Cleaning InSb wafers for manufacturing InSb detectors

Semiconductor Component Industry, PO Box 19575/199, Tehran, Iran

Corresponding authors: srdc-opto@isiran.com yamahdiadrecny@yahoo.com

Received: 9 September 2005
Revised: 24 September 2005
Accepted: 29 September 2005
Published online: 18 January 2006

Abstract

Three chemical cleaning procedures for InSb(111) wafers were studied. X-ray photoelectric spectroscopy, and scan electron microscope were used to assess their credibility for use in manufacturing the InSb detectors. It is shown, a suitable thermal treatment can remove In oxide and Sb oxide and therefore, all procedures approach to similar results from this point of view. But undulation and peel-like features has been observed on InSb(111) surface etched by all etchants except a modified CP4A etchant (HNO₃:CH₃COOH:HF:H₂O at 2:1:1:10). Also control the etch rate and etching process can be done better in CP4A than the others. The XPS results show different spectra for SbO_x and InO_x when, InSb(111) is compared with InSb(100) and it means that, for different crystal orientation and different etchant there are different cleaning method for removing SbO_x and InO_x. Finally the effect of etchants on the performance of InSb detectors was shown.