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 In0.53Ga0.47As and In0.2Ga0.8As 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 In0.53Ga0.47As 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 In0.2Ga0.8As. 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.