N. Negoro et al., Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy study of ultrathin Si interface control layers grown on (001) GaAs for surface passivation, APPL SURF S, 159, 2000, pp. 292-300
Microscopic topological and spectroscopic properties of the ultrathin silic
on interface control layer (Si-ICL) grown by molecular beam epitaxy on the
(001) GaAs surface were investigated by the ultrahigh vacuum (UHV), scannin
g tunneling microscopy (STM) and scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) tech
niques, and the results were correlated with the macroscopic electronic pro
perties measured by in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UHV
photoluminescence (PL) techniques. Growth of the Si-ICL on c(4 x 4) GaAs su
rface produced much more ordered STM topology, leading to better electronic
properties as observed by XPS, PL and STS methods than the growth on (2 x
4) surface. In addition to normal STS spectra showing GaAs energy gap, many
anomalous spectra showing much wider apparent gaps were observed on all th
e surfaces, and they were interpreted to correspond to the pinning centers
for the Fermi level where surface states exchange electronic charge with th
e STM tip and modify the band bending. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All r
ights reserved.