SB-INDUCED SURFACE STABILIZATION OF INP(100) WAFER BEYOND 500-DEGREES-C

This article investigates the effect of Sb deposition on the surface t hermal stability of an InP(100) wafer by core-level and valence-band p hotoemission spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation. Ion bombardment of the InP(100) surface removes the native oxides and induces the for mation of three dimensional indium clusters. After room-temperature Sb deposition and subsequent thermal annealings, the system undergoes su rface restructuring which includes removal of the In islands by Sb, es tablishment of In-Sb bonds and formation of a InSb/InP(100) interface at 400-degrees-C. This system is found to be stable beyond 500-degrees -C, i.e., well above the thermal decomposition temperature (370-degree s-C) of the clean InP(100). In these conditions, P atoms migration fro m the bulk and their desorption resulting in P depletion layer at the surface occurs only at higher temperatures around 600-degrees-C.