Abstract: A method is disclosed for generating light in one or more buried layers of a multilayer compound semiconductor material by contacting the material with a tansparent, electrically conducting fluid and passing current between the fluid and the semiconductor material. The measured characteristics of the light emitted from a first semiconductor material may be compared with those measured from a second semiconductor material of known properties, and the properties of the first semiconductor material calculated. Uniformity maps of the compound semiconductor material may be prepared using the patterns of various light emission characteristics measured across the surface of the material.

Abstract: A method of growing a native oxide on a compound semiconductor material, comprising contacting the compound semiconductor material with an oxygen containing fluid, and pulsing a current between the compound semiconductor material the fluid, is presented. A "traveling oxide" can be produced when the oxygen containing fluid etches the native oxide. To obtain smooth oxides when the compound semiconductor material contains layers of different material, the oxide growth is monitored, and the pulse parameters changed in response to the monitoring of the oxide growth.