Investigation on microstructures of MnSix thin films by Raman spectroscopy

In this paper, Raman spectroscopy is used to study the microstructures of MnSi_x thin films annealed at different temperatures. Two phases of Mn silicides, MnSi_1.73 and MnSi, are identified, and their Raman spectra are reported. Each phase of Mn silicides shows a set of three well‐defined peaks at about 300 cm⁻¹ in the spectrum, which could be used as fingerprints in identifying the formation of the Mn silicides. Compared with conventional X‐ray diffraction method, Raman spectroscopy is found to be more sensitive to investigate the microstructures of Mn silicides, especially at the initial stage of formation of the Mn silicides. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.