Epitaxial growth of MgO on lattice-matched CrxMO1−x(001)

We describe the MBE growth and structural characterization of ultrathin layers of epitaxial MgO on Cr_xMO_1−x (x ≈ 0.65 ). The metal alloy was grown as an epitaxial film on high-quality MgO(001) substrates. This kind of epitaxy produces unstrained MgO surfaces of very high structural quality on a conducting substrate. Such materials will enable definitive investigations of surface structure and reactivity using charged-particle spectroscopy, diffraction, and imaging. The role of lattice matching is discussed and shown to be very important.     

Study of the features of BaF<Subscript>2</Subscript> heteroepitaxy on CaF<Subscript>2</Subscript>/Si(100) layers obtained in the high-temperature growth mode

The surface morphology of BaF₂ epitaxial films grown by MBE (molecular beam epitaxy) in various modes on the surface of CaF₂/Si(100) is investigated by AFM. The CaF₂ layers on Si(100) are obtained in the high-temperature growth mode (Т _S = 750°C). It is shown that the epitaxy of BaF2 at a temperature of 600°C at the initial stage of growth leads to the formation of defects such as perforations in the epitaxial film, while epitaxy at a temperature of 750°C provides a defect-free film with a surface morphology suitable for the subsequent growth of semiconductors of IV–VI type and solid solutions based on them.     

Epitaxial growth of non-c-oriented ferroelectric SrBi2Ta2O9 thin films on Si(100) substrates

Epitaxial SrBi₂Ta₂O₉ (SBT) thin films with well-defined (116) orientation have been grown by pulsed laser deposition on Si(100) substrates covered with an yttria-stabilized ZrO₂ (YSZ) buffer layer and an epitaxial layer of electrically conductive SrRuO₃. Studies on the in-plane crystallographic relations between SrRuO₃ and YSZ revealed a rectangle-on-cube epitaxy with respect to the substrate. X-ray diffraction pole figure measurements revealed well-defined orientation relations, viz. SBT(116)SrRuO₃(110)YSZ(100)Si(100), SBT[110]SrRuO₃[001], and SrRuO₃[111]YSZ[110]Si[110].     

Molecular beam epitaxy of monotype CrSi2 on Si(111)

Low energy electron diffraction (LEED), angle-resolved ultraviolet (ARUPS), and X-ray (XPS) photoemission spectroscopy and work function measurements were used to investigate the growth of epitaxial CrSi₂ on a Si(111) surface. The CrSi₂layers ) (~ 100 Å) are formed by the MBE technique, in which Cr and Si are coevaporated in their stoichiometric ratio on the Si(111) substrate maintained at ~450°C. In comparison with the CrSi₂ epitaxy previously obtained by the SPE technique, where two kinds of CrSi₂ domains with equal formation probability are always observed, the epitaxial CrSi₂ layers obtained by the MBE technique essentially present one definite orientation characterized by CrSi₂(0001)∥Si(111) and CrSi₂[112&#x0304;0] ∥[112&#x0304;].     

LPE growth of PZNT film using superheating YBCO thin film as seed layer

A superheating YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ (YBCO or Y123) thin film was applied as a seed layer to grow Pb[(Zn_1/3Nb_2/3)_0.91Ti_0.09]O₃ (PZNT) films by a liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) process. In the present work, the YBCO thin film underwent a growth temperature of 1050 °C, which was about 40 °C higher than its peritectic temperature. It is very interesting that the superheated YBCO seed film could be used to grow not only Nd_1+xBa_2-xCu₃O_7-δ (NBCO) films with similar compositions but also PZNT films with completely different compositions. The XRD analysis confirmed that the PZNT film grown on the YBCO seeded MgO substrate had a good epitaxial relationship of [100](001)_PZNT//[100](001)_YBCO//[100] (001)_MgO. Compared with the PZNT films directly grown on MgO substrates, the LPE PZNT film on YBCO/MgO presented a better surface morphology. It was found that the superheating YBCO seed film plays a crucial role for the LPE growth of PZNT in the process. Furthermore, the superheating mechanism was discussed in terms of thermodynamic theories as well. PACS 77.84.-s; 61.10.Nz; 68.37.Hk; 81.15.Lm; 82.45.Mp     

