfaces is investigated based on total-energy electronic-structure calculations within density functional theory. The calculations for the abrupt interfaces including a GaAs top layer with ZB and W stacking sequences reveal that the ZB sequence is energetically favorable, but the energy of W sequence with an interstitial Au atom at the top GaAs layer of the interface is lower than that of ZB sequence. This is because electrons accumulate around the interstitial region due to the hybridization between Au-6s and As-4p orbitals, resulting in the reduction of Ga-As bond charges. As a result, the relative stability at the top GaAs layer is determined by the electrostatic energy due to ionic charges. The results imply that the stabilization of W sequence at the Au catalyst-semiconductor interfaces as well as that on the nanowire faces are the origins for the appearance of W segments in NWs, qualitatively consistent with experiments.     

Surface preparation effect of GaAs(110) substrates on the ZnSe epitaxial layer grown by molecular beam epitaxy

The effect of the surface preparation of the GaAs(110) substrate on the ZnSe epitaxial layer grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) was investigated by means of etch-pit density (EPD) measurements, surface morphology observation, and reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) analysis. The ZnSe epitaxial layer grown on a GaAs(110) surface prepared by cleaving the (001)-oriented wafer in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) showed about 5×10⁴ cm^-2 of EPD. This value is much lower than that observed from both the samples grown on the mechanically polished surface with and without a GaAs buffer layer. Due to the non-stoichiometric surface after thermal evaporation of the surface oxide, three-dimensional growth can easily occur on the mechanically polished GaAs(110) substrate. These results suggest that the stoichiometric and atomically flat substrate surface is essential for the growth of low-defect ZnSe epitaxial layers on the GaAs(110) non-polar surface. Received: 21 August 1998 / Accepted: 19 October 1998 / Published online: 28 April 1999     

金属-砷化镓界面的电调制反射光谱与Franz-Keldysh效应研究

通过调制光谱这种基础的光学方法来研究Au-GaAs,Al-GaAs,Ni-GaAs的金属半导体界面的一些电学性质,并且加以比较,其中包括电场、费米能级扎钉和界面态密度等情况。这些界面是通过在SIN+ GaAs样品上沉积金属(Au,Al,Ni)生长成的。通过观察电反射谱来研究金属GaAs的界面电场和费米能级扎钉的情况,然后通过傅里叶变换这些所取得的电反射谱来分析这些材料的界面性质。通过测量氦氖激光器诱导产生的光电压和激光器光强之间的关系来得到这些材料的界面态密度情况,从而进行进一步的研究。     

MOCVD growth, structure and magnetic properties of Fe films grown on GaAs (001) substrates

Thin iron films have been grown on (001) GaAs substrates by low pressure metal organic chemical vapor deposition (LP-MOCVD) at different temperatures with the pressure of 150 Torr. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that all films have only one strong diffraction peak (110). The surface of Fe film became smooth with increasing the growth temperature. Magnetization measurements showed that the Fe films grown at different temperatures were ferromagnetic with easy axis parallel to the film surface and hard axis perpendicular to the substrates. The field dependence of magnetization along two axes showed a remarkable difference, implying that the samples have strong magnetic anisotropy. Furthermore, when the applied magnetic field is perpendicular to the Fe surface, a sharp jump in the hysteresis loop could be observed, followed by a broad shoulder, which is related to the interface effect, the existence of carbon and the formation of 180^°/90^° magnetic domains.     

Origin of HfO2/GaAs interface states and interface passivation: A first principles study

First principles calculations of HfO₂/GaAs interfaces indicate that the interface states originate from the charge mismatch between HfO₂ and GaAs surfaces. We find that a model neutral interface (HfO₂ and GaAs surfaces terminated with two O and one Ga atoms per surface unit cell) removes gap states due to the balance of the interface charge. F and H can neutralize the HfO₂/GaAs interface resulting in useful band offsets, thus becoming possible candidates to passivate the interface states.     

Passivation at semiconductor/electrolyte interface: Role of adsorbate solvation and reactivity in surface atomic and electronic structure modification of III-V semiconductor

These studies are focused on understanding the role played by a solvent in chemical and electronic processes occurred in the course of semiconductor surface passivation at semiconductor/electrolyte interface. It is shown that the chemical reactivity of the ionic adsorbate at a semiconductor/electrolyte interface can be changed considerably through interaction with solvent molecules. The reactivity of anions depends essentially on the solvating solvent: hydrated ions could be either slightly electrophilic or slightly nucleophilic, whereas the ions solvated by alcohol molecules are always strongly nucleophilic. Mechanism of interaction of such solvated ions with the semiconductor surface atoms depends on the solvent, as is demonstrated by the example of processes occurred at GaAs(1 0 0)/sulfide solution interfaces. It is found that on adsorption of HS⁻ ions from different solvents the AsS bonds with solvent-dependent ionic character are formed on a GaAs(1 0 0) surface. The surface obtained in such a way possesses different ionization energy and exhibit different electronic properties dependent on the solvent.     

