Analysis of ytterbium arsenide films grown on GaAs by molecular beam epitaxy

X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy has been used to investigate thin single‐crystal films of ytterbium arsenide grown epitaxially on GaAs by molecular beam epitaxy. Sputter profiles indicate the absence of oxide impurities and the presence of only trivalent ytterbium, which means that the epitaxial film is composed entirely of YbAs. X‐ray diffraction analysis revealed a moderate imperfection of the crystalline quality of the YbAs and a lattice misfit of about 8×10−3 with respect to GaAs.