Vertical MBE growth of Si fins on sub-10 nm patterned substrate for high-performance FinFET technology

A high quality epitaxial Si layer by molecular beam epitaxy(MBE) on Si(001) substrates was demonstrated to fabricate a channel with low density defects for high-performance Fin FET technology. In order to study the effects of fin width and crystallography orientation on the MBE behavior, a 30 nm thick Si layer was deposited on the top of an etched Si fin with different widths from 10 nm to 50 nm and orientations of 100 and 110. The result shows that a defect-free Si film was obtained on the fin by MBE, since the etching damage was confined in the bottom of the epitaxial layer. In addition, the vertical growth of the epitaxial Si layer was observed on sub-10 nm 100 Si fins, and this was explained by a kinetic mechanism.     

择优取向MgO在Si衬底上的直流溅射制备及其性能表征

采用直流磁控溅射并通过优化工艺参数,在（100）Si衬底上成功制备了高度（100）择优的MgO薄膜和MgO/TiN双层膜结构.对 （100）MgO择优取向温度影响机理做了详细讨论,并利用XRD,AFM,FESEM等手段研究了在（100）Si和（100）TiN/Si两种衬底上,不同工艺条件下MgO薄膜的表面和断面微观结构,表征了MgO薄膜的柱状生长结构和与TiN薄膜的良好外延关系.在对薄膜光学特性的研究中,利用Sellmeier模型获得了Si上MgO薄膜在可见光波段的折射率参数（550 nm处折射率为1.6 关键词： MgO薄膜 择优取向 直流溅射 折射率拟合     

The growth and domain structure of YBa2Cu3Ox films on neodymium gallate substrates with a deviation of the normal to the surface from the [110] direction in NdGaO3

The growth, crystal structure, and electrophysical properties of YBa₂Cu₃O_x (YBCO) epitaxial films grown with and without a CeO₂ epitaxial sublayer on NdGaO₃ (NGO) substrates with the normal to the surface deviating from the [110] axis by 5° to 26.6° around the [001] axis are investigated. It is shown that the orientation of YBCO epitaxial films grown on such substrates is determined by the existence of symmetry-equivalent directions in the substrate and in the CeO₂ layer, as well as by the rate of film deposition. For a high deposition rate, YBCO films grow on the CeO₂ sublayer in the [001] orientation irrespective of the orientation of the substrate and the sublayer. It was found that when the angle of deviation of the substrate plane is from the (110) NGO plane, twinning of one or both twinning complexes in YBCO may be suppressed.     

Atomic imaging of oxygen desorption from tungsten trioxide

We report direct observations by high-resolution electron microscopy of oxygen desorption from tungsten trioxide. Clear evidence is found for layer epitaxial growth of metallic tungsten with (110)W|(100)WO₃ and [001]W and [001]WO₃ parallel to the electron beam, consistent with low-energy electron diffraction data on the low-temperature epitaxy of WO₃ on W. W[001] was always observed parallel to the electron beam independent of the surface normal. The results suggest that bulk and surface damage, and displacement processes, are similar.     

Strain status of epitaxial Ge film on a Si (001) substrate

An epitaxial Ge film was grown on a Si (001) substrate via a two-step process through the molecular beam epitaxy technique. The strain status of non-annealed and annealed epitaxial Ge films was determined by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and a combination of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and geometric phase analysis. Results showed that the strain in non-annealed and annealed epitaxial Ge films is nonhomogeneous from the Ge/Si interface to the Ge film surface. The strain parallel to the interface in the non-annealed epitaxial Ge film is compressive; this strain reaches a minimum near the surface and a maximum at the interface. By contrast, the strain parallel to the interface in the annealed epitaxial Ge film is tensile; this strain reaches a minimum at the interface and a maximum near the surface.     

