The XPS investigations of the surface composition of nanoscale films formed by thermal oxidation of V$_x$O$_y$/InP heterostructures

The dependence of oxide films surface layers’ compositions on the method of depositing of V$_2$O$_5$ on InP and regimes of thermal oxidation of the formed heterostructures was established by the XPS method. Lower indium content near the surface for all samples in comparison with the standard indicates a partial blocking of its diffusion into films during the chemostimulated thermal oxidation of the semiconductor. The presence of vanadium oxides in certain oxidation states and their ratio depends on the method of deposition for the chemostimulator, and on the regime of thermal oxidation. In the case of the electric arc synthesis method, at shorter reaction times, vanadium compounds in the +4 and +5 oxidation states were present in the near-surface layer, which gives evidence for the catalytic mechanism.