Composition dependence of Si{sub 1-x}Ge{sub x} sputter yield
- Department of Physics, University of Jyvaeskylae, P.O. Box 35, FIN-40014, Jyvaeskylae (Finland)
Sputtering yields have been measured for unstrained Si{sub 1-x}Ge{sub x} (x=0-1) alloys when bombarded with Ar{sup +} ions within the linear cascade regime. Nonlinear S-shape dependence of the sputter yield as a function of the alloy composition has been revealed. The dependence is analyzed within the frameworks of the cascade theory conventionally accepted to be the most systematic to date theoretical approach in sputtering. In view of a linear composition dependence predicted for the sputter yield by the cascade theory adapted for polyatomic substrates, the nonlinearity observed in our experiments is shown to be related to the alloying effect on the surface binding energies of the alloy components. Based on this analysis, an interpretation is proposed for the experimentally observed nonlinear composition dependence of Si{sub 1-x}Ge{sub x} sputter yield. The yield is expressed by an equation derived from the cascade theory with additional terms of the composition parameter x. The form of the equation implies that for a polyatomic substrate the surface binding energy of an individual atom is determined not only by its own chemical identity but to a considerable degree by the identities of its neighbors.
- OSTI ID:
- 20719845
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, Vol. 72, Issue 20; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.72.205434; (c) 2005 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1098-0121
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
A study of the effect of misfit-induced strain on the kinetics of solid phase epitaxy in the Si sub 1 minus sub x Ge sub x on l angle 001 r angle Si system
Electromodulation spectroscopy of direct optical transitions in Ge{sub 1−x}Sn{sub x} layers under hydrostatic pressure and built-in strain