T. Shibata et al., A RUTHERFORD BACKSCATTERING SPECTROSCOPIC STUDY OF THE ALUMINUM ANTIMONIDE OXIDATION PROCESS IN AIR, JPN J A P 1, 33(4A), 1994, pp. 1767-1772
The oxidation process of aluminum antimonide (AlSb) in air is investig
ated in detail using Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS). It
is verified that AlSb is extremely liable to be oxidized by slight exp
osure to air. The oxidation is found to be a two-step process: an init
ial fast step and a subsequent slower one. In the initial step, a surf
ace oxide with a thickness of about 150 angstrom is formed after AlSb
is exposed to air for only a matter of minutes. This oxide gradually t
hickens in the subsequent step, reaching the AlSb/GaSb interface after
exposure for about eighty hours. It is also clarified that the oxidiz
ed AlSb layer is amorphous and that a partly oxidized region is formed
under the amorphous oxidized AlSb layer in a precursory state.