Abstract :
A new reaction has been discovered in which the Ga-CH3 bond may be broken by the action of atomic H leading to the removal of the CH3 groups. This process occurs at temperatures as low as 100 K with zero activation energy. This concept is employed to produce GaN using electron beam dissociation of adsorbed NH3 to produce atomic H. This atomic H then interacts with neighboring Ga-CH3 bonds, eliminating the CH3 group. It is shown that a GaN pattern may be deposited in the spatial region of electron impact. The GaN produced may be less contaminated by carbon than thin films grown by conventional MOCVD methods. These findings probably apply in a general way to the production of III–V compound semiconductor films from Group III metal alkyls and Group V hydrides.
