Photoacoustic spectroscopy of thin SiO2 films grown on (100) crystalline Si substrates

Photoacoustic Spectroscopy (PAS) has been used to measure the thickness of thin SiO₂ films grown on (100) Si wafers. The data are in reasonable agreement with a simple theoretical model. It suggests that photoacoustic Spectroscopy is complementary to optical interferometry, in that it is capable of giving quantitative estimates of thin transparent films on opaque substrates of low reflectivity via the transmitted fraction of the optical energy incident on the sample. Both theoretical and experimental results indicate that PAS can be very useful in the measurement of thin films on substrates of low reflectivity.     

Oxygen diffusion through thin Pt films on Si(100)

We have investigated the diffusion of oxygen through evaporated platinum films on Si(100) upon exposure to air using substrates covered with Pt films of spatially and continuously varying thickness (0–500 Å). Film compositions and morphologies before and after silicidation were characterized by modified crater edge profiling using scanning Auger microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis, scanning tunneling microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. We find that oxygen diffuses through a Pt layer of up to 170 Å forming an oxide at the interface. In this thickness range, silicide formation during annealing is inhibited and is eventually stopped by the development of a continuous oxide layer. Since the platinum film consists of a continuous layer of nanometer-size crystallites, grain boundary diffusion of oxygen is the most probable way for oxygen incorporation. The diffusion constant is of the order of 10^–19 cm²/s with the precise value depending on the film morphology.     

Ion-beam-induced ferromagnetism in Ca-doped LaMnO3 thin films grown on Si (100)

The ion-bean-induced room temperature ferromagnetic ordering in pulsed laser deposited Ca-doped LaMnO₃ thin films grown on Si (100) are presented in the present study. In addition to this, changes bought by the ion beam in structural, morphological and electrical properties are presented. Dense electronic excitation produced by high energy 120?MeV Ag⁹⁺ ion irradiation causes change in surface roughness, crystallinity and strain. It is also evident that these excitations induce the magnetic ordering in this system. The observed modifications are due to the large electronic energy deposited by swift heavy ion irradiation. The appearance of ferromagnetism at 300?K in these samples after irradiation may be attributed to the canting of the antiferromagnetically ordered spins due to the structural distortion. It is observed that the irradiated films show higher resistance than unirradiated films for all the compositions.     

A leed-aes study of thin Pd films on Si(111) and (100) substrates

A system Pd (deposit)-Si (substrate) has been studied by LEED and AES. Pd₂Si formed on Si(111) became epitaxial after a short time of annealing at a temperature between 300 and 700°C, while the Pd₂Si formed on Si(100) did not, in both cases the surfaces of the Pd₂Si being covered with a very thin Si layer. A sequence of superstructures (3√3 × 3√3), (1 × 1), and (2√3 × 2√3) was observed successively in Pd/Si(111) as the annealing temperature was increased. A (√3 × √3) structure was obtained by sputtering the 3√3 surface slightly. It was found that the √3 structure corresponds to Pd²Si(0001)-(1 × 1) grown epitaxially on Si(111), and that the 3√3 structure comes from the thin Si layer accumulated over the silicide surface, while the 2√3 and 1 structures arise from a submonolayer of Pd adsorbed on Si(111). Superstructures observed on a Pd/Si(100) system are also studied.     

C60 growth on Si(100), GaSe(0001) and GeS(001)

C₆₀ films have been grown in ultra high vacuum on various crystalline substrates and the structure of the films has been investigated by low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS). The C₆₀ films form randomly oriented nanocrystals on Si(100), mesoscopic polycrystals on GaSe(0001) and microscopic single crystals on GeS(001). The vibrational structure of the C₆₀/substrate interfaces is analyzed in detail by HREELS carried out in the dipole and impact scattering regimes. It is shown that the epitaxy of C₆₀ on GeS(001) is induced by the weak van der Waals bonding and the peculiar corrugation of the substrate surface.     

