DEPTH RESOLUTION DEGRADATION OF SPUTTER-PROFILED INP-INXGA1-XASYP1-Y INTERFACES CAUSED BY CONE FORMATION Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Both InP and InxGa1xAsyP1y surfaces with trace metal contaminations are unstable with respect to cone formation when sputter etched by Ar+. Such gross surface texture severely degrades the depth resolution of sputter profiling techniques. Cone formation can be prevented by avoiding contamination of the material being profiled with metals sputtered from various surfaces in the analysis system. An uncorrected width of 140 was determined using techniques which optimize sputter depth profiling for an In0.74Ga0.26As0.60P0.40-InP heterojunction grown by liquid phase epitaxy.

published proceedings

  • APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS

author list (cited authors)

  • WILLIAMS, R. S., NELSON, R. J., & SCHLIER, A. R.

citation count

  • 22

publication date

  • May 1980