Refracted X-ray Fluorescence (RXF) on Si single crystal and GaAs

The Refracted X-ray Fluorescence (RXF) method can obtain the information about surfaces and interfaces: for example, surface electron density, chemical condition and surface roughness. We evaluated surfaces and interfaces of ultrathin films by using RXF method, and we measured the average lattice constant of a ultrathin GaAs film, the top-layer of a GaAs substrate and the surface roughness of the Si substrate below a ultrathin GaAs film grown by MBE.     

Oxide reliability improvement controlling microstructures of substrate/oxide and oxide/gate interfaces

For future ULSIs, the oxide reliability problem is a key issue to realize low-power, high-speed devices whilst retaining its reliability. In the MOSFET structure, a gate oxide consists of the substrate/oxide interface, oxide and oxide/gate interface. Therefore, to improve oxide reliability, it is important to control these three component structures individually. In this report, I will describe experiments to control structures of the above two interfaces using: (1) a combination of a closed wet cleaning system and a load-lock oxidation system and (2) an ultra-thin film deposition CVD technique. By controlling these structures, the oxide reliability was improved. Moreover, the interface structure should be carefully controlled in high- k gate dielectrics in future devices.     

Surfactant-mediated molecular beam epitaxy of high-quality (111)B-GaAs

We present a novel approach to the molecular beam epitaxy of [111]-oriented GaAs. Surface-segregating In employed as an isoelectronic surfactant allows us to achieve mirror-like (111) GaAs surfaces within a wide range of growth conditions. Scanning electron and atomic force microscopy confirm the excellent morphology of the resulting samples. High-resolution X-ray diffraction shows the incorporation of In into the films to be negligible. Finally, we demonstrate a 10 Å-In_0.2Ga_0.8As/300 Å-GaAs superlattice based on surfactant-grown GaAs with a photoluminescence linewidth as narrow as 4.2 meV.     

Electronic structure of the Ge/RbF/GaAs(100) heterostructure: LCAO calculations

The electronic structure of Ge/RbF/GaAs(100) system has been calculated using a slab model and the LCAO method. This system, with possible applications in microelectronics, is a model one with perfectly epitaxial interfaces, little is known however about their reactivity. In these calculations the reactive contacts were postulated and modelled. The obtained results, compared with those of trial calculations for similar non-interacting system, show the appearance of a rich spectrum of interface states at the contacts. They are compared with known experimental results and their possible effects are discussed.     

Theoretical investigations of the (110) interface between the full Heusler alloys and GaAs

The ab initio calculations of the electronic structure and magnetic properties of the (110) interface between Co₂YZ (Y = Cr or Mn and Z = Al, Si, or Ge) and GaAs are carried out by means of the density functional theory depending on the contact configuration. It is revealed that two of four possible atomic interface configurations have high spin polarization. For Co₂MnSi/GaAs(110), one of the contacts has almost 100% spin polarization. Calculations of the adhesion energy on the interfaces allow the most stable contacts to be established.     

Chemical and physical interactions at metal/self-assembled organic monolayer interfaces

The purpose of research on metals (M) deposited onto self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) is to understand the interactions between metal (M) and eventually metal oxide overlayers on well-ordered organic substrates. Application of M/SAM and inorganic/SAM research results to the understanding of real inorganic/ organic interfaces in vacuum and under environmental conditions can potentially play a key role in the development of advanced devices with stable interfacial properties. The M/SAM approach to interface research is delineated as a new subfield in surface science in the context of other approaches to inorganic/organic interface research. Current issues in M/SAM research are outlined, including chemical compound formation, the morphology (spreading, clustering, or penetration) of the metal species, the kinetics of the metal morphology, the effect of the metal on the degree of order in the SAM, and the rate of metal penetration into the SAM. Probes are recommended that are suitable for M/SAM research. The results of M/SAM studies to date are reviewed, and M/SAM combinations are ranked according to reactivity and penetration. Key probes for addressing gaps in the research results are identified. The effects of defects, disordering, air exposure, and X-ray and electron beam exposure on the experimental results to date are evaluated. Thus far, the results have successfully revealed qualitative relationships of M/SAM chemistry, temperature, and penetration. The chemical interactions that have been found are applicable to real M/polymer interfaces as formed in vacuum. It has yet to be shown that M/SAM research will yield quantitative understanding of interface formation or that M/SAM interfaces are entirely analogous to M/polymer interfaces in the details of interface formation. The future of this subfield of surface science lies in its expansion from M/SAM interfaces in vacuum to other inorganic/SAM interfaces in vacuum and, eventually, under environmental conditions.