XPS depth profiling of laser-annealed Zn+-implanted GaAs

Data on the effects of 140 keV Zn+-implantation in (100) GaAs and the consequent low power pulsed laser annealing (LPPLA) on the As/Ga ratio and the chemical states of the elements at the surface and in the subsurface region are presented. The results include the depth distribution of the elements for virgin, as-implanted and implanted+LPPLA [30×(4.5/7.5) MW/cm2] samples. The X-ray photoelectron spectra of as-implanted samples show that a low-intensity Zn 2p peak is observed after 20 min of Ar+ sputtering with an energy of 3 keV, corresponding to about 20 nm of etched material. The depth profiling XPS analysis confirms the `recoveringʹ of the stoichiometry of Zn+-implanted specimens after LPPLA with laser pulses of a power density in the energy window of (5–7 MW/cm2). At laser pulse power densities outside of this energy window (4.5 and 7.5 MW/cm2) Zn appears again in the XP spectra after 20 min sputtering as in the case of as-implanted GaAs.