In Situ Observation of Monolayer Steps during Molecular Beam Epitaxy of Gallium Arsenide by Scanning Electron Microscopy

Abstract
We have applied scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for in situ observation of molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) of GaAs. Monolayer steps on a GaAs (001) surface are imaged by secondary electrons during MBE growth. The step structure change is observed between the step-bunched surface during growth interruption and the monolayer-stepped surface during growth.