Mixed effects of the atomic arrangement and surface chemistry on the electrodeposition of Bi thin films on n-GaAs substrates

Abstract

We have studied the electrodeposition of Bi thin films on two GaAs orientations with different atomic arrangement and chemical composition, (110) and (111)B. The electrochemical properties of each substrate have been analyzed by means of cyclic voltammetries and current transients. Then, X-ray diffraction has been used to determine the crystal structure and quality of the Bi films, and atomic force microscopy images have provided information about the surface morphology. Finally, the Bi/GaAs interface has been electrically characterized by means of capacitance-voltage and current-voltage curves. In this study, we have been able to discriminate between the effect of surface chemistry and the arrangement of surface atoms. The former has a direct effect on the reduction process of Bi(III) ions and on the electrical properties of the Bi/GaAs interface, whereas the atoms arrangement at the substrate surface determines the texture and morphology of the Bi films.