The behaviour of ternary compounds InGaAs and GaAsN subjected to electron irradiation

This paper presents results of the effect of electron beam irradiation under UHV conditions on InGaAs/GaAs and GaAsN/GaAs systems using Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and the electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) as surface analytical techniques. The ternary compounds In_0.53Ga_0.47As and In_0.2Ga_0.8As were irradiated by an electron beam under identical conditions (5 KeV; 10⁻³ A cm⁻²; for 60 min). The results showed that the compound In_0.53Ga_0.47As was stable under electron irradiation whereas changes in the Auger signal In-M₄₅N₄₅N₄₅ revealed that the electron beam had a significant effect on the compound In_0.2Ga_0.8As. GaAsN growth at 590 °C on GaAs is believed to produce a surface containing defects that is chemically unstable when bombarded by electrons. It was found that heating this compound at 730 °C stabilised the surface, protecting it from the effect of electron irradiation.