Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 February 2011
We report studies of the kinetics of thermal decomposition of triethylgallium (TEGa), trimethylgallium (TMGa), and trimethylindium (TMIn) adsorbed on GaAs(100) in ultrahigh vacuum. The adsorbed layers were prepared by dosing GaAs(100) at room temperature, to either saturated coverage or coverages below saturation. Subsequent heating leads to loss of adsorbed hydrocarbons. The relative coverage of carbon was monitored by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and products were detected with a differentially pumped quadrupole mass spectrometer. The kinetic analysis also includes measurements of laser-induced, rapid thermal decomposition (heating rates of ∼1011°C/s).
TEGa dissociatively chemisorbs on GaAs(100). Heating the substrate results in desorption of diethylgallium radicals at low temperature and C2H4 (and some C2H5) at higher temperatures, after most of the diethylgallium has desorbed. TMGa decomposes to yield a Ga-alkyl desorption product (either dimethylgallium, or a mixture of dimethylgallium and TMGa) at low temperature and CH3 at higher temperature. TMIn undergoes a methyl exchange reaction on GaAs(100) where a Ga-alkyl desorbs with the same cracking pattern as in TMGa decomposition. Decomposition mechanisms for these group-III metal alkyls are proposed, Arrhenius parameters are presented, and some implications are discussed for growth of Ga-containing III-V compound semiconductor films from these precursors by chemical vapor deposition and molecular beam techniques.