Characteristics of the {111}Surfaces of the III–V Intermetallic Compounds

Abstract

The dissolution rate technique has been applied in determining the depth of surface damage resulting from cold working (abrasion). The following III – V compounds were employed: , , , and . It was shown that the dissolution rates are a function of the actual surface area which in turn depends on the amount of cold work present rather than on the original roughening of the surface. The results obtained by this method were found to be in excellent agreement with results obtained by etching (etch figures) and x‐ray diffraction techniques. For the same cold‐working treatment the depth of damage in was found to vary for the various orientations as follows: designating the {111} surfaces terminating with In and Sb atoms, respectively. It was further found that for the same cold‐working treatment of the A{111} or B{111} surfaces of the four compounds studied, the depth of damage varied as follows: , i.e., the depth of damage decreased with increasing energy gap.