Oxidation Properties of GaAs (110) Surfaces

Abstract
If the cleaved (110) surface of GaAs is exposed to oxygen in its molecular ground state (exposures of 1012 Torr), oxygen is chemisorbed only on the surface As atoms and there is no breaking of bonds between the surface atoms (Ga or As) and the rest of the crystal. However, if the oxygen is excited, e.g., by an ionization gauge, these bonds are broken and oxidation proceeds past the chemisorption stage. The GaSb (110) surface behaves differently and will be discussed for comparison.