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InP was oxidized chemically (in boiling deionized water), thermally (dry oxygen, 260°C, 30 min) and chemically under light illumination from a xenon arc lamp. The chemical compositions and their depth distributions from the surface of these oxides as well as the InP native oxide (naturally grown) were studied by angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and XPS combined with in situ Ar+ ion etching. In any oxide, indium is first oxidized to form In2O3 perhaps due to depletion of phosphorus from the InP surface induced by contact annealing, etc. InPO3 and/or InPO4 are then successively grown on an In2O3 or In2O3 rich layer. In and P atoms diffuse through the already grown In2O3 layer and react with oxidant at the surface to form InPO3 and/or InPO4. Light illumination was found to strongly enhance oxidation of InP, and substantially increase InPO3 and InPO4.
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Shibata et al. (1992) studied this question.
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