Growth of ZnSe and ZnS films on Si(111) substrates with a nitrogen surface treatment

We have investigated the effects of substrate surface irradiation with nitrogen plasma prior to growth on the initial stages of the heteroepitaxy of ZnSe on Si(111). The reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) patterns during the pulsed molecular beam epitaxial growth of ZnSe on the N-plasma-treated Si surface showed very well-defined streaks with a twofold reconstruction indicating an atomically flat surface. In sharp contrast, during the initial stages of the ZnSe growth on untreated Si substrates, spotty RHEED patterns with a diffuse background were observed. A strong evidence of the two-dimensional ZnSe nucleation obtained on the N-plasma-treated Si surface was the clear presence of large-amplitude RHEED oscillations. Atomic force microscopy measurements confirmed that we have achieved a substantial improvement on the ZnSe heteroepitaxy on Si substrates. We show that this novel N-plasma substrate treatment is useful for the growth of other Zn-chalcogenides compounds on Si substrates © 1999 American Vacuum Society.

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