Abstract
A study is conducted on the nucleation process of aluminum droplets on a GaAs(001) surface during droplet epitaxial growth, which reveals the influencing factors in the nucleation process, including the substrate temperature and the deposition rate, when other conditions are unchanged. In addition, the minimum atomic number for the initially incomplete state, the initially completed state and the completed state are calculated to be 1, 2 and 5, respectively. In the meantime, based on the extended thermodynamic model, the energy \(\left( {E_{r} } \right)\) and ideal contact angle \(\left( {\theta_{0} } \right)\) in the process of droplet ripening and nucleation are 2.5 eV and 73.5°.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
G. Sergii, O.I. Datsenko, S. Luca, G. Trevisi, F. Paola, B. Li, D. Lin, and J. Qu, InAs/InGaAs Quantum Dots Confined by InAlAs Barriers for Enhanced Room Temperature Light Emission: Photoelectric Properties and Deep Levels. Microelectron. Eng. 238, 111514 (2021).
A. Najla, K. Rahul, K. Andrian, Y. Maidaniuk, S.K. Saha, A.A. Alnami, R. Alhelais, A. Kawagy, M.E. Ware, Y.I. Mazur, and G.J. Salamob, InAs Nanostructures for Solar Cell: Improved Efficiency by Submonolayer Quantum Dot. Sol. Energ. Mat. Sol. C. 224, 111026 (2021).
Y. Yifat, M. Ackerman, and G.S. Philippe, Mid-IR Colloidal Quantum dot Detectors Enhanced by Optical Nano-Antennas. Appl. Phys. Lett 110, 041106 (2017).
S. Yoon, S.H. Lee, J.C. Shin, J.S. Kim, S.J. Lee, J.Y. Leem, and S. Krishna, Photoreflectance Study on the Photovoltaic Effect in InAs/GaAs Quantum Dot Solar Cell. Curr. Appl. Phys 18, 667 (2018).
M.G. Barseghyan, A.K. Manaselyan, D. Larozec, and A.A. Kirakosyan, Impurity-Modulated Aharonov-Bohm Oscillations and Intraband Optical Absorption in Quantum Dot–Ring Nanostructures. Phys. E. 81, 31–36 (2016).
N.W. Strom, Z.M. Wang, J.H. Lee, Z.Y. Abuwaar, Y.I. Mazur, and G.J. Salamo, Self-Assembled InAs Quantum Dot Formation on GaAs Ring-Like Nanostructure Templates. Nanoscale Res. Lett 2, 112 (2007).
J.M. Garcı́a, D. Granados, J.P. Silveira, and F. Briones, In Segregation Effects During Quantum Dot and Quantum Ring Formation on GaAs(001). Microelectron. J. 35, 7 (2004).
S. Linlin, L. Baolai, W. Ying, Y. Qing, G. Qinglin, W. Shufang, F. Guangsheng, L.D. Huffaker, Y.I. Mazur, M.E. Ware, Y. Maidaniuk, and J.S. Gregory, Abnormal Photoluminescence for GaAs/Al0.2Ga0.8As Quantum Dot-Ring Hybrid Nanostructure Grown by Droplet Epitaxy. J. Lumin 195, 187–192 (2018).
T. Suzuki and T. Nishinaga, Real Time Observation and Formation Mechanism of Ga Droplet During Molecular Beam Epitaxy Under Excess Ga flux. J. Cryst. Growth 142, 61 (1994).
M. Jo, T. Mano, Y. Sakuma, and K. Sakoda, Extremely High-Density GaAs Quantum Dots Grown by Droplet Epitaxy. Appl. Phys. Lett 100, 212113 (2012).
M. Benyoucef, Z. Verena, P.R. Johann, K. Tim, W.S. Andreas, and A. Thomas, Single-Photon Emission from Single InGaAs/GaAs Quantum Dots Grown by Droplet Epitaxy at High Substrate Temperature. Nanoscale. Res. Lett 7, 493 (2012).
P. Yu, W. Jiang, L. Gao, H. Liu, and Z. Wang, InGaAs and GaAs Quantum dot Solar Cells Grown by Droplet Epitaxy. Sol. Energ. Mat. Sol. C 161, 377 (2016).
N. Pankaow, S. Panyakeow, and S. Ratanathammaphan, Formation of In0.5Ga0.5As ring-and-hole Structure by Droplet Molecular Beam Epitaxy. J. Cryst. Growth 311, 1832 (2009).
T. Mano, T. Kuroda, S. Sanguinetti, T. Ochiai, T. Tateno, J.S. Kim, T. Noda, M. Kawabe, K. Sakoda, G. Kido, and N. Koguchi, Self-Assembly of Concentric Quantum Double Rings. Nano Lett. 5, 425 (2005).
H.D. Kim, R. Okuyama, K. Kyhm, M. Eto, R.A. Taylor, A.L. Nicolet, M. Potemski, G. Nogues, L.S. Dang, K.C. Je, J. Kim, J.H. Kyhm, K.H. Yoen, E.H. Lee, J.Y. Kim, K. Han, W. Choi, and J. Song, Observation of a Biexciton Wigner Molecule by Fractional Optical Aharonov-Bohm Oscillations in a Single Quantum Ring. Nano Lett. 16, 27 (2016).
