Heteroepitaxial growth of thin InAs layers on GaAs(1 0 0) misoriented substrates: A structural and morphological comparison

Thin InAs epilayers were grown on GaAs(1 0 0) substrates exactly oriented and misoriented toward [1 1 1]A direction by atmospheric pressure metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. InAs growth was monitored by in situ spectral reflectivity. Structural quality of InAs layers were studied by using high-resolution X-ray diffraction. No crystallographic tilting of the layers with respect to any kind of these substrates was found for all thicknesses. This result is discussed in terms of In-rich growth environment. InAs layers grown on 2° misoriented substrate provide an improved crystalline quality. Surface roughness of InAs layers depend on layer thickness and substrate misorientation.     

Heteroepitaxial growth of thin InAs layers on GaAs(1 0 0) misoriented substrates: A structural and morphological comparison

Thin InAs epilayers were grown on GaAs(1 0 0) substrates exactly oriented and misoriented toward [1 1 1]A direction by atmospheric pressure metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. InAs growth was monitored by in situ spectral reflectivity. Structural quality of InAs layers were studied by using high-resolution X-ray diffraction. No crystallographic tilting of the layers with respect to any kind of these substrates was found for all thicknesses. This result is discussed in terms of In-rich growth environment. InAs layers grown on 2° misoriented substrate provide an improved crystalline quality. Surface roughness of InAs layers depend on layer thickness and substrate misorientation.     

Epitaxial growth of Bi thin films on Ge(1 1 1)

We investigated Bi thin film growth on Ge(1 1 1) by using low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). In the submonolayer regime, adsorbed Bi atoms form patches of the (2×1) structure. However, the structure does not grow to a long-range order. Following the formation of a (1×1) monolayer (ML) film, two-dimensional (1 1 0)-orientated Bi islands grow. The film orientation changes from (1 1 0) to (1 1 1) at 6-10 ML. The (1 1 0)-oriented Bi film shows a six-domain LEED pattern with missing spots, associated with a glide-line symmetry. The hexagonal (1 1 1) film at 14 ML has a lattice constant 2% smaller than bulk Bi(1 1 1).     

Adsorbate-substrate bonding and the growth of naphthalene thin films on Ag(1 1 1)

The adsorption kinetics, energetics and growth of naphthalene thin films, from submonolayer to about 10 layers, on a Ag(1 1 1) surface at low temperature in a ultrahigh vacuum chamber are examined by using temperature programmed desorption spectroscopy. The first layer adsorption occurs with a desorption energy of 85 ± 5 kJ/mole and results in an interface dipole of 5 ± 1 D, from charge transfer of approximately 0.2 e from naphthalene to Ag. The surface dipole induced inter-adsorbate repulsion causes the lowering of the adsorption energy within the first layer near the saturation coverage so that the second layer deposition begins before the completion of the first layer. The second layer is a metastable phase with desorption energy, 74 ± 3 kJ/mole, smaller than the multilayer desorption energy of 79 ± 5 kJ/mole. Fractional order desorption kinetics were found for both the metastable and the multilayer phases, suggesting desorption from 2-D islanding and 3-D islanding, respectively.     

Island formation in Ge films on GaAs(1 1 0)

The early stages of GaAs (1 1 0)/Ge heterojunction formation at room temperature have been investigated by Auger spectroscopy. Comparison between the experimental results and the predictions of simple deposition models indicates that the growth of the Ge film proceeds by island formation. A uniform overlayer starts to develop only in films thicker than 10 Å. Evidence is also found for As diffusion through the Ge film.     

Classical in-plane negative magnetoresistance and quantum positive magnetoresistance in undoped InSb thin films on GaAs (1 0 0) substrates

Magnetoresistance (MR) effects have been investigated in perpendicular and parallel magnetic fields at 300, 80 K and liquid He temperatures for undoped InSb thin films 0.1–2.3 μm thick grown on GaAs(1 0 0) substrates by MBE. At high temperatures, the intrinsic carriers show the parabolic negative MR observable only in magnetic fields parallel to the film. The skipping-orbit effect due to surface boundary scattering in the classical orbits in the plane vertical to the film has been argued to be responsible for the negative MR. At low temperatures (T=80 K), the transport is dominated by the two-dimensional (2D) electrons in the accumulation layers at the InSb/GaAs(1 0 0) hetero interface; MR is positive and shows a logarithmic increase with anisotropy between parallel and perpendicular field orientation, arising from the 2D weak anti-localization (WAL) that reflects the interplay between the spin-Zeeman effect and strong spin–orbit interaction caused by the asymmetric potential at the interface (Rashba term). The zero-field spin splitting energy of Δ₀13 meV, the electron effective mass of m^*0.10m₀ seven times of the band edge mass in bulk InSb and the effective g-factor of |g^*|15 in the accumulation layer have been inferred from fits of MR for the 0.1 μm thick film to the 2D WL theory.     

