Surface flattening by annealing after molecular beam epitaxy growth revealed by in-situ secondary electron microscopy

The consecutive evolution of the configurations of islands, steps and terraces on a GaAs(001) surface during annealing after growth was studied by in-situ observation using a secondary electron microscope. Three unexpected processes were revealed: some large two-dimensional islands grow, although mo...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of crystal growth 1995, Vol.150 (1-4), p.73-76
Main Authors: Osaka, Jiro, Homma, Yoshikazu, Inoue, Naohisa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties
Exact sciences and technology
Physics
Solid surfaces and solid-solid interfaces
Surface structure and topography
Surfaces and interfaces
thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties)
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The consecutive evolution of the configurations of islands, steps and terraces on a GaAs(001) surface during annealing after growth was studied by in-situ observation using a secondary electron microscope. Three unexpected processes were revealed: some large two-dimensional islands grow, although most small ones shrink, step distances becomes more uniform rather than step bunching occurring, and multilayer high islands shrink and disappear. The latter two processes play an important role in surface flattening. The growth of islands is explained by thermodynamic equilibrium.
ISSN:0022-0248
1873-5002
DOI:10.1016/0022-0248(95)80183-D