1:Npm - 2:mpm (Invited)

OMP5*l Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Observations of Molecular Beam Epitaxially Grown

Compound Semiconductor Surfaces

Shunsuke OHKOUCHI*and Nobuyuki IKOMA

Optoelectronics Technology Research Laboratory (OTL)
5-5 Tohkodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 300-26, Japan

With the advent of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), it became possible to

observe individual atoms on the surfaces of semiconductors[l]. In this paper, we report on
the surface structures of compound semiconductor substrates, such as GaAs, InP and InAs,
and heteroepitaxially grown surfaces on these substrates, using a multi-chamber STM system
equipped with a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) facility[2].
Figure 1 shows an STM image of an MBE grown GaAs (001) surface. This surface
shows a (2x4) reconstructed structure; that is, an ordered structure with about 1.6 nm
periodicity along the Ell01 direction and with about 0.8 nm periodicity along the [liO]
direction can be clearly observed. The STM images of an InP substrate thermally cleaned in
an arsenic flux at 510 "C showed a (4x2) reconstruction which depends on the thennal-
cleaning time. The surface structure of an InP substrate thus treated for 1 min showed a (4x2)
reconstructed structure comprising two In dimers and two missing dimers running in the [110]
direction (Fig. 2(a)). One of these In dimer rows desorbed by further annealing at the same
temperature in an arsenic flux. The STM image of the InP surface thermally cleaned for 3
min showed another (4x2) reconstructed structure, comprising one In dimer and three missing
dimers(Fig.2tb)). This structure was the same as that of InAs treated under the same
conditions (Fig.3(a)). This In-stabilized (4x2) reconstructed structure of an InAs surface
changed to an As-stabilized (2x4) reconstruction when the substrate temperature was lowered .
* below 480 "C (Fig. 3(b)). The feature of this (2x4) reconstructed structure is the same as that
of a GaAs surface.
Next, as examples of lattice-mismatched heteroepitaxy systems, heteroepitaxially
grown surfaces of GaAshnP, GaAsDnAs and vice versa were studied by STM. In these highly
lattice-mismatched systems, the growth-mode transition from two-dimensional (2D) to 3D
growth occurred during the initial stages. In the case of a GaAsbnP system, the growth-mode
transition occurred with more than 2.0 ML of GaAs deposition. 3D-islands were observed in
the STM image of a 2.5 ML GaAs-deposited surface (Fig. 4). In the case of a GaAsfinAs
system, the transition was confirmed for more than 0.75 ML of GaAs deposition. Figure 5
shows an STM image of a 1.0 ML GaAs-deposited InAs surface. On the other hand, in the
case of an InAs/GaAs system, 3D-island formation occurred when more than 1.8 ML of InAs
was deposited onto the GaAs surface. In the S T M image of a 2.0 ML InAs-deposited GaAs
surface, 3D-islands were observed (Fig. 6). Furthermore, when 2.0 ML of InAs was deposited
onto a GaAs vicinal surface tilted by 1" towards the [ l l O ] direction, 3D-islands were aligned
along the [ l i O ] direction (Fig. 7). That is, the island were selectively formed at steps running
relatively straight along the [liO] direction on the Ill01 tilted GaAs surface. These results
indicate the possibility of controlling the arrangement of InAs islands deposited on a surface
by controlling the step structure on the surface.
It was thus demonstrated that in-situ S T M observations are very useful for obtaining
atomic-scale information concerning MBE-grown compound semiconductor surfaces.
[l] G. Binnig et al.: Appl. Phys. Lett. 40 178 (1982).
[2] I. Tanaka et al.: J. Vac. Sci. & Technol. B9 2277 (1991).
*Present address: Opto-electronics Research Laboratories, NEC Corporation,
34 Miyukigaoka, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305, Japan.
' 110
1.6nm

i.6nm
[iio]

Fig. 1: STM image of a GaAs
(2x4) reconstructed surface.
Fig. 2: STM images of an Ine
surface thennall cleaned in an
arsenic flux. (a7 is an image
after 1 min in which the
substrate temgerature was
raised to 510 C; (b) is an
image after 3 min.
Fig. 3: STM images of an InAs
surface. (a) is the In-stabilized
(4x2) reconstructed surface; (b)
is the As-stabilized (2x4)
reconstructed surface.

Fig. 4: STM image of a 2.5 ML GaAs-deposited Fig. 5: STM image of a 1.0 ML GaAsdeposited
InP (001) surface. InAs (001) surface.

#ited J3d
GgAs (001) vicinal surface tilted by 1' towaids the
[1101 direction.

111