The initial growth of Au on GaAs(001)-c(4 × 4)

The metal growth when depositing a monolayer (ML) of Au at 200° C on MBE-grown surfaces of GaAs(001)-c(4 × 4) was studied by AES and RHEED. The surface interaction can be characterized to proceed in two stages depending on the surface coverage of Au. At a coverage of less than 0.3 ML the gold atoms are mainly dispersed on the surface with a small in depth diffusion. Above 0.4 ML there is a rapid intermixing and a tendency of arsenic accumulation to the surface.