Interaction of thin silicon layers with the (0001) surface of rare-earth metals

The electronic and crystalline structures of the systems formed upon deposition of silicon layers onto the Gd(0001) and Dy(0001) surfaces of single-crystal films annealed subsequently at T=450–500°C have been studied by low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) and also by the Auger electron and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy of the valence band and the Si(2p) core level. It is shown that the systems thus produced can be described as starting single-crystal films of Gd and Dy, with 3D islands of the silicides of these metals on the surface of the corresponding metalfillms.