Use of angle-dependent photoemission for atom profiling: Au on compound semiconductors

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Abstract
We present studies of Au film formation on the III-V compound semiconductors GaAs and InSb based on polar-angle-dependent x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results highlight the power of this technique as a nondestructive tool for atom profiling. The Au overlayer is highly heterogeneous due to disruption of the original surface and significant anion segregation in Au. Although GaAs and InSb show common behavior, significant differences are observed because the anion–cation bond strength determines the extent of the surface disruption and semiconductor atom solid solubilities in Au dominate the segregation patterns in each system. We present a model of the overlayer structure, based on thermodynamic considerations, which shows very good quantitative agreement with the observed profiles.