Imaging ion-bombarded III-V semiconductor surfaces: a scanning tunnelling microscopy study of InSb(100)

Abstract

Scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) has been used to produce images of lnSb(100) prepared by in situ treatment of several cycles of low-energy argon ion bombardment and annealing. Electron diffraction studies, following annealing to 625 K, show the c(8 x 2) pattern associated with the In-rich reconstruction also observed during MBE growth. These STM images demonstrate the improved surface ordering with successive cycles resulting in atomically flat terraces over areas of the sample in excess of 1000 A x 1000 A. The observed reduction of macroscopic morphological defects. s u c h as In droolets. is discussed as a function of surface treatment.

Plasma-Cleaned InSb (112)B for Large-Area Epitaxy of HgCdTe Sensors

“…9,10 In addition, the cost of InSb substrates is far less than that of CdZnTe substrates. A variety of cleaning procedures including thermal desorption in the absence and in the presence of Sb overpressures, [11][12][13][14][15] atomic and molecular hydrogen treatments, [14][15][16][17] ion bombardment and annealing, 11,[18][19][20] and wet etches [21][22][23][24][25] have been reported to prepare InSb (111), (100), and (110) orientations. These studies address the problems associated with in vacuo thermal cleaning since the InSb oxide desorption temperature is close to the melting point of InSb ($527°C).…”