Origin of the time dependence of wet oxidation of AlGaAs

The time dependence of the wet oxidation of high-Al-content AlGaAs can be either linear, indicating reaction-rate limitation, or parabolic, indicating diffusion-limited rates. The transition from linear to parabolic time dependence can be explained by the increased rate of the formation of intermediate As2O3 versus its reduction to elemental As. A steadily increasing thickness of the As2O3-containing region at the oxidation front will shift the process from the linear to the parabolic regime. This shift from reaction-rate limited (linear) to diffusion-limited (parabolic) time dependence is favored by increasing temperature or increasing Al mole fraction. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99)01527-2].