Epitaxial Sublimation Methods for the Study of Pseudo-Binary Semiconductor Alloys

This portion of the ARPA program centers on surface properties affecting the electro-optical behavior of semiconductors particularly the IVVI semiconductors and alloys used in infrared emitters and detectors. These surface properties are dominated by chemisorbed impurities. Related effects produced by electromigration of impurity ions dominate the electrical properties of the semiconductor-oxide interface. In IV-VI device technology chemisorption effects are both strong and diverse, determining carrier populations in surface regions and throughout film structures, producing sensitization and aging, and, as is now shown, affecting the quality of epitaxial growth. The primary purpose of the NOL ultra-high vacuum experimental effort is to clarify the nature of the interaction of gases, primarily O2 and H, with epitaxial IV-VI films.