X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterization of AlGaN surfaces exposed to air and treated in NH4OH solution

Chemical properties of Al0.17Ga0.83N surfaces exposed to air and treated in an NH4OH solution were systematically investigated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). An air-exposed sample showed highly nonstoichiometric surface which included a large amount of Ga and Al oxides. The angle-resolved XPS analysis revealed that the natural oxide layer possessed a complicated composition distribution in depth and that the Al-oxide component was dominant on the topmost layer. A drastic reduction of such Al-oxide component as well as Ga-related oxide was achieved after the treatment in an NH4OH solution at 50 °C for 10 min, resulting in a constant in-depth composition distribution. The NH4OH-based treatment was found to enhance the intensity of the E2 (high) Raman peak and to reduce the root-mean-square value of surface roughness.