REACTIVITY PATTERNS OF STIBINE AND TRISDIMETHYLAMINOANTIMONY PRECURSORS FOR CHEMICAL BEAM EPITAXIAL-GROWTH AND ETCHING

The handling and use of stibine in a CBE environment has been investig ated and found to be very straightforward, permitting its use as a CBE precursor. Growth studies of GaSb and InSb on GaAs and SiO2 substrate s using this precursor are reported. The compound displays a similar s urface reactivity pattern to arsine and phosphine, necessitating the u se of thermal pre-crackers operating at 750 degrees C. The surface dec omposition pathway of trisdimethylaminoantimony on GaAs surfaces has a lso been investigated and found to be similar to those of the well-cha racterised Gp III precursors investigated previously. Clean decomposit ion leading to the formation of Sb surface is seen on GaAs surfaces, a lthough irreversible decomposition to surface carbon and nitrogen is s een in the presence of Al, Etching studies of GaAs by trisdimethylamin oantimony are also presented, and the nature of the desorbing species responsible for the etching process is discussed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Sc ience B.V. All rights reserved.