TEMPERATURE EFFECTS IN THE BONDING AND GROWTH MODE OF IN ON GAAS(11O)

Electron energy loss spectroscopy and high-resolution core level photo emission spectra of the interface formed between In and the GaAs(110) surface at different substrate temperatures and in the transition from low (LT) to room temperature (RT) are presented. We demonstrate that the interface formed after RT In deposition is morphologically differe nt to the one obtained by depositing the same amount of In at LT and s ubsequently warming up to RT: for RT deposition the In clusters are se parated by the bare, unperturbed GaAs surface, whereas on the temperat ure-cycled surface after the LT --> RT transition a monolayer of In bo nded to surface As atoms covers the intercluster region. We analyse th e bonding of In on the In-GaAs interfaces and discuss the role played by the substrate geometry in determining the kinetics of the system. A mechanism for the observed non-equilibrium effects in the growth mode of In on GaAs(110) is proposed.