Abstract
Plasma oxidation of thin polycrystalline aluminum films (∼100 Å) on GaAs has shown that oxidation of aluminum proceeds by an initial rapid grain-boundary oxidation of the aluminum followed by a slower oxidation towards the centers of the individual grains. Continued oxidation results in the growth of Ga-As- oxide layers on both sides of the Al-oxide film indicating that the oxidation of GaAs proceeds by an electric-field-assisted in-migration of oxygen through the Al-oxide layer toward the interface and the out-migration of Ga and As toward the surface. This oxidation process can be used to form an amorphous film of Al-oxide on GaAs. By using the Al-oxide film as a preferential filter for the migration of Ga and As, an amorphous Ga-As-oxide film with a Ga/As concentration ratio of unity all the way to the GaAs substrate can also be achieved.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 657-659 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Applied Physics Letters |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 1 1977 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)