Desorption of organic species from the GaAs (100) surface at low temperatures using low energy electron irradiation in a hydrogen ambient

We present a technique for the controlled removal of organic adsorbates from the GaAs (100) surface incorporating hydrogen dosing (atomic or molecular) combined with low-energy electron irradiation. High-resolution electron energy-loss and Auger electron spectroscopes verify a considerable desorption of carbon/hydrocarbons following electron irradiation at 50 eV under a hydrogen atom flux even at room temperature. At a sample temperature of 500 degrees C, static secondary ion mass spectroscopy data demonstrate selective area removal of carbon from the surface following 25 eV electron irradiation in a molecular hydrogen ambient, with a desorption rate controlled by the incident electron flux. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003- 6951(00)03221-6].