Influence of magnetron sputtering conditions on the structure and surface morphology of InxGa1–xAs thin films on a GaAs (100) substrate

We present the results of the study of the structure and surface morphology of InxGa1–xAs thin films on a GaAs substrate. Thin films were obtained by magnetron sputtering from a specially formed In0.45Ga0.55As target in an argon atmosphere. The obtained samples of thin films were studied by Raman scattering, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. It was shown that the grains of the films obtained at a substrate temperature below 600 °C were not faceted and were formed through the coalescence of grains with a size of 30–65 nm. At a substrate temperature of 600 °C, films consisted of submicron grains with a visible faceting. It was determined that the average grain size increased and the root-mean-square roughness of thin films decreased due to an increase in the substrate temperature. Thin films obtained at a substrate temperature of 600 °C possessed the best structural properties