Etching of GaAs(100) by Activated Hydrogen

Abstract

Etching of oxidized GaAs(100) wafers by activated hydrogen is shown to be very effective. The oxide can be removed by the reaction of hydrogen with the sample at room temperature and a hot filament present in front of the sample surface. The oxide removal at the surface was controlled via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). After a number of cleaning cycles with hydrogen, a (1 × 1)-LEED-pattern is observed. The results clearly demonstrate that activated hydrogen is an interesting candidate for surface cleaning prior to further processing.