Morphology on GaAs surfaces grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition and molecular beam epitaxy

Abstract

The morphology on GaAs surfaces grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) is observed using an atomic force microscope and the results are compared with those obtained for surfaces grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Monolayer steps on MOCVD-grown surfaces are observed for the first time. The largest terrace observed is 1 μm wide. This is one order of magnitude wider than those observed on MBE-grown surfaces under similar growth conditions. Surface undulation is less than that on the MBE-grown surface. Preliminary studies on surfaces grown by chemical beam epitaxy (CBE) show that terrace width and surface undulation are similar to those found on MBE-grown surfaces.