Surface passivation of GaAs (0 0 1) by Hg2Cl2 nanoplates combined with hexadecanethiol

Abstract

Surface states in III–V semiconductor materials have detrimental effects on their optical and electronic properties, and the passivation of GaAs surface has become of longstanding interest. Here, we demonstrated a two-step process to greatly reduce surface states of GaAs (0 0 1) by a combination of Hg2Cl2 and alkanethiol. Firstly, uniformly distributed Hg2Cl2 nanoplates with a size around 200 nm were deposited on GaAs surface by the incubation of the etched wafer into the mercury (II) chloride solution, without the need of a reducing agent. Secondly, hexadecanethiol (HDT) molecules were assembled on the Hg2Cl2-GaAs hybrid surface, which decreases the density of surface states through electron transfer processes. Noticeably, after such two steps, a significant enhancement of photoluminescence (PL) signal was noted. It may be due to the fact that components of As2O3 and As0 which are identified as major sources of the surface states are reduced considerably, or even disappear. Chemical state changes of mercury species are expected to play a key role in achieving the surface passivation. Obtained hybrid GaAs materials with considerably improved photonic signals open a new avenue for the fabrication of electronic and optoelectronic devices.