Microstructure array on Si and SiOx generated by micro-contact printing, wet chemical etching and reactive ion etching

A method, combining micro-contact printing (μCP), wet chemical etching and reactive ion etching (RIE), is reported to fabricate microstructures on Si and SiOx. Positive and negative structures were generated based on different stamps used for μCP. The reproducibility of the obtained microstructures shows the methodology reported herein could be useful in Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS), optical and biological sensing applications.     

Subwavelength structures for high power laser antireflection application on fused silica by one-step reactive ion etching

In this paper we report a simple method to fabricate a novel subwavelength structure surface on fused silica substrate using one-step reactive ion etching with two-dimensional polystyrene colloidal crystals as masks. The etching process and the morphologies of the obtained structure are controlled. We show that the period of the obtained fused silica pillar-like arrays were determined by the initial polystyrene nanoparticle size. The height of pillar arrays can be adjusted by controlling the etching duration, which is proved to be of importance in tailoring the antireflection properties of subwavelength structures surface. The novel subwavelength structures surface exhibit excellent broadband antireflection properties, but the size of the pillar affects the antireflective properties in short wavelength region. We anticipate this method would offer a convenient and scalable way for inexpensive and high-efficiency high power laser field designs.     

Time-evolution of the GaAs(0 0 1) pre-roughening process

The GaAs(0 0 1) surface is observed to evolve from being perfectly flat to a surface half covered with one-monolayer high spontaneously formed GaAs islands. The dynamics of this process are monitored with atomic-scale resolution using scanning tunneling microscopy. Surprisingly, pit formation dominates the early stages of island formation. Insight into the nucleation process is reported.     

Modification in etching characteristics and surface topography of some electron irradiated polymers

Track formation in polymers is a complex phenomenon in which not only primary but also secondary processes, such as formation of radicals and chemical processes, are involved. In the present work, the influence of 2 MeV electrons on the etching properties and the surface topography of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyimide (PI) are studied. The increase in the bulk etch-rate and a decrease in the activation energy of etching were observed for both the polymers. The surface roughness of both polymers was reduced due to electron irradiation.     

Boron and indium substitution in GaAs(0 0 1) surfaces: Density-functional supercell calculations of the surface stability

Using the density-functional method and surface supercells the surface formation energies are calculated for the most stable GaAs(0 0 1) surface reconstructions without and with up to four indium or/and boron substitutions. Optimal conditions for the growth of the alloys are derived from calculated surface stability diagrams. The incorporation of indium into GaAs without phase separation is possible under strong As-rich conditions and medium to In-rich conditions. Less As-rich conditions can lead to the formation of an InAs phase. Ga-rich conditions give an InGa phase. Isovalent boron incorporation into GaAs without phase separation is possible under strong arsenic and reduced boron exposure. A BAs phase can be formed under more B-rich conditions. More Ga-rich conditions lead to the boron substitution in arsenic positions. The formed boron dimers can be a starting point for the formation of a boron phase. A true antisite boron substitution is less probable. Using the suitable growth conditions obtained for the ternary alloys it is energetically more favourable to incorporate both indium and boron (formation of BInGaAs) than to incorporate only one of the two elements (In or B). The antisite boron incorporation is not favoured in combination with isovalent boron or indium.     

STM/nc-AFM investigation of (n×6) reconstructed GaAs(0 0 1) surface

We have investigated the n×6 reconstructed GaAs(0 0 1) surface with scanning tunneling and non-contact atomic force microscopy techniques (STM/nc-AFM). For the first time atomically resolved nc-AFM images of that surface are shown. The images confirm the presence of rows of arsenic dimers in the topmost layer as predicted by the current model of n×6 reconstructed surface. However, in contrast to previous reports we found that postulated As dimer sites are not fully occupied. Moreover, the images suggest that ×6 symmetry is present on the surface even in absence of the dimers. We show that due to probing of different surface properties nc-AFM and STM are complementary tools for complex surfaces investigation.     

Shape cycle of Ga clusters on GaAs during coalescence growth

GaAs(1 0 0) was heated above its decomposition temperature of 585 °C bringing it into a phase separation regime where the thermodynamic favoured state is liquid Ga clusters on the surface. Varying the annealing times and temperatures provided an overview of the clustering at all stages from transitioning ripening at lower temperatures to coalescence at higher temperatures. We observed a shape cycle between round and rectangular shaped clusters during the growth. This cycle is driven by subcluster etching where pits are formed under clusters during the growth due to preferential loss of As through the liquid Ga cluster. The newly observed shape cycle is compared to a shape cycle observed previously in In on InP illustrating that shape cycles are a common feature of the decomposition of Group III-V semiconductors.     

Energetics of the growth mode transition in InAs/GaAs(0 0 1) small quantum dot formation: A first-principles study

Based on first-principles density-functional pseudopotential calculations, the growth of InAs on the GaAs(0 0 1) surface has been studied. By analyzing the free energies of the surfaces with different thicknesses of the InAs coverages, the critical thickness of the layer-by-layer (2D) to island (3D) growth mode transition is predicted to be around 1.5 ML. Comparing the total energy differences between layer-by-layer growth models and 3D island models, the mechanism of the 2D-3D growth mode transition near the critical thickness (θ_crit) is studied which indicates that at the initial stage of InAs quantum dots formation, small 3D islands are formed randomly.     

