Low-temperature homoepitaxial growth on Si(111) mediated by thin overlayers of Au

High quality homoepitaxial growth of Si on Si(111) through an overlayer of Au is shown to occur at 450–500 °C, far below the temperature required for growth of Si of similar quality on bare Si(111). Films of unlimited thickness can be obtained with excellent crystalline quality, as revealed by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry ion channeling measurements (χmin=2.2%). A distinct range of Au coverage (0.4–1.0 monolayer) results in the best quality epitaxy, with no measurable amount of Au trapped at either the interface or within the grown films. Cross‐sectional transmission electron microscopy reveals that in films grown with Au coverages below and above the optimum range, the predominant defects are twins on (111) planes and Au inclusions, respectively.