Growth and annealing of zinc-blende CdSe thin films on GaAs (0 0 1) by molecular beam epitaxy

CdSe thin films have been grown on GaAs (0 0 1) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The effects of substrate temperature and annealing treatment on the structural properties of CdSe layers were investigated. The growth rate slightly decreases due to the accelerated desorption of Cd from CdSe surface with an increase in the temperature. The sample grown at 260 °C shows a polycrystalline structure with rough surface. As the temperature increases over 300 °C, crystalline CdSe (0 0 1) epilayers with zinc-blende structure are achieved and the structural quality is improved remarkably. The epilayer grown at 340 °C displays the narrowest full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) from (0 0 4) reflection in double-crystal X-ray rocking curve (DCXRC) and the smallest root-mean-square (RMS) roughness of 0.816 nm. Additionally, samples fabricated at 320 °C were annealed in air for 30 min to study the films’ thermal stability. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results indicate that the zinc-blende structure remains unchanged when the annealing temperature is elevated to 460 °C, meaning a good thermal stability of the cubic CdSe epilayers.     

FMR and SMFMR investigation of epitaxial Fe/GaAs(0 0 1) thin films with Si and Ge overlayer

The magnetic anisotropy and magnetoelastic properties of epitaxial iron films prepared by DC magnetron sputtering on single crystal GaAs(0 0 1) substrate and covered with a protective Si or Ge layer have been investigated by means of the ferromagnetic resonance and strain-modulated ferromagnetic resonance. It has been shown that the uniaxial and cubic anisotropy constants as well as two magnetoelastic constants strongly depend on the thickness of the film. The surface components of the cubic anisotropy and magnetoelastic constants have been determined.     

Influence of deposition parameters on the structural and optical properties of CdS thin films obtained by micro-controlled SILAR deposition

Polycrystalline CdS films were obtained by a micro-controlled SILAR deposition technique, using aqueous solutions of cadmium acetate and thiourea as precursors. The structural and optical properties of the films were found to be influenced by various deposition parameters such as number of immersion cycles, concentration of the precursors and temperature of the solutions. Contrary to the observations made by some researchers, we found that the thickness of the films increased continuously with number of immersion cycles and also with concentration of the precursor solutions. We also found that the films covered the substrates uniformly, without any voids, unlike the films obtained by others. Effect of deposition parameters on thickness, substrate coverage, grain size, chemical composition, optical band gap and other properties of the films is discussed in detail.     

Alloying of Pd thin films with Nb(0 0 1)

Annealing at elevated temperatures (1000–1600 K) of at least 10 ML thick Pd films deposited on Nb(0 0 1) has been found to result in a substrate capped by a pseudomorphic monolayer of Pd. This 1 ML thick Pd cap layer was characterised with a combination of UPS and DFT-calculations. UPS, RHEED and AES show that this cap layer protects the Nb(0 0 1) surface against (oxygen) contamination, which is a well known problem of Nb substrates. AES sputter profiling indicates that a major part of the Pd material in excess of the pseudomorphic monolayer is dissolved in the Nb lattice just below the surface. XPD shows that these dissolved Pd atoms occupy substitutional sites in the substrate. The analysis of the XPS-anisotropy also provides some information about the concentration and positions of the Pd and Nb atoms in the alloyed samples.     

Investigation of annealing effects on the structural, magnetic and transport properties of Co/GaAs(0 0 1) thin films

Present paper deals with the structural, magnetic and transport studies of as-deposited as well as annealed Co/GaAs(0 0 1) thin film at different temperatures. The X-ray diffraction measurements show oriented growth of as-deposited Co film in the hcp (0 0 2) direction. However, the sample annealed at higher temperatures shows formation of ternary Co₂GaAs phase at the interface. Corresponding magnetic and transport measurements show decrement in magnetization and resistivity with annealing temperatures. The observed reductions in magnetization and resistivity values are mainly attributed to the formation of ternary Co₂GaAs phase at the interface.     

Synthesis of nanocrystalline CdS thin film by SILAR and their characterization

Cadmium sulphide (CdS) thin film was prepared by successive ion layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) technique using ammonium sulphide as anionic precursor. Characterization techniques of XRD, SEM, TEM, FTIR and EDX were utilized to study the microstructure of the films. Structural characterization by x-ray diffraction reveals the polycrystalline nature of the films. Cubic structure is revealed from X-ray diffraction and selected area diffraction (SAD) patterns. The particle size estimated using X-ray line broadening method is approximately 7 nm. Instrumental broadening was taken into account while particle size estimation. TEM shows CdS nanoparticles in the range 5–15 nm. Elemental mapping using EFTEM reveals good stoichiometric composition of CdS. Characteristic stretching vibration mode of CdS was observed in the absorption band of FTIR spectrum. Optical absorption study exhibits a distinct blue shift in band gap energy value of about 2.56 eV which confirms the size quantization.     