Growth of SrTiO3 on Si(001) by hybrid molecular beam epitaxy

We report the heteroepitaxial growth of SrTiO₃ thin films on Si(001) by hybrid molecular beam epitaxy (hMBE). Here, elemental strontium and the metal‐organic precursor titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) were co‐supplied in the absence of additional oxygen. The carbonization of pristine Si surfaces during native oxide removal was avoided by freshly evaporating Sr into the hMBE reactor prior to loading samples. Nucleation, growth and crystallization behavior as well a structural properties and film surfaces were characterized for a series of 46‐nm‐thick SrTiO₃ films grown with varying Sr to TTIP fluxes to study the effect of non‐stoichiometric growth conditions on film lattice parameter and surface morphology. High quality SrTiO₃ thin films with epitaxial relationship (001)SrTiO₃ || (001)Si and [110]SrTiO₃ || [100]Si were demonstrated with an amorphous layer of around 4 nm thickness formed at the SrTiO₃/Si interface. The successful growth of high quality SrTiO₃ thin films with atomically smooth surfaces using a thin film technique with scalable growth rates provides a promising route towards heterogeneous integration of functional oxides on Si. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Defect-free growth of epitaxial silicon at low temperatures (500–800 °C) by atmospheric pressure plasma chemical vapor deposition

Epitaxial Si growth at low temperatures (500–800 °C) by atmospheric pressure plasma chemical vapor deposition has been investigated. Silicon films are deposited on (001) Si wafers using gas mixtures containing He, H₂, and SiH₄. The effects of deposition parameters (composition of reactive gases, very high frequency (VHF) power, and substrate temperature) on film properties are investigated by reflection high-energy electron diffraction, atomic force microscopy, cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, and plasma emission spectroscopy. It is found that epitaxial temperature can be reduced by increasing VHF power, and that an optimum range of VHF power exists for Si epitaxy, depending on the substrate temperature and the composition of the reactive gases. The result of the H₂ concentration dependence of H_α emission intensity, shows that hydrogen atoms generated in the atmospheric pressure plasma play an important role in Si epitaxial growth. Under the optimized growth conditions, defect-free epitaxial Si films (as observed by transmission electron microscopy) with excellent surface flatness are grown at 500 °C with an average growth rate of approximately 0.25 μm/min. PACS 81.05.Cy; 81.15.Gh; 68.55.Jk     

Pd-Si薄膜固相反应的透射电子显微镜研究

本工作利用透射电子显微术研究了Pd-Si薄膜固相反应的初始生成相及生成相Pd₂Si与(111)取向Si衬底的取向关系随Pd膜厚度、退火温度等因素的变化规律。实验结果表明:在衬底保持室温的条件下,Pd沉积到Si(111)上时也能够生成一层外延的Pd₂Si,其厚度足以在常规的选区电子衍射中产生明显的信号。在170℃退火时,Pd-Si反应即可持续到生成200nm厚的外延的Pd₂Si。在Pd膜厚度为400nm的条件下,Pd₂Si与Si(111)衬底的取向关系为[0001]_(Pd2Si)轴织构。 关键词：     

Laser Molecular Beam Epitaxy of Multilayer Heterostructure SrNb0.05Ti0.95O3/La0.9Sr0.1MnO3 in 10000 Unit-Cell Layers

Ten thousands of unit-cell multilayer heterosturctures, [SrNb0.05 Ti0.95O3/La0.9 Sr0.1MnO3]3 （SNTO/LSMO）, have been epitaxial grown on SrTiO3 （001） substrates by laser molecular beam epitaxy. The monitor of insitu. reflection high-energy electron diffraction demonstrates that the heterosturctures are layer-by-layer epitaxial growth. Atomic force microscope observation indicates that the surface of the heterosturcture is atomically smooth. The measurements of cross-sectional low magnification and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy as well as the corresponding selected area electron diffraction reveal that the interfaces are of perfect orientation, and the epitaxial crystalline structure shows the orientation relation of SNTO（001）//LSMO（001）, and SNTO[100]//LSMO[100].     