Wavevector-resolved electron-energy-loss spectroscopy on the dangling-bond states of Si(111)(2 × 1)

Low-energy-loss spectra of the clean cleaved Si(111)(2 × 1) surface with wavevector resolution are discussed. Parallel to the γ-J line in the surface Brillouin zone large disperson in the dangling-bond bands is found near the energy gap at the J-K′ line. This is in contradiction to the formerly accepted buckling model and favours the recently suggested π-bonded chain model for the (2 × 1) reconstruction.     

Scanning and friction-force microscopy of thin C60 films on GeS(001)

The surface morphology of thin C₆₀ films grown epitaxially under ultra-high vacuum conditions on layered GeS(001) substrates has been studied by scanning force microscopy. The individual C₆₀ layers were imaged down to molecular resolution. The growth mechanism was found to be of layer-by-layer type at the initial stages of growth, but seems to be very sensitive to the substrate temperature. The tribological properties of these films have been probed simultaneously by means of lateral force microscopy. The frictional coefficient of the C₆₀ layers was determined to be significantly smaller than the frictional coefficient of the GeS substrate. This demonstrates that well-ordered C₆₀ films can have even better lubricating properties than a layered material.     

AES-depth-profiling of thin annealed Pt-films on Si(100)

Thin PtSi films can be grown by evaporating Pt on Si(100) at RT and subsequent annealing of the system at 600–700 K. Contaminants like oxygen are known to have a strong influence on this reaction. In the present study we concentrate on the effect of oxygen partial pressure during the annealing on the silicide growth process. Under proper vacuum conditions annealing at 500 K leads to a homogeneous Pt₂Si film which reacts around 600 K completely to PtSi. A substantial oxygen partial pressure ( 0.1 mbar) in contrast results in an incomplete reaction in the same temperature range: unreacted platinum remains at the surface separated from the silicide by an oxygen enriched layer.Presented at the Seminar on Secondary Electrons in Electron Spectroscopy, Microscopy, and Microanalysis, Chlum (The Czech Republic), 21–24 September, 1993.This work was supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) through Sonderforschungsbereich 292.We thank Dr. W. Platz (Deutsche Aerospace AG, Ottobrunn) for providing us with Pt evaporated Si-wafers and Th. Hierl (Lehrstuhl für Angewandte Physik, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg), who performed the RBS measurements for AES calibration.     

Thermal expansion of thin C60 films

The thermal expansion coefficient a and structure of C₆₀ films with thickness t∼3–10 nm were investigated in the temperature interval from room to liquid-nitrogen temperature by electron-optical methods. The thermal expansion coefficient was determined from the temperature shift of the diffraction maxima in the electron diffraction patterns. The objects of investigation were epitaxial C₆₀ films condensed in vacuum on a (100) NaCl cleavage surface and oriented in the (111) plane. A surface-induced size effect in the thermal expansion coefficient was observed. It was established that as t decreases α _f increases and is described well by the relation α _f=17·10⁻⁶ K⁻¹+8.3·10⁻⁵ nm K⁻¹ t ⁻¹. This relation was used to estimate the linear expansion coefficient α _s of the C₆₀ surface in the (111) plane as α _s=60·10⁻⁶K⁻¹, which is several times larger than the bulk value. The experimental results agree satisfactorily with the theoretical calculations of the mean-square displacements of molecules located in a region near the surface. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 114, 1868–1875 (November 1998)     

Formation of amorphous layers by solid-state reaction. from thin Ir films on Si(100)

Received: 18 November 1997 / Accepted: 16 October 1998 / Published online: 24 February 1999     

Morphology and composition of Au films on Si(100)

Spot profile analysis low-energy electron diffraction, low-energy ion scattering and Auger electron spectroscopy were employed to study the morphology and composition of Au films on Si(100). After annealing, two distinct surface reconstructions were observed: a two-domain c(8×2) phase and a four-domain incommensurate (5×3.2)R5.7° phase. During the transition from the c(8×2) to the (5×3.2)R5.7° phase, the subsurface composition changes drastically from Au-rich to Si-rich, whereas the outermost layer composition remains almost constant (about 65 at.% Au). Detailed information concerning the domain structure for the two phases is subtracted from the profiles of the LEED spots.