Fast bevel cross sectioning of quantum‐well semiconductor layers with high resolution

An improved bevel cross‐sectioning method is presented which makes it possible to measure the thickness of relatively thin semiconductor surface layers. A staining procedure to enhance the contrast of the layers for two material systems, GaAs/GaAlAs and InP/InGaAsP, has been developed. Applying a newly constructed ball‐lapping‐apparatus, an ordinary optical microscope and a surface‐profiler, relatively thin MBE‐grown quantum‐well layers (6.5 nm) can rapidly be measured with an accuracy of better than 10%, which is improved for thicker, normal layers (1000 nm) to better than 5%.