Chemical Etching of {111} Surfaces of GaAs Crystals in H2SO4–H2O2–H2O System

The H2SO4–H2O2–H2O system, typically a solution with five parts H2SO4, one part H2O2 and one part H2O in volume ratio, is currently used for chemical polishing of a GaAs crystal to obtain microscopically smooth surfaces. However, the etching of the (111)Ga surface in this etchant leads to the formation of etch pits. In this study, the etching behavior of the (111)Ga surface in various compositions of the H2SO4–H2O2–H2O system at temperatures of 0–70°C is mainly re-examined. It is found that a microscopically smooth {111} surface can be obtained by etching in the solutions with 78+x parts H2SO4, two parts H2O2 and 20-x parts H2O (x=0–4) at 70°C. In contrast, dark and light pits are formed on the (111)Ga surface etched in a solution with two parts H2SO4, one part H2O2 and seven parts H2O at 0°C. Their origin is predicted on the basis of double-etching test results.