Study by AES and EELS spectroscopies of antimony and phosphorus evaporated on massive indium and on cleaned InP

Abstract In this paper, we give some results related to interaction mechanism between the elements V such as antimony or phosphorus with the metal indium. We used both powerful spectroscopy methods the Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and the electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) for which the spectra were recorded in direct mode N(E). The antimony was evaporated on pure In metal or on cleaned InP surface involving the In metal because of its cleaning by the argon ion bombardment at low energy 300 eV. The antimony flow composed of Sb 4 species arrived with a thermal energy on the In metal surface. Such an energy was sufficient to their diffusion into the In matrix because of the low melting point of In metal (123 °C). A nucleation phenomenon occurred between Sb 4 and the In metal to form small islands of antimony metal in bulk. Further antimony evaporation enabled to increase the size of these islands towards the surface. However, the antimony evaporated on cleaned InP reacted chemically with the In metal distributed on the InP surface to form a thin layer of InSb. The inner stoichiometric layers of InP and the size of Sb 4 species and also the stability of InP versus the temperature impeded the interdiffusion phenomenon of antimony to occur deeply into the InP matrix. The InSb layer played the role to stabilise the surface of the InP compound versus the heating at 450 °C and the electron irradiation of 4 KeV energy. But, the phosphorus evaporation on In metal or on cleaned InP led to form chemical bonds InP. The phosphorus flow included chemical species P and P 2 with a thermal energy able to stimulate the chemical reactivity process between indium and phosphorus to form the InP compound.