Quantitative analysis of streaks in reflection high-energy electron diffraction: GaAs and AlAs deposited on GaAs(001)
- 15 June 1986
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review B
- Vol. 33 (12), 8329-8335
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.33.8329
Abstract
Reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) has long been considered a qualitative tool for assessing the roughness of a surface and for determining whether thin films are deposited epitaxially. Though this technique is known to be exceedingly surface sensitive, no quantitative statements could be made. In this paper we report measurements of the specular diffraction beam from near-singular GaAs(001) surfaces with submonolayer deposits of GaAs and AlAs. By fitting the shapes of these beams to a kinematic calculation, exact to within the column approximation, we determine the coverages of the surfaces and estimate the average island size in the overlayer. The results show the sensitivity of RHEED to the details of the island or step distribution on the surface. By comparing the AlAs and GaAs profiles it is apparent that Al is much less mobile on the (001) surface than is Ga. Finally we report the observation of surface roughening during the 2×4 to c(4×4) GaAs(001) phase transition.Keywords
This publication has 17 references indexed in Scilit:
- The dependence of RHEED oscillations on MBE growth parametersJournal of Vacuum Science & Technology B, 1985
- Theoretical investigations of the nature of the normal and inverted GaAs–AlGaAs structures grown by molecular beam epitaxyJournal of Vacuum Science & Technology B, 1984
- Extrinsic effects in reflection high-energy electron diffraction patterns from MBE GaAsJournal of Vacuum Science & Technology B, 1984
- Diffraction from stepped surfaces: I. Reversible surfacesSurface Science, 1984
- Sensitive reflection high-energy electron diffraction measurement of the local misorientation of vicinal GaAs surfacesApplied Physics Letters, 1984
- RHEED streaks and instrument responseJournal of Vacuum Science & Technology A, 1983
- Disorder on GaAs(001) surfaces prepared by molecular beam epitaxyJournal of Vacuum Science & Technology A, 1983
- Diffraction from surfaces with randomly distributed stepsSurface Science, 1982
- Epitaxy of Si(111) as studied with a new high resolving LEED systemSurface Science, 1982
- Composition and structure of differently prepared GaAs(100) surfaces studied by LEED and AESSurface Science, 1978