Mechanism of two-dimensional chiral growth of 6,13-pentacenequinone thin films on Si(1 1 1)

Thin film growth of 6,13-pentacenequinone (C₂₄H₁₂O₂, PnQ) on Si(1 1 1)-7 × 7 at room temperature (RT) was studied by low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM) and ab initio density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Our experiments yielded direct microscopic observation of enantiomorphic evolution mechanism in the initial stage of the chiral-like growth of PnQ islands, under kinetic growth conditions. We observed that the faster growth direction aligns with the direction of easier molecule incorporation, or lowest kink formation energy, rather than along the lowest energy step. Real time observation of the growth and subsequent relaxation of island shape revealed that kinetically stiff direction differs from the thermodynamic one. This feature together with anisotropic mass incorporation determines the enantiomorphic evolution and rotational arrangement of crystallites during the growth of elongated organic molecules, like PnQ.     

Use of successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method for amorphous titanium dioxide thin films growth

Use of successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method was preferred for the growth of amorphous titanium dioxide (TiO₂) thin films at ambient temperature. Further, these films were annealed at 673 K for 2 h in air for structural improvement and characterized for structural, surface morphological, optical and electrical properties. An amorphous structure of TiO₂ was retained even after annealing as confirmed from XRD studies. The spherical grains of relatively large size were compressed after annealing. A red shift in band gap energy and decrease in electrical resistivity were observed due to annealing treatment.     

Nucleation, growth and morphology of Co thin films on Ag(1 1 0)

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) experiments reveal that Co growth on Ag(1 1 0), at coverages of Co < 1 ML and low substrate temperatures (150 K), involves a concomitant insertion of Co into the top Ag layer and exchange of Ag out onto the surface. At 300 K, coverages of Co > 1 ML gives rise to a 3D nanocluster growth on the surface, with the clusters covered by Ag. Depending slightly on coverage, the clusters have a typical diameter of 3 nm and a height of 0.4 nm. Upon annealing to 500 K, major changes are observed in the morphology of the surface. STM and AES show that there is a reduction of the number of Co islands on the surface, partly due to subsurface Co cluster migration and partly due to sintering into larger clusters.     

Composition and morphological characteristics of chemically sprayed fluorine-doped zinc oxide thin films deposited on Si(1 0 0)

Fluorine-doped zinc oxide thin films (ZnO:F) were deposited on Si(1 0 0) substrates by the chemical spray technique (CST) from an aged-solution. The effect of the substrate temperature on the morphology and composition of the ZnO:F thin films was studied. The films were polycrystalline, with a preferential growth along the ZnO (0 0 2) plane, irrespective of the deposition temperature. The average crystal size within the films was ca. 35 nm and the morphology of the surface was found to be dependent on the substrate temperature. At low substrate temperatures irregular-shaped grains were observed, whereas at higher temperatures uniform flat grains were obtained. Elemental analysis showed that the composition of the films is close to stoichiometric ZnO and that samples contain quite a low fluorine concentration, which decreases as a function of the deposition temperature.     

Nonlinear optical characteristics of CdS and ZnS nanoparticles implanted into zirconium oxide thin films

The nonlinear refractive indices γ and nonlinear absorption coefficients of ZrO₂ films doped with CdS or ZnS nanoparticles, as well as with various metals, are measured. The effects of semiconductor and metal nanoparticles and annealing on the nonlinear optical properties of films are studied. The structural parameters of films, determined by electron microscopy and x-ray dispersion spectroscopy, are compared to the optical and nonlinear optical characteristics of these media. The high magnitude of γ of the films ((3±0.6)×10^?11 cm² W^{? 1}) is attributed to the surface enhancement effect in semiconductor nanoparticles. On the basis of Z-scan data obtained at different intensities of radiation, it is shown that the variations in γ of the ZrO₂:CdS(Cr) and ZrO₂:ZnS(Mn) films are related to the generation of free carriers.     

Metallization and demetallization of clean and oxygen-covered ultrathin alkali metal films on GaAs(1 0 0)

The structure and the electronic valence state occupation of ultrathin K, Rb, and Cs films grown on a GaAs(1 0 0)-(4×2) surface have been studied by means of metastable He atom scattering (MHAS), He atom scattering (HAS), and low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) at temperatures ranging from 150 to 400 K. From the survival probability of the scattered He^* atoms, detailed information on the coverage-dependent filling of the alkali metal valence states and their emptying upon subsequent exposure to oxygen were derived. These data reveal for K and Rb a nearly linear band filling with increasing coverage starting at about 0.5 ML whereas a more rapid filling is observed for Cs which is almost completed at about 0.7 ML. Subsequent oxygen adsorption causes a demetallization of the metallic alkali metal monolayers. In case of Cs, a distinct minimum of the He^* signal appears at an oxygen exposure of about 0.8 L, presumably indicating the onset of subsurface oxidation.