Effects of ultrasonic agitation and surfactant additive on surface roughness of Si (1 1 1) crystal plane in alkaline KOH solution

In the silicon wet etching process, the “pseudo-mask” formed by the hydrogen bubbles generated during the etching process is the reason causing high surface roughness and poor surface quality. Based upon the ultrasonic mechanical effect and wettability enhanced by isopropyl alcohol (IPA), ultrasonic agitation and IPA were used to improve surface quality of Si (1 1 1) crystal plane during silicon wet etching process. The surface roughness R_q is smaller than 15 nm when using ultrasonic agitation and R_q is smaller than 7 nm when using IPA. When the range of IPA concentration (mass fraction, wt%) is 5–20%, the ultrasonic frequency is 100 kHz and the ultrasound intensity is 30–50 W/L, the surface roughness R_q is smaller than 2 nm when combining ultrasonic agitation and IPA. The surface roughness R_q is equal to 1 nm when the mass fraction of IPA, ultrasound intensity and the ultrasonic frequency is 20%, 50 W and 100 kHz respectively. The experimental results indicated that the combination of ultrasonic agitation and IPA could obtain a lower surface roughness of Si (1 1 1) crystal plane in silicon wet etching process.     

Structural properties of Bi-terminated GaAs(0 0 1) surface

Electronic and structural properties of Bi-terminated reconstructions on GaAs(0 0 1) surface have been studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and synchrotron radiation core-level spectroscopy. A 2-3 monolayer thick Bi-layer was evaporated on a Ga-terminated GaAs(0 0 1) surface. By heating the surface, the reconstruction changed from (2 × 1) to (2 × 4). The α2 phase with one top Bi dimer and one As or Bi dimer in the third atomic layer per surface unit cell is proposed to explain the STM images of the Bi/GaAs(0 0 1)(2 × 4) surface heated at 400 °C. Bi 5d photoemission from the Bi/GaAs(2 × 4) consisted of two components suggesting two different bonding sites for Bi atoms on the (2 × 4) surface. The variation of the surface sensitivity of the photoemission induced no changes in the intensities of the components indicating that the origins of both components lie in the first surface layer.     

Atomic force microscopy investigation of surface roughness generated between SiO2 micro-pits in CHF3/Ar plasma

The present paper investigates the surface roughness generated by reactive ion etching (RIE) on the location between silicon dioxide (SiO₂) micro-pits structures. The micro-pit pattern on polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) mask was created by an electron beam lithography tool. By using PMMA as a polymer resist mask layer for pattern transfer in RIE process, the carbon (C) content in etching process is increased, which leads to decrease of F/C ratio and causes domination of polymerization reactions. This leads to high surface roughness via self-organized nanostructure features generated on SiO₂ surface which was analyzed using atomic force microscopy (AFM) technique. The etching chemistry of CHF₃ plasma on PMMA masking layer and SiO₂ is analyzed to explain the polymerization. The surface root-mean-square (RMS) roughness below 1 nm was achieved by decreasing the RF power to 150 W and process pressure lower than 10 mTorr.     

Hydrogen adsorption on GaAs(0 0 1)-c(4 × 4)

Exposure of the As-terminated GaAs(0 0 1)-c(4 × 4) reconstructed surface to atomic hydrogen (H) at different substrate temperatures (50-480 °C) has been studied by reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM). Hydrogen exposure at low temperatures (∼50 °C) produces a disordered (1 × 1) surface covered with AsH_x clusters. At higher temperatures (150-400 °C) exposure to hydrogen leads to the formation of mixed c(2 × 2) and c(4 × 2) surface domains with H adsorbed on surface Ga atoms that are exposed due to the H induced loss of As from the surface. At the highest temperature (480 °C) a disordered (2 × 4) reconstruction is formed due to thermal desorption of As from the surface. The results are consistent with the loss of As from the surface, either through direct thermal desorption or as a result of the desorption of volatile compounds which form after reaction with H.     

Morphological anisotropy during migration enhanced epitaxy of GaAs(0 0 1)

The GaAs(0 0 1) surface morphology and structure during growth by migration enhanced epitaxy (MEE) has been studied by reflection high energy electron diffraction and scanning tunneling microscopy. Changes induced by varying the incident As/Ga flux ratio, growth temperature and the total amount of material deposited in each cycle have been studied and the results compared with GaAs(0 0 1) growth by conventional molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Comparison of the surface morphology at the end of the Ga and As cycles indicates no clear evidence for any enhancement in the Ga adatom diffusion length during the Ga cycle. However, the morphological anisotropy of the growth front does change significantly and it is proposed that this changing anisotropy during MEE enables Ga adatom diffusion along both azimuths. The surface anisotropy during MEE growth is found to increase with the Ga/As ratio. Although there is a clear correlation between composition and morphology, we have also found that highly ordered and flat surfaces are not necessarily an indication of stoichiometric material. We also attempt to clarify a recent controversy on the structure of the c(4 × 4) reconstruction by studying the surface structure at the end of the As cycle as a function of the As/Ga ratio.     

