Growth of erbium-silicide films on (100) silicon as characterised by electron microscopy and diffraction

• Published in: Journal of crystal growth 1997-02, Vol.172 (1), p.175-182
• Main Authors: Frangis, N., Van Landuyt, J., Kaltsas, G., Travlos, A., Nassiopoulos, A.G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Exact sciences and technology; Materials science; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Physics; Vacuum deposition
• ISSN: 0022-0248; 1873-5002
• DOI: 10.1016/S0022-0248(96)00745-2

Erbium-silicide thin films were grown on Si(100) substrates under high vacuum either by single deposition of Er or by co-deposition of Er and Si, followed by annealing at 800–870°C for 30 min. The crystalline quality of the films as well as the growth characteristics were analysed by electron microscopy and diffraction techniques. The films have a thickness between 35 and 50 nm and consist of patches up to a few hundreds of nm. In the single Er deposited samples the epitaxial growth of a tetragonal phase with a single epitaxial mode was found. This phase is considered to be induced by the substrate orientation. In the co-deposition samples the same epitaxy occurs in combination with “multiple variant epitaxy” of patches with the hexagonal ErSi 2 structure. The epitaxial relationships are analysed in detail.