Facile formation of self-assembled Ga droplets on GaAs (001) substrate

We investigate the formation and evolution of Ga droplets over GaAs (001) substrate with and without Ge top layer (8 nm). Various morphological transformation from holes to droplets formation were observed as a function of annealing parameters. It was observed that the application of Ge layer plays a vital role in incorporating oxygen into the system. Moreover, a potential application of these structures as a photocathode is discussed, demonstrating increased photoemission.