Ion‐bombardment‐induced changes in the surface topography of MBE‐grown silicon on gallium phosphide

Ion bombardment of silicon layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) or solid phase epitaxy (SPE) on top of GaP(100) substrates results in changes in the surface topography. The influence of the bombardment conditions on such topological features has been studied and the results are interpreted qualititively in terms of the angular dependence of the sputer yield. The consequences of pit formation for the reliability of the results from surface analytical techniques employing ion beam sputtering are discussed. The origin of bombardment-induced surface roughening is ascribed to the presence of polycrystalline imperfections in the MBE or SPE-grown silicon layer.