Growth of GaS on GaAs (100) surfaces using the [(^tBu)GaS] ₄ molecular precursor in ultrahigh vacuum

The growth of a GaS film on both GaAs (100)-(2×4) and -(4×2) surfaces using a directional beam of [('Bu)GaS]₄ has been studied in ultrahigh vacuum with high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), and temperature programmed desorption. At a surface temperature of 650 K, the growth of a GaS film with no measurable carbon contamination was observed. Upon adsorption of a monolayer of GaS, the surface forms a (2 × 1 ) reconstruction. Upon further adsorption, as a multilayer of GaS film was deposited, a ( 1 ×x 1) LEED pattern was observed. The resulting film had a S to Ga ratio identical to that grown via metal organic chemical vapor deposition and exhibited a vibrational mode at 350 cm^-1 which is attributed to the cubic phase GaS phonon mode. Upon annealing a surface, which was exposed to [( ^tBu)GaS]₄ at a surface temperature of 100 K, desorption of isobutylene and hydrogen was observed at a temperature of 650 K. In agreement with this, hydrocarbon vibrational mode intensities corresponding to the t-butyl ligands began to rapidly decrease at 600 K and disappeared completely by 650 K. This suggests that β-hydride elimination is the dominant mechanism for i-butyl ligand detachment at the growth temperature of ∼650K.