Oxygen-enhanced wet thermal oxidation of GaAs

An oxygen-enhanced wet thermal oxidation process is used to grow smooth, uniform, insulating native oxides of GaAs. At 420 °C, a maximum linear growth rate of 4.8 nm/min is observed for oxidation in water vapor with 2000 ppm O2 added relative to the N2 carrier gas, with growth ceasing by 7000 ppm. Films as thick as 800 nm with surface roughness as low as 0.2 nm are demonstrated. In fabricated metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors, a 412 nm thick native oxide film exhibits a factor of ∼2700 reduction in leakage current density at 1 V relative to a direct metal (Au:Ti) to GaAs contact.