Wet oxidation of AlAs in GaAs and in an AlAs/GaAs multilayer stack
Abstract
The selective lateral wet of oxidation of MBE grown AlAs as a single layer of AlAs in GaAs and as AlAs in an AlAs/GaAs multilayer stack was investigated. Onset of AlAs oxidation was observed for the single layer after oxidizing at 430°C for 180 minutes. At an oxidation temperature of 450°C, the oxidation rate of the single AlAs layer was initially fast but decreased to a constant value after 15 minutes. The AlAs in an AlAs/GaAs multilayer stack oxidized at a constant rate from 15 to 60 minutes but at a lower value than the single AlAs layer. AlAs in the n-doped lower layer of the AlAs/GaAs multilayer stack exhibited enhanced oxidation than the p-doped upper layer.
The oxidation rate of AlAs as a single AlAs in GaAs and as AlAs in an AlAs/GaAs multilayer stack begins with rapid oxide growth due to a rate-limiting process. However, as oxidation time progresses, the dominating mechanism is the diffusion of oxidizing species through porosities inherently in the oxide.