For the first time, the influence of an electron beam irradiation on InAs with
native oxides was investigated. An irradiation modifies the chemical and physical
properties of the surface oxides. The latent image can later be revealed by in situ
exposure to Cl2 gas at 190 °C. The etching rate by Cl2
of the irradiated native oxides
depends on the experimental conditions; it can be either increased or decreased. In
consequence, differently irradiated zones of a sample surface later exposed to Cl2 are
more or less etched than the non irradiated areas. The effect depends not only on the
dose, but also on the electron energy: an irradiation is more effective at low energy. A
stationary beam exposure at 30 keV reveals the contribution of the backscattered
electrons, their geometrical and energetic spreading and the effect of a gradual
variation of the dose. This experiment is compared to the spatial distribution of
the
backscattered electrons obtained by means of a Monte-Carlo type calculation.