TANTALUM DEPOSITION ON AND REACTION WITH THE HYDROGEN-TERMINATED DIAMOND(100) SURFACE STUDIED BY AUGER-ELECTRON AND ELECTRON-ENERGY-LOSS SPECTROSCOPY

The evolution of the tantalum/diamond interface upon room-temperature Ta deposition on the (100) surface of a boron doped, synthetically gro wn diamond single crystal was monitored by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), ionization loss spectroscopy (ILS), and electron energy loss s pectroscopy (ELS). Characteristic loss peaks indicate carbide formatio n at the interface from very low coverages on, reflecting the strong i nteraction between tantalum and carbon. Thicker layers of TaC are form ed during subsequent thermal annealing by diffusion of carbon into the tantalum film, at the same time the topmost diamond region is transfo rmed into poorly ordered graphitic carbon. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.