Composite droplets: evolution of InGa and AlGa alloys on GaAs(100).

We present a comparative study for the evolution of utilizing indium gallium (InGa) and aluminum gallium (AlGa) alloys fabricated on GaAs(100) by means of simultaneous and sequential droplet formation. The composite alloys reported using the sequential approach lack the ability to precisely determine the final alloy composition as well as consistency in the density of the droplets. Further, the composition of the InGa alloy is not uniform, as seen by the size distribution using an atomic force microscope (AFM). Although this approach may be acceptable for materials with similar surface kinetics, as in the case of AlGa, it is not acceptable for InGa. This investigation reveals that the simultaneous approach for fabricating composite alloys is the optimum approach for producing InGa alloys with better control on composition for plasmonic applications such as plasmonic waveguides.