Growth and characterization of Si{sub 1-x}Mn{sub x} alloys on Si(100)

Journal Article · Mon Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 2005 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1988973· OSTI ID:20714014

Yangting, Zhang; Qian, Jiang; Smith, David J; Drucker, Jeff ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287 (United States)

Si{sub 1-x}Mn{sub x} alloy films of 50 nm thickness with 0.005{<=}x{<=}0.035 were grown by low-temperature molecular-beam epitaxy onto Si(100) substrates held at temperatures T in the range of 150 deg. C{<=}T{<=}350 deg. C. All films exhibit surface roughness with {approx}20-nm-lateral and {approx}1-nm-vertical length scales. This roughness is random for films with small x grown at the lower end of the temperature range. Films with larger x grown at higher T exhibit roughness organized into <110>-oriented cluster arrays centered on shallow surface depressions. This organized roughness correlates with the formation of subsurface complexes of four {l_brace}111{r_brace} planar defects or 'funnel' defects. Mn-rich, nanometer-sized nodules form near the bottom of the Si{sub 1-x}Mn{sub x} film and seed the formation of vertical, amorphous nanopipes. For growth of small x films at the lower end of the temperature range, these vertical nanopipes extend to the surface. In contrast, films with larger x grown at higher T form funnel defects which appear to emanate from the vertical nanopipes. Regardless of growth conditions, the Mn-rich nodules appear crystalline and do not correlate to any known Si-Mn phase. Ion channeling indicates that up to 90% of the Mn is substitutionally incorporated for samples with x=0.005. Although the substitutional fraction decreases with increasing x, the substitutional content increases. Our results indicate that Mn may be substitutionally incorporated in epitaxial thin films at concentrations of several orders of magnitude greater than its equilibrium solubility.

• OSTI ID: 20714014
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 98; ISSN JAPIAU; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
CRYSTAL DEFECTS
CRYSTAL GROWTH
ION CHANNELING
LAYERS
MANGANESE
MANGANESE ALLOYS
MOLECULAR BEAM EPITAXY
NANOSTRUCTURES
RANDOMNESS
ROUGHNESS
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
SILICON
SILICON ALLOYS
SOLUBILITY
SUBSTRATES
SURFACES
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0400-1000 K
THIN FILMS