Title: Ion erosion induced nanostructured semiconductor surfaces

Authors: V. Venugopal; T. Basu; S. Garg; J.K. Tripathi; S. Chandramohan; P. Das; T.K. Chini; S.R. Bhattacharyya; D. Kanjilal; T. Som

Addresses: Institute of Physics, Sachivalaya Marg, Bhubaneswar 751 005, India; Division of Physics, School of Advanced Sciences, VIT University, Chennai Campus, Vandalur-Kelambakkam Road, Chennai 600 048, India ' Institute of Physics, Sachivalaya Marg, Bhubaneswar 751 005, India ' Institute of Physics, Sachivalaya Marg, Bhubaneswar 751 005, India ' Institute of Physics, Sachivalaya Marg, Bhubaneswar 751 005, India ' Institute of Physics, Sachivalaya Marg, Bhubaneswar 751 005, India ' Surface Physics Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, 1/AF Bidhannagar, Kolkata 700 064, India ' Surface Physics Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, 1/AF Bidhannagar, Kolkata 700 064, India ' Surface Physics Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, 1/AF Bidhannagar, Kolkata 700 064, India ' Inter-University Accelerator Centre, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067, India ' Institute of Physics, Sachivalaya Marg, Bhubaneswar 751 005, India

Abstract: We consider nanostructures formed on semiconductor surfaces of Si(100), InP(100) and GaAs using medium energy (50-100 keV) Ar⁺-ion beam sputtering. The issues of dependence of nanostructure formation on these semiconductor substrates on ion-energy, -fluence, -flux, angle of incidence, and crystallographic orientation are addressed. The threshold fluence for formation of nano-islands on Si(100) implanted with normally incident 50 keV Ar⁺-ions was found to be 2 × 10¹⁷ ions/cm². For InP(100) implanted with 100 keV Ar⁺-ions an increase in angle of incidence results in decrease of surface roughness. Surfaces of GaAs(100) and GaAs(111) implanted with normally incident 50 keV Ar⁺-ions show nanopits of density 3–4 × 10⁹/cm². The existing theories are applied to explain the formation of observed surface nanostructures.

Keywords: ion sputtering; nanodots; ripples; silicon; gallium arsenide; indium phosphide; ion erosion; nanostructures; semiconductor surfaces; nanotechnology; surface roughness; surface quality; nanopits.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNT.2012.049462

International Journal of Nanotechnology, 2012 Vol.9 No.10/11/12, pp.1007 - 1016

Published online: 04 Oct 2012 *

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