Treatment and aging studies of GaAs(111)B substrates for van der Waals chalcogenide film growth

GaAs(111)B are commercially available substrates widely used for the growth of van der Waals chalcogenide films. Wafer-scale, high-quality crystalline films can be deposited on GaAs(111)B substrates using molecular beam epitaxy. However, two obstacles persist in the use of GaAs(111)B: first, the surface dangling bonds make it challenging for the growth of van der Waals materials; second, the As-terminated surface is prone to aging in air. This study investigated a thermal treatment method for deoxidizing GaAs(111)B substrates while simultaneously passivating the surface dangling bonds with Se. By optimizing the treatment parameters, we obtained a flat and completely deoxidized platform for subsequent film growth, with highly reproducible operations. Furthermore, through first-principle calculations, we find that the most energetically favorable surface of GaAs(111)B after Se passivation consists of 25% As atoms and 75% Se atoms. Finally, we discovered that the common storage method using food-grade vacuum packaging cannot completely prevent substrate aging, and even after thermal treatment, aging still affects subsequent growth. Therefore, we recommend using N2-purged containers for better preservation.

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Work Title Treatment and aging studies of GaAs(111)B substrates for van der Waals chalcogenide film growth
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Open Access
Creators
  1. Mingyu Yu
  2. Jiayang Wang
  3. Sahani A. Iddawela
  4. Molly McDonough
  5. Jessica L. Thompson
  6. Susan B. Sinnott
  7. Danielle Reifsnyder Hickey
  8. Stephanie Law
License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives)
Work Type Article
Publisher
  1. Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology B
Publication Date May 1, 2024
Publisher Identifier (DOI)
  1. https://doi.org/10.1116/6.0003470
Related URLs
Deposited November 25, 2024

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Version 1
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  • Created
  • Updated
  • Added Creator Mingyu Yu
  • Added Creator Jiayang Wang
  • Added Creator Sahani A. Iddawela
  • Added Creator Molly McDonough
  • Added Creator Jessica L. Thompson
  • Added Creator Susan B. Sinnott
  • Added Creator Danielle Reifsnyder Hickey
  • Added Creator Stephanie Law
  • Updated Publisher, Publisher Identifier (DOI), Related URLs, and 2 more Show Changes
    Publisher
    • Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology B
    Publisher Identifier (DOI)
    • https://doi.org/10.1116/6.0003470
    Related URLs
    • https://pubs.aip.org/avs/jvb/article-pdf/doi/10.1116/6.0003470/19854869/033201_1_6.0003470.pdf
    Description
    • <p>GaAs(111)B are commercially available substrates widely used for the growth of van der Waals chalcogenide films. Wafer-scale, high-quality crystalline films can be deposited on GaAs(111)B substrates using molecular beam epitaxy. However, two obstacles persist in the use of GaAs(111)B: first, the surface dangling bonds make it challenging for the growth of van der Waals materials; second, the As-terminated surface is prone to aging in air. This study investigated a thermal treatment method for deoxidizing GaAs(111)B substrates while simultaneously passivating the surface dangling bonds with Se. By optimizing the treatment parameters, we obtained a flat and completely deoxidized platform for subsequent film growth, with highly reproducible operations. Furthermore, through first-principle calculations, we find that the most energetically favorable surface of GaAs(111)B after Se passivation consists of 25% As atoms and 75% Se atoms. Finally, we discovered that the common storage method using food-grade vacuum packaging cannot completely prevent substrate aging, and even after thermal treatment, aging still affects subsequent growth. Therefore, we recommend using N<sub>2</sub>-purged containers for better preservation.</p>
    Publication Date
    • 2024-05-01
  • Updated
  • Updated
  • Updated Creator Mingyu Yu
  • Updated Creator Jiayang Wang
  • Updated Creator Sahani A. Iddawela
  • Updated Creator Molly McDonough
  • Updated Creator Jessica L. Thompson
  • Updated Creator Susan B. Sinnott
  • Updated Creator Danielle Reifsnyder Hickey
  • Updated Creator Stephanie Law
  • Added main_SI.pdf
  • Updated Description, License Show Changes
    Description
    • <p>GaAs(111)B are commercially available substrates widely used for the growth of van der Waals chalcogenide films. Wafer-scale, high-quality crystalline films can be deposited on GaAs(111)B substrates using molecular beam epitaxy. However, two obstacles persist in the use of GaAs(111)B: first, the surface dangling bonds make it challenging for the growth of van der Waals materials; second, the As-terminated surface is prone to aging in air. This study investigated a thermal treatment method for deoxidizing GaAs(111)B substrates while simultaneously passivating the surface dangling bonds with Se. By optimizing the treatment parameters, we obtained a flat and completely deoxidized platform for subsequent film growth, with highly reproducible operations. Furthermore, through first-principle calculations, we find that the most energetically favorable surface of GaAs(111)B after Se passivation consists of 25% As atoms and 75% Se atoms. Finally, we discovered that the common storage method using food-grade vacuum packaging cannot completely prevent substrate aging, and even after thermal treatment, aging still affects subsequent growth. Therefore, we recommend using N<sub>2</sub>-purged containers for better preservation.</p>
    • GaAs(111)B are commercially available substrates widely used for the growth of van der Waals chalcogenide films. Wafer-scale, high-quality crystalline films can be deposited on GaAs(111)B substrates using molecular beam epitaxy. However, two obstacles persist in the use of GaAs(111)B: first, the surface dangling bonds make it challenging for the growth of van der Waals materials; second, the As-terminated surface is prone to aging in air. This study investigated a thermal treatment method for deoxidizing GaAs(111)B substrates while simultaneously passivating the surface dangling bonds with Se. By optimizing the treatment parameters, we obtained a flat and completely deoxidized platform for subsequent film growth, with highly reproducible operations. Furthermore, through first-principle calculations, we find that the most energetically favorable surface of GaAs(111)B after Se passivation consists of 25% As atoms and 75% Se atoms. Finally, we discovered that the common storage method using food-grade vacuum packaging cannot completely prevent substrate aging, and even after thermal treatment, aging still affects subsequent growth. Therefore, we recommend using N<sub>2</sub>-purged containers for better preservation.
    License
    • https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
  • Published
  • Updated