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Contributions of Electron Microscopy to the Understanding of Reactions on Compound Semiconductor Surfaces

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 February 2011

T. Sands
T. Sands*
Affiliation:
Bell Communications Research, Inc., Murray Hill, NJ 07974 and Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
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Abstract

Reacted films on compound semiconductor substrates present challenging materials characterization problems which often require the application of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. In this paper, both the problem - solving potential of the TEM techniques and the limits imposed by preparation of thin film/compound semiconductor TEM specimens are discussed. Studies of the Ni/GaAs, CuCl(aq)/CdS and Pd/GaAs reactions exemplify the role of TEM in identifying and determining the spatial distribution of interface - stabilized polymorphs and new ternary phases (e.g. tetragonal Cu2S, Ni3GaAs and PdxGaAs). These examples also serve to clarify the relationship between TEM and complementary analysis techniques such as Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, Auger electron spectroscopy and glancing-angle x-ray diffraction. In particular, it is argued that a combination of (1) high-spatial-resolution information obtained by TEM and (2) an indication of the “average” behavior provided by data from a complementary characterization technique provide the minimum quality and quantity of data necessary to understand most reactions on compound semiconductor substrates.

Type
Articles
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 62: Symposium Q – Materials Problem Solving with the Transmission Electron Microscope , 1985 , 25
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1986

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