Control of adhesion and desorption behavior of silica particles on InGaAs surfaces by addition of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide in ammonium hydroxide–hydrogen peroxide mixture solution

The surface properties of InGaAs, such as zeta potential, surface energy components, acid–base energy constant, and Hamaker constant and its interaction force with silica particles, have not yet been elucidated. In this study, the adhesion of silica particles on an InGaAs surface in a 1/1/100 ammonium hydroxide (NH₄OH)–hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)–H₂O mixture (APM) solution was investigated. In particular, the effect of the addition of cationic surfactants and the concentration of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) on the particle adhesion/desorption was examined. To understand the adhesion behavior of silica particles on the InGaAs surface, the Lifshitz–van der Waals energy, acid–base interaction energy, and electrostatic energy between the silica particles and the InGaAs surface were estimated. It was found that the behavior of the energy barrier was strongly related to the number of silica particles that were adhered to the InGaAs. The energy barrier was reduced in the APM solution with 10⁻⁴ M CTAB, facilitating the adhesion of silica particles. However, when the CTAB concentration increased to 10⁻² M, the energy barrier was elevated, and the adhesion of silica particles was reduced. The adhesion and desorption behaviors of silica particles on the InGaAs surface can be explained by the change in the energy barrier between the particles and InGaAs.