Simultaneously monitoring Ga adsorption and desorption kinetics on GaN(0001) using four in situ techniques

We present a systematic investigation of Ga adsorption and desorption kinetics on the wurtzite GaN(0001) surface using four in situ techniques operated simultaneously: reflection high-energy electron diffraction, laser reflectometry, line-of-sight quadrupole mass spectrometry, and optical pyrometry. Flux- and temperature-dependent experiments are performed for Ga coverages ranging from the submonolayer to the droplet regime. Despite their distinct transient responses, the signals from all four techniques and their trends with surface coverage are quantitatively reproduced by a unified kinetic model of Ga adsorption, diffusion, and desorption. An Arrhenius analysis of the Ga adlayer desorption yields an activation energy of (2.87 $\pm$ 0.04) eV.

Huaide Zhang, Philipp John, Jingxuan Kang, Lutz Geelhaar, Yongjin Cho, Oliver Brandt · 2026