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Atomic Layer Deposition of Vanadium Dioxide and a Temperature-dependent Optical Model
Published on: May 23, 2018
Understanding 'clean-up' of III-V native oxides during atomic layer deposition using bulk first principles models
Sylwia Klejna1, Simon D Elliott
1Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork, Dyke Parade, Cork, Ireland.
Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
|November 22, 2011
Summary
Trimethylaluminium effectively removes native oxides from III-V semiconductor surfaces like GaAs and InGaAs. This process is crucial for advanced transistor fabrication, enabling better gate dielectric deposition.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Surface Chemistry
- Semiconductor Physics
Background:
- III-V materials are essential for future transistors.
- Native oxides on III-V surfaces hinder gate dielectric deposition.
- Effective surface cleaning is critical for device performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate trimethylaluminium's mechanism for in situ surface oxide removal on GaAs and InGaAs.
- To identify thermodynamically favored reaction pathways for oxide clean-up.
- To explore alternative non-redox pathways for oxide removal.
Main Methods:
- Proposed six reaction mechanisms for oxide clean-up.
- Employed first-principles Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations.
- Modeled bulk oxides and gas-phase products to determine thermodynamic favorability.
Main Results:
- Predicted that arsenic oxides primarily form As4 gas during clean-up.
- Anticipated the formation of C2H6, C2H4, CH4, and H2O from carbon species.
- Identified non-redox ligand exchange as a viable pathway for non-reducible oxides.
Conclusions:
- Trimethylaluminium facilitates efficient in situ removal of native oxides from III-V surfaces.
- DFT calculations provide thermodynamic insights into the clean-up mechanisms.
- Understanding these mechanisms is vital for advancing III-V semiconductor device fabrication.

