Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
5351180 Applied Surface Science 2014 5 Pages PDF
Abstract
Low energy argon ion bombardment of different fluence onto a GaN film grown on Al2O3 (0 0 0 1) surface induces interesting compositional and morphological modifications. While atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies reveal the formation of a circular flat islands, Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) core-level and valence-band spectra confirm that these nanodroplets consist of pure Ga. Detailed XPS studies suggest breaking of GaN bond, that releases Ga to diffuse on the surface and nucleate at the threading dislocation sites, defined by the interfacial surface free energy. The formation of droplet pattern formation is discussed in the light of the existing theories on ion induced surface modification.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Chemistry Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
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