Atomic-Interlayer-Controlled Diffusion at Semiconductor-Semiconductor Interfaces

We present experimental evidence that the extent of microscopic interdiffusion processes at GaAs‐Ge interfaces is strongly affected by ultrathin layers of a reactive metal deposited between the two semiconductors. This modulation can be explained by a recently proposed model in which the activation energies for out‐diffusion of the substrate atoms are modified by the dipole field at the metal‐semiconductor interface.