SrTiO3(110) thin films grown directly on different oriented silicon substrates

We have grown (110)-oriented SrTiO₃ (STO) thin films on silicon without any buffer layer, by means of pulsed laser deposition technique. The crystal structures of the grown films were examined by X-ray diffraction analysis including θ–2θ scan and rocking curve as well as Laue diffraction methods. STO films with single (110) out-of-plane orientation were formed on all (100), (110) and (111)-oriented Si substrates. The in-plane alignments for the epitaxial STO films grown directly on Si (100) were found as STO[001]//Si[001] and STO[11̄0]//Si[010]. The results should be of interest for better understanding of the growth of perovskite oxide thin films on silicon wafers. PACS 77.55.+f; 68.55.JK; 81.15Fg     

Strain relaxation of CdTe films growing on lattice-mismatched substrates

We have deposited CdTe films by laser-assisted epitaxy approach and investigated the influence of substrate and film thickness on the film properties. Grown on Si(001), GaAs(001), and quartz substrates; the CdTe films exhibit preferential orientation along the cubic CdTe(111) direction. When the films are thin (<500 nm), a blueshift of the band gap and splitting of valence bands were observed. These results are attributed to the existence of residual strains induced by mismatch of the film lattice constant with that of the substrate, and by their difference in thermal expansion coefficients. The bulk band-gap energy of 1.5 eV was achieved on the surface of thick CdTe films grown on Si(001) substrate, indicating that strain was almost completely relaxed in this case. Our results demonstrate that by a proper selection of substrate and film thickness it is possible to grow film semiconductors with band gap approaching those of bulk crystals.     

Study of the structural and magnetic characteristics of epitaxial Fe3Si/Si(111) films

The results of the structural and magnetic studies of the epitaxial structure prepared during the simultaneous evaporation from two iron and silicon sources on an atomically pure Si(111)7 × 7 surface at a substrate temperature of 150°C have been presented. The epitaxial structure has been identified as a single-crystal Fe₃Si silicide film with the orientation Si[111]‖Fe₃Si[111] using methods of the X-ray structural analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and reflection high-energy electron diffraction. It has been established that the epitaxial Fe₃Si film at room temperature has magnetic uniaxial anisotropy (H _a = 26 Oe) and a relatively narrow uniform ferromagnetic resonance line (ΔH = 11.57 Oe) measured at a pump frequency of 2.274 GHz.     

On new two-dimensional structures produced on the Si (111) and Si (100) surface upon molecular-beam epitaxy of cobalt and silicon

Highly perfect epitaxial heterostructure CoSi₂ films have been grown on the surface of Si (111) and Si (100) single crystals by the method of molecular-beam epitaxy. The optimal regimes of the film growth with different thicknesses have been determined. It has been shown that short-term annealing of epitaxial films at T = 900–950 K leads to the formation of new CoSi₂/Si(111)-2 × 2 and CoSi₂/Si(100)−2 × 4 superstructures.     

Si(001)衬底上闪锌矿ZnO的制备与分析

采用分子束外延方法在室温下于Si(001)表面上生长ZnO材料。实验发现:样品为闪锌矿和六角结构的ZnO混合多晶薄膜,其表面分布着一系列具一定取向的近似长方形的纳米台柱结构。在不同参数的高温退火后,这些梯形台柱将变小,形成梯形纳米环,或分解为较小的纳米柱及其团簇结构等。分析表明:ZnO混合多晶薄膜的形成,以及表面纳米台柱的演变,与Si(001)衬底、较低温的生长温度及热效应等因素相关联。     

Influence of laser-ablation plume dynamics on the room-temperature epitaxial growth of CeO2 on silicon

High-quality epitaxial CeO₂ thin films were obtained on Si(001) buffered with a yttria-stabilised zirconia layer by pulsed laser deposition. Although the best structural properties were achieved at high substrate temperature, high-quality epitaxy was obtained even at room temperature. Epitaxial growth at low temperature is promoted by the high kinetic energy of particles reaching the substrate. The oxygen pressure and target-substrate distance had a strong influence on the crystallographic structure and surface morphology in low-temperature deposition. This behaviour is attributed to a change in the kinetic energy of the particles, which was evaluated from the plasma expansion velocity determined by an intensified CCD camera. If a shock wave forms, a minimum substrate temperature of 550 °C is necessary for epitaxial growth.