Smoothness and cleanliness of the GaAs (100) surface after thermal desorption of the native oxide for the synthesis of high mobility structures using molecular beam epitaxy

To prepare a GaAs substrate for molecular beam epitaxial (MBE) growth, the nominal ∼3nm native oxide is typically thermally desorbed into vacuum. To test the completeness and quality of this desorption, we describe a technique, which combines MBE, thermal desorption, atomic force microscopy (AFM), reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED), and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), for detecting roughness and trace residues of contamination on (100) GaAs surfaces before MBE growth. At all desorption temperatures in the range 600–665°C, our RHEED measurements show that the native oxide is largely desorbed within 4 min. However, the SIMS and AFM data indicate that a residue of carbon invariably remains on the GaAs (100) surface, and tenaciously resists all further attempts at its removal by thermal desorption. Since thermal desorption of the native oxide has long been the standard technique for preparing GaAs substrates for MBE growth, we suggest that MBE growth on GaAs has in general been accomplished by epitaxially growing through a partial monolayer of carbon. We believe this is the likely reason for the generally unsatisfactory quality of GaAs MBE growth after lithographic patterning on previously MBE grown structures. Our AFM data also indicate that extended native oxide desorption times or high desorption temperatures not only are ineffective at removal of the carbon residue, but are always accompanied by additional strong roughening effects on the GaAs surface morphology. Finally, we demonstrate that smoother starting surfaces for MBE growth correlate well with higher two-dimensional carrier mobilities in the resulting AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures.

► A residue carbon impurity on the GaAs surface resists all desorption protocols.
► This carbon residue explains surface roughening in thermally desorbed GaAs.
► We outline a method to detect trace contaminants on (100) GaAs before MBE growth.
► Desorption at high temperatures or extended times roughens the GaAs (100) surface.
► Smooth starting surfaces for MBE growth correlate with higher 2DEG mobilities.