Open AccessSCANNING TUNNELING MICROSCOPY STUDY OF Si GROWTH ON Si3N4/Si SURFACE
Author(s) -
Lei Wang,
Tang Jing-Chang,
Wang Xue-Sen
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
wuli xuebao
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.199
H-Index - 47
ISSN - 1000-3290
DOI - 10.7498/aps.50.517
Subject(s) - materials science , scanning tunneling microscope , auger electron spectroscopy , annealing (glass) , low energy electron diffraction , amorphous solid , silicon , electron diffraction , substrate (aquarium) , low energy electron microscopy , silicon nitride , nanometre , crystallography , chemical physics , diffraction , nanotechnology , electron microscope , optics , optoelectronics , chemistry , physics , composite material , oceanography , geology , nuclear physics
The growth of Si on silicon nitride surfaces has been studied using in situ STM, low energy electron diffraction and Auger electron spectroscopy. In the early stage(T=350—1075 K), Si nano-clusters can appear on different substrates. These clusters are round with sizes in the range of several nanometers.They are also rather stable when the substrate temperature changes (or annealing). As these clusters grow continually, crystalline facets start to form. On the crystalline Si3N4(0001)/Si(111), Si islands with (111) oriented top facets grow faster than others, and they are aligned with the original Si(111) substrate. Finally, Si(111) became the dominant feature on the whole surface. In contrast, on the amorphous Si3N4 surface, Si islands grow in random orientation. Low-index facets, such as (111) and (100), and high-index facets, such as (113), coexist. Some discussions are given to explain the above growth procedures.