Growth mechanism of atomic layer deposited Al2O3 on GaAs(001)-4 × 6 surface with trimethylaluminum and water as precursors

Abstract

A microscopic view of in situ atomic layer deposition Al2O3 on clean n-GaAs (001)-4 × 6 surfaces probed by high-resolution synchrotron radiation photoemission is presented. The precursors of trimethylaluminum (TMA) and water partially and selectively bond with the surface atoms without disturbing the atoms in the subsurface layer. The first-cycle TMA acts differently on the surface As atoms; namely, TMA is dissociative on As in the As-Ga dimer but is physisorbed on As that is 3-fold Ga coordinated. Water drastically alters the TMA-covered surface to etch off the dissociated TMA with As, giving Ga–O bonding for the later deposition of Al2O3 and at the same time to transform the configuration of the physisorbed TMA to bond strongly with As. Approximately six cycles of purges (TMA + water) are required before the interaction at the interface is complete. In comparison, the e-beam deposition of Al2O3 on GaAs greatly disturbs the III-V surface so that a high As 4+ charge state appears and the surface Ga atoms become clustered.