화학공학소재연구정보센터
Thin Solid Films, Vol.545, 257-266, 2013
Interfacial properties of all-epitaxial Fe-Ge/Ge heterostructures on Ge(111)
The molecular-beam-epitaxy growth of Fe-Ge/Ge/Fe-Ge trilayers on Ge(111) wafers has been investigated as a function of three parameters: the Ge spacer coverage, the substrate temperature (T-D) and the dynamic atomic hydrogen (H) exposure during the Ge spacer deposition. Morphology and crystal structure have been characterized in situ by means of scanning tunneling microscopy, low energy electron diffraction, X-ray photoelectron diffraction and ex situ with high-resolution transmission microscopy. Whatever the H flux, epitaxial growth of Ge spacer requires deposition temperature above similar to 220 degrees C. At the earliest stages of Ge deposition, the surface periodicity of the bottom Fe1.9Ge epilayer changes from p(2 x 2) to (root 3 x root 3)R30 degrees for deposition temperature above similar to 220 degrees C, whatever the H dosing. It results from severe intermixing that modifies the stoichiometry of the whole Fe-Ge layer. However, this layer preserves its hexagonal B8(2) crystal structure and no additional Fe-Ge compounds formed at the interface. We found also that the H flux drastically modifies the Ge spacer growth mode for deposition temperature above similar to 220 degrees C. In particular, the Ge morphology evolves from 3D islands without H supply to flat and continuous film for H partial pressure above 10-3 Pa. Finally, the top Fe-Ge electrode crystallizes in the same structure as the bottom electrode, and the planar relations of the trilayer are: (111) Ge-wafer parallel to(0001) bottom-Fe1.9Ge parallel to(111) Ge-spacer parallel to(0001) top-Fe1.9Ge and [-110] Ge-wafer parallel to[11-20] bottom-Fe1.9Ge parallel to[1-21]Ge-spacer parallel to[11-20] top-Fe1.9Ge. These fully epitaxial Fe-Ge/germanium hybrid heterostructures with single crystal Ge layer of diamond structure appear therefore as promising candidates for semiconductor spintronics. (C) 2013 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.