Abstract
A low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope has been used to study the (1 1 0)-cleavage surface of indium phosphide (InP) at 4.2 K. InP is a III-V compound semiconductor, and we studied the behavior of doping atoms at different bias voltages in both n- and p-type InP. In neither the n- nor the p-type InP did we observe Friedel oscillations, but the p-type InP with a Zn-dopant concentration of 2.7 × 1018 cm-3 showed an interesting behavior at positive sample voltages: upon moving the tip Fermi level to the bottom of the conduction band, we observed that depressions in the surface topography caused by the influence of the Zn doping atoms changed into elevations with a triangular shape. This has previously been observed on p-type GaAs(1 1 0), and an explanation for these triangular features is not yet available.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 495-500 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Surface Science |
| Volume | 482-485 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 20 2001 |
Funding
We would like to thank J.G.H. Hermsen and J.W. Gerritsen for their technical assistance. Part of this work was supported by the Stichting Fundamenteel Onderzoek der Materie (FOM), which is financially supported by the Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO).
Keywords
- Indium phosphide
- Low index single crystal surfaces
- Scanning tunneling microscopy
- Semiconducting surfaces
- Surface defects
- Surface electronic phenomena (work function, surface potential, surface states, etc.)
- Surface structure, morphology, roughness, and topography
- Tunneling
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Surfaces and Interfaces
- Surfaces, Coatings and Films
- Materials Chemistry