Erbium silicide films on (100) silicon, grown in high vacuum. Fabrication and properties

• Published in: Thin solid films 1996-04, Vol.275 (1), p.87-90
• Main Authors: Kaltsas, G., Travlos, A., Salamouras, N., Nassiopoulos, A.G., Revva, P., Traverse, A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Exact sciences and technology; Growth mechanism; Physics; Silicon; Structure and morphology; thickness; Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties); Thin film structure and morphology; X-ray diffraction
• ISSN: 0040-6090; 1879-2731
• DOI: 10.1016/0040-6090(95)07026-5

High crystalline quality Erbium silicide films with preferred orientation on (100) Si were obtained by (a) erbium deposition on Si in high vacuum and (b) co-deposition of Er and Si in a flux ratio of Si Er close to 2 and subsequent annealing. Erbium silicide layers of thickness around 50 nm were obtained, which were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS), scanning electron microscopy and electrical measurements, including both resistivity measurements at room and low temperatures and current-voltage measurements on specially prepared Schottky diodes. High crystalline quality (only one orientation in the X-ray diffraction pattern) was obtained in case (a). Films of case (b) seem to be polycrystalline from the X-ray diffraction pattern but they show high channelling yield in channelling RBS. This is attributed to a first layer of good crystalline quality on silicon and a surface layer of less good crystallinity on top. Reduced surface and interface roughness was also obtained in case (b), resulting in current-voltage characteristics corresponding to an ideality factor close to 1.