Gallium arsenide surface reconstructions during organometallic vapor-phase epitaxy

Abstract

In situ surface x-ray scattering studies of the GaAs(001) surface were used to determine whether specific surface reconstructions occur during organometallic vapor-phase epitaxy. Prior to growth, we find that surfaces heated in the presence of As form a c(4×4) structure, while those heated in the absence of organometallics or in Ga form two similar fourfold reconstructions. We find no evidence for the presence of any surface reconstruction during the actual layer-by-layer growth process.