IDs:

355

Authors : Petö,G;Molnár,G;Horváth,Z,E;Daróczi,Cs;Zsoldos,E;Gyulai,J
Title : Formation of epitaxial erbium-silicide islands on Si(001)
JournalName : Surface Science
PubDateYear : 2005
PubDateOther :
Volume : 578
Issue :
StartPage : 142
EndPage : 148
Keywords : TOP_NanoStructDet;E_Experiment;W_Silicon;W_SoftXRay;W_AFM
Notes :
Abstract : Erbium films of 0.5, 2 and 6 nm thickness were evaporated in UHV onto Si(001) substrates, annealed and characterized in situ by reflected high-energy-electron diffraction (RHEED). The RHEED pattern was streaky for ErSi2
x films at all thicknesses were formed at 400
C. A heat treatment of the 0.5 and 2 nm thick Er films at 800
C induced an inhomogeneous surface showing RHEED patterns both of the Si(001) substrate and the epitaxial ErSi2
x. The same effect was observed after successive repetition of Er depositions, 12 times for the 0.5 nm and three times for the 2 nm thick Er films. In contrast for a 6 nm Er layer the RHEED pattern remained unchanged after the heat treatment at 800
C. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) indicated the formation of a quasi-continuous layer with roughness independent of the Er film thickness. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM) showed structures with a ‘‘hut like’’ form. This ‘‘continuous–discontinuous’’ like transformation of the epitaxial ErSi2
x film cannot be explained by only the well known strain effect.
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