Surface-morphology evolution during growth-interrupt in situ annealing on GaAs(110) epitaxial layers

Temperature and surface-coverage dependence of the evolution of surface morphology during growth-interrupt in situ annealing on GaAs epitaxial layers grown on the singular (110) cleaved edges by the cleaved-edge overgrowth method with molecular-beam epitaxy has been studied by means of atomic force microscopy. Annealing at substrate temperatures below 630 °C produced atomically flat surfaces with characteristic islands or pits, depending on the surface coverage. The atomic flatness of the surfaces is enhanced with increasing annealing temperature owing to the enhanced adatom migration. At a higher annealing temperature of about 650 °C, however, 2-monolayer-deep triangular pits with well-defined step edges due to Ga-atom desorption from the crystal appeared in the atomically flat surface. The growth-interrupt annealing temperature optimal for the formation of atomically flat GaAs(110) surfaces is therefore about 630 °C.