Classical semiconductor
Congruent vaporization of GaAs(s) and stability of Ga(l) droplets at the GaAs(s) surface

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Abstract

The existence of a liquid gallium film or droplets on the surface of a GaAs(s) single crystal at high temperature is analyzed using the thermodynamics of vaporization and interfaces in the AsGa system. The steady-state of vaporization is calculated by taking into account the congruent vaporization of the liquid phase, the vaporization of solid GaAs in equilibrium with the liquid phase and the congruent vaporization of the GaAs(s) crystal. The stability of a liquid film or droplets at the surface of a crystal is estimated by examining the surface and interfacial tensions of the liquid phase. The composition of the liquid depends on the vaporization steady-state and this is compared with independent free vaporization studies. Two temperature domains are determined: at high temperature (T > 905 K) gallium rich droplets are formed by arsenic excess vaporization and at low temperature (T < 905 K, which is the maximal temperature for congruent vaporization of the solid GaAs) the liquid droplets must disappear by gallium vaporization since the GaAs system tends to come back to the congruent vaporization of the pure crystal.

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