Argon bombardment‐induced topography development on InP

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Abstract
InP (100) samples, n‐doped with S atoms to 4 × 1018 cm−3 and to 6 × 1018 cm−3, were bombarded by low energy (0.5 to 5 keV) argon ions. After bombardment, the surfaces exhibited the formation of small protrusions on the surface. These sputter cones appeared after an ion dose of the order of 1015 Ar+ cm−2. These cones grow slowly with increasing ion dose. At a constant dose, the sizes and density of these cones depended on the angle of incidence of the argon ions. At an ion incidence angle of approximately 41°, a maximum was obtained in the topography development. The sputter‐induced morphology had, at a constant dose density and angle of incidence, only a slight dependence on the energy of ions in the 0.5 to 5 keV range. Sputtering at the two lower energies (0.5 and 1 keV) resulted in an increase in the surface roughness compared to the higher ion energies. No synergic effects of simultaneous electron and ion bombardment were observed in the as‐factory received samples. When the angle of incidence of the bombarding ions was kept fixed, the degree of sputter‐induced surface topography remained constant for different relative orientations of the (100) InP substrates. Seeding cones were observed under appropriate conditions, but were not systematically investigated.