Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 February 2011
Laser ionization mass spectrometry has been used to study the deposition of gallium from trimethylgallium with and without AsH3. The apparent Arrhenius activation energy for the production of gas-phase methyl radicals from trimethylgallium is measured to be 28 ± 2 kcal/mol in the presence of AsH3, about the same value as measured in the absence of AsH3. At a substrate temperature of 1150 K where gallium desorption is substantial, addition of AsH3 is found to increase methyl radical yield but drastically decrease gallium atom desorption. A mechanism is presented to describe the deposition of GaAs at low pressures under single gas-surface collision conditions.