Z.Y. Abuwaar, Y.I. Mazur, J.H. Lee, Z.M. Wang, and G. Salamo, Optical Behavior of GaAs/AlGaAs Ringlike Nanostructures. J. Appl. Phys 101, 24311 (2007).
S. Kanjanachuchai and C.S. Euaruksakul, Self-Running Ga Droplets on GaAs (111) A and (111) B Surfaces. ACS Appl. Mater. Inter 5, 7709 (2013).
B.A. Trisna, N. Nakareseisoon, W. Eiwwongcharoen, S. Panyakeow, and S. Kanjanachuchai, Reliable Synthesis of Self-Running Ga Droplets on GaAs(001) in MBE using RHEED Patterns. Nanoscale Res. Lett 10, 184 (2015).
M.G. Barseghyan, A.A. Kirakosyan, and D. Laroze, Laser Driven Intraband Optical Transitions in Two-Dimensional Quantum Dots and Quantum Rings. Opt. Commun. 383, 571–576 (2017).
N. Esser, A.M. Frisch, A. Roseler, S. Schintke, C. Goletti, and B. Fimland, Optical Resonances of Indium Islands on GaAs(001) Observed by Reflectance Anisotropy Spectroscopy. Phys. Rev. B 67, 125306 (2003).
V. Mantovani, S. Sanguinetti, M. Guzzi, E. Grilli, M. Gurioli, K. Watanabe, and N. Koguchi, Low Density GaAs/AlGaAs Quantum Dots Grown by Modified Droplet Epitaxy. J. Appl. Phys 96, 4416 (2004).
T. Mano, T. Kuroda, K. Mitsuishi, Y. Nakayama, T. Noda, and K. Sakoda, GaAs/AlGaAs Quantum dot Laser Fabricated on GaAs(311) A Substrate by Droplet Epitaxy. Appl. Phys. Lett 93, 203110 (2008).
A.Z. Li, Z.M. Wang, J. Wu, and G.J. Salamo, Holed Nanostructures Formed by Aluminum Droplets on a GaAs Substrate. Nano Res 3, 490 (2010).
M. Zocher, C.H. Heyn, and W. Hansen, Droplet Etching with Indium–INTERMIXING and Lattice Mismatch. J. Cryst. Growth 512, 219–222 (2019).
D. Majchrzak, S. Gorantla, E. Zdanowicz, A. Pieniążek, J. Serafińczuk, K. Moszak, D. Pucicki, M. Grodzicki, B.J. Kowalski, R. Kudrawiec, and D. Hommel, Detailed Surface Studies on the Reduction of Al Incorporation into AlGaN Grown by Molecular BEAM Epitaxy in the Ga-Droplet Regime. Vacuum 202, 111168 (2022).
J.A. Venables, G.D.T. Spiller, and M. Hanbucken, Nucleation and Growth of Thin Films. Rep. Prog. Phys 47, 399 (1984).
J.A. Venables, R. Persaud, F.L. Metcalfe, and M. Azim, Rate and Diffusion Analyses of Surface Processes. J. Phys. Chem. Solids 55, 955 (1994).
M. Hata, A. Watanabe, and T. Isu, Surface Diffusion Length Observed by In Situ Scanning Microprobe Reflection High-Energy Electron Diffraction. J. Cryst. Growth 111, 83 (1991).
A. Raab and G. Springholz, Oswald Ripening and Shape Transitions of Self-Assembled PbSe Quantum Dots on PbTe(111) During Annealing. Appl. Phys. Lett. 77, 2991 (2000).
Ch. Heyn, A. Stemmann, A. Schramm, H. Welsch, and W. Hansen, Regimes of GaAs Quantum Dot Self-Assembly by Droplet Epitaxy. Phys. Rev. B 76, 075317 (2007).
F. Liu, Self-Assembly of Three-Dimensional Metal Islands: Nonstrained Versus Strained Islands. Phys. Rev. Lett 89, 246105 (2002).
K.O. Ng and D. Vanderbilt, Stability of Periodic Domain Structures in a two-Dimensional Dipolar Model. Phys. Rev. B 52, 2177 (1995).
V.P. LaBella, H. Yang, D.W. Bullock, P.M. Thibado, K. Peter, and S. Matthias, Atomic Structure of the GaAs(001)-(2*4) Surface Resolved Using Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and First-Principles Theory. Phys. Rev. Lett 83, 2989 (1999).
S. Adorno, S. Bietti, and S. Sanguinetti, Annealing Induced Anisotropy in GaAs/AlGaAs Quantum Dots Grown by Droplet Epitaxy. J. Cryst. Growth 378, 515–518 (2013).
A. Kley, P. Ruggerone, and M. Scheffler, Novel Diffusion Mechanism on the GaAs(001) Surface: The Role of Adatom-Dimer Interaction. Phys. Rev. Lett 79, 5278 (1997).
Acknowledgments
Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 62065003), the Guizhou Provincial Science and Technology Foundation (Grant No. QKH-[2020]1Y271), University Youth Science and Technology Talent Growth Project of Guizhou Province (Grant No. QJHKY-[2022]141), and Guizhou University Talent Introduction Fund (GDRJH-[2021]86)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wang, Y., Jiang, C., Huang, Y. et al. Mechanism of Aluminum Droplet Nucleation and Ripening on GaAs(001) Surface by Molecular Beam Epitaxy. J. Electron. Mater. 52, 463–470 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-022-10012-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-022-10012-2