CHEMICAL AND ELECTROCHEMICAL INTERACTION OF ACIDIC H2O2 SOLUTIONS WITH (100)INP

The chemical and electrochemical interactions between the (100) InP su rface and acidic aqueous H2O2 solutions were studied by etch rate, vol tammetric, IMPS and electroluminescence measurements. Etching of InP b y H2O2 appears to occur at a very low rate through a chemical mechanis m. Photocurrent enhancement caused by H2O2 is observed both at the p-I nP cathode and at the n-InP anode. Whereas the former effect is ascrib ed to reduction of H2O2 by the well-known current-doubling mechanism, for the latter effect a reaction mechanism is proposed in which interm ediates of the photoanodic dissolution reaction of InP are modified by H2O2 so that they can more easily inject electrons into the conductio n band of the semiconductor.