Sulfuric Acid Treatment of Sapphire Substrates for Growth of High-Quality Epilayers

The chemical etching of sapphire substrates was peformed to produce smooth surfaces on an atomic scale. The sapphire sur-face etched by using a $H_2$S $O_4$ solution showed a pit-free morphology and was yen smooth as much as $\sigma$$_{rms}$=0.13 nm, that etched by using a mixture of $H_2$S $O_4$ and $H_3$P $O_4$ contained large pits with $\sigma$$_{rms}$=0.34 nm. The $\sigma$$_{rms}$’s and the number of the pits increased with increasing etching temperature. The sapphire etched by using $H_2$S $O_4$ at 32$0^{\circ}C$ had the best surface. These results provide important information on the effects of etching treatment on the structural properties of sapphire for the growth of high-quality epilayers.ayers.