The effect of etching time on the CdZnTe surface

The surface quality of CdZnTe plays an important role in the performance of sensors based on this material. In this paper the effect of chemical etching on Cd_0.9Zn_0.1Te sensor performance was examined. Sample surfaces were treated with the same concentration 2% Br-MeOH for different etching times (30 s, 2, 4, 6, 8 min). The surfaces were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and I-V Measurement. These results demonstrate that the best surface quality can be obtained by chemical etching for 30 s. Under these experimental conditions, the surface composition Te/Cd + Zn approaches 1, the roughness is lower than 3 nm, and the leakage current shows a value lower than 10 nA.     

Electron surface states in short-period superlattices: (GaAs)2/(AlAs)2(1 0 0)-c(4 × 4)

The electronic structure of (GaAs)₂/(AlAs)₂(1 0 0)-c(4 × 4) superlattice surfaces was studied by means of angular-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARUPS) in the photon energy range 20-38 eV. Four samples with different surface termination layers were grown and As-capped by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). ARUPS measurements were performed on decapped samples with perfect c(4 × 4) reconstructed surfaces. An intensive surface state was, for the first time, observed below the top of the valence band. This surface state was found to shift with superlattices’ different surface termination in agreement with theoretical predictions.     

The effect of the high surface roughness in a comparative process

Comparative measurement methods are used to compare the behaviour of two macroscopically identical but microscopically different object surfaces. The roughness of these surfaces can have any value. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate theoretically as well as experimentally, the effect and the limitations of the high surface roughness on the visibility of the difference correlation fringes obtained in comparative processes.     

多层介质膜光谱调制反射镜的反应离子束刻蚀误差容限

 在千焦拍瓦高功率放大系统设计中,激光脉冲的时空和光谱整形技术一直受到人们的广泛关注。利用反应离子束刻蚀等微纳超精细加工而成的多层电介质结构反射镜可在高功率条件下实现啁啾脉冲的光谱整形。在光谱整形介质结构反射镜的设计与制造中,需要根据要求的反射率来合理提出反应离子束刻蚀误差容限指标。推导出反应离子束刻蚀误差容限的解析表达式。针对神光Ⅱ千焦拍瓦高功率放大系统设计中提出的多层介质光谱调制反射镜,分析了调制结构反射镜各层加工的容许误差,确定了反应离子束刻蚀误差容限指标。研究表明：刻蚀高折射率介质的加工误差容限为35 nm;刻蚀低折射率介质的加工误差容限为62 nm。此外,还从使用需要和加工难易的角度,对刻蚀方案进行了讨论。就加工难易程度而言,优选反应离子束刻蚀方案,且采用刻蚀并残留低折射率介质的方案更容易实现。     

The influence of light intensity on surface recombination in GaS single crystals

Gallium sulphide (GaS) is a layer structure semiconductor with relatively wide energy gap (E_g (295 K) = 2.5 eV and E_g (80 K) = 2.62 eV). It has potential applications in some areas of optoelectronics. This paper presents the investigations of the influence of light intensity on surface recombination velocity of charge carriers in GaS single crystals. To attain this purpose spectral dependences (between 420 and 550 nm) of absorption coefficients, reflectivity coefficients and photoconductivity were measured in vacuum. The investigations were performed for various light intensities in several temperatures from 80 to 333 K. The least square method was applied to fit the theoretical dependences of photoconductivity on wavelength and intensity of illumination at these temperatures. From the fittings the temperature and light intensity dependences of surface recombination velocity and bulk lifetime of charge carriers were obtained.     

多层介质膜光谱调制反射镜的反应离子束刻蚀误差容限

在千焦拍瓦高功率放大系统设计中,激光脉冲的时空和光谱整形技术一直受到人们的广泛关注。利用反应离子束刻蚀等微纳超精细加工而成的多层电介质结构反射镜可在高功率条件下实现啁啾脉冲的光谱整形。在光谱整形介质结构反射镜的设计与制造中,需要根据要求的反射率来合理提出反应离子束刻蚀误差容限指标。推导出反应离子束刻蚀误差容限的解析表达式。针对神光Ⅱ千焦拍瓦高功率放大系统设计中提出的多层介质光谱调制反射镜,分析了调制结构反射镜各层加工的容许误差,确定了反应离子束刻蚀误差容限指标。研究表明：刻蚀高折射率介质的加工误差容限为35 nm;刻蚀低折射率介质的加工误差容限为62 nm。此外,还从使用需要和加工难易的角度,对刻蚀方案进行了讨论。就加工难易程度而言,优选反应离子束刻蚀方案,且采用刻蚀并残留低折射率介质的方案更容易实现。     

Properties of the GaAs–Si Interface in Epitaxy through an Aluminum Layer

The interaction of elements near the interface during epitaxial growth of monocrystalline GaAs films through an aluminum layer is investigated by the methods of x-ray photoelectronic spectroscopy and secondary-ion mass spectroscopy.