Liu, S. orcid.org/0009-0008-5660-1063, Dong, J., Ma, Z. et al. (6 more authors) (2024) The evolution of indium precipitation in gallium focused ion beam prepared samples of InGaAs/InAlAs quantum wells under electron beam irradiation. Journal of Microscopy, 293 (3). pp. 169-176. ISSN 0022-2720
Abstract
Gallium ion (Ga+) beam damage induced indium (In) precipitation in indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs)/indium aluminium arsenide (InAlAs) multiple quantum wells and its corresponding evolution under electron beam irradiation was investigated by valence electron energy loss spectroscopy (VEELS) and high-angle annular dark-field imaging (HAADF) in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Compared with argon ion milling for sample preparation, the heavier projectiles of Ga+ ions pose a risk to trigger In formation in the form of tiny metallic In clusters. These are shown to be sensitive to electron irradiation and can increase in number and size under the electron beam, deteriorating the structure. Our finding reveals the potential risk of formation of In clusters during focused ion beam (FIB) preparation of InGaAs/InAlAs quantum well samples and their subsequent growth under STEM-HAADF imaging, where initially invisible In clusters of a few atoms can move and swell during electron beam exposure.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023 The Authors. Except as otherwise noted, this author-accepted version of a journal article published in Microscopy of Semiconducting Materials is made available via the University of Sheffield Research Publications and Copyright Policy under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
Keywords: | HAADF; In precipitation; InGaAs/InAlAs; QCL; STEM |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Engineering (Sheffield) > Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 22 Jul 2024 14:46 |
Last Modified: | 23 Jul 2024 07:47 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1111/jmi.13251 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:215070 |