Surface Chemistry of GaAs(100) and InAs(100) Etching with Tartaric Acid

Abstract:

Incorporating substrates with higher charge mobilities than Si and Ge in metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) would extend the scaling of this device architecture. III-V semiconductors are candidates, and etching and passivation processes are needed that are selective and yield smooth surfaces. The (100) face of III-V compounds contains both electron-deficient group III (Ga, In) atoms and electron-rich group V (P, As, Sb) atoms. Etching InP(100) in a mixture of HCl and H₂O₂ chlorinates the In (group III) atom forming a soluble product [1,2], yet the P (group V) atom is more reactive and is depleted from the surface [3]. α-Hydroxy acids (lactic, citric, malic, and tartaric) have been shown to bind to the group III atom [3] and could promote more uniform etching. This paper compares the surface chemistry of GaAs and InAs after etching in HCl and H₂O₂ mixtures with and without tartaric acid.

• Periodical: Solid State Phenomena (Volume 219)
• Pages: 52-55
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/SSP.219.52
• Online since: September 2014
• Authors: Pablo Mancheno-Posso, Anthony J. Muscat
• Keywords: Etching, Gallium Arsenide, Hydrochloric Acid, Hydrogen Peroxide, Indium Arsenide, Tartaric Acid, Temperature Programmed Desorption, X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

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