XPS analysis of chemically etched II–VI semiconductor surfaces

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to investigate the modification of the surfaces of ZnSe and ZnTe epitaxial films caused by HCl and NaOH cleaning. It was found that the HCl treatment successfully removed surface oxides but that the NaOH treatment did not. It was further found that the HCl treatment reduced the groupII/VI atomic ratios and promoted the formation of a group VI-rich surface.