Wet Chemical nitridation of gaas (100) by hydrazine solution for surface passivation

A mild wet nitridation procedure using hydrazine-based solutions has been developed for GaAs(100) surface passivation. Both x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry show that this nitridation procedure results in a very thin, coherent, and homogeneous GaN layer that is very stable in air. Photoluminescence data show a strong enhancement of the intensity as compared to that of an as-cleaned GaAs sample, indicating that this nitrided layer provides both chemical and electronic passivation of GaAs surfaces. The chemical mechanism of nitridation is discussed. © 2002 American Institute of Physics. _DOI: 10.1063/1.1479212