X-ray-scattering analysis of surface structures produced by vapor-phase epitaxy of GaAs

Abstract

We have used in situ x-ray-scattering techniques to analyze surface reconstructions and ordered steps at various stages in the growth of GaAs by organometallic vapor-phase epitaxy. In contrast to an earlier report of a c(4×4) reconstruction, our current measurements reveal a related structure with 1×2 symmetry. The 1×2 structure is a disordered form of the c(4×4) reconstruction in which long-range correlations between dimer rows are preserved but dimer vacancies are located at random. Aside from reconstructions, ordered step structures were studied on samples with both high (2.2°) and low (0.07°) levels of miscut. Using Gaussian step-spacing distributions with widths of order the mean terrace size, a numerical model is used to reproduce measured truncation rod profiles in scans perpendicular to steps. We also use the model to follow the narrowing of the step-spacing distribution which occurs during growth. After the growth of several hundred angstroms of GaAs, truncation-rod profiles sharpen, accompanied by a shift in peak positions. The shift is due to an asymmetric weighting of the scattering from terraces of different widths: wide terraces make a greater contribution to the structure factor. For samples with a broadened distribution of step spacings, this effect results in a smaller peak splitting than that which would occur for an ideally miscut sample. © 1994 The American Physical Society.