Influence of SiO2 protective films on the diffusion of atomic hydrogen during the hydrogenation of epitaxial n-GaAs

The surface relief of SiO2 films and the influence of these films on the in-diffusion of atomic hydrogen in a semiconductor in the course of hydrogenation were investigated by atomic-force microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy. The mesostructures appearing as a corrugation on the semiconductor surface are shown to be formed during the deposition of the SiO2 film. This fact causes an increase in the amount of hydrogen penetrating into a semiconductor in the course of hydrogenation. The deposition of the dielectric film on the n-GaAs surface results in its reconstruction consisting in forming a quasi-periodic relief. The treatment of the n-GaAs surface covered with the SiO2 protective film in atomic hydrogen modifies the surface relief of the epitaxial layer