FILM AND INTERFACE MORPHOLOGY OF CAF2 GROWN ON SI(111) AT LOW-TEMPERATURE

We have applied profile analysis of low energy electron diffraction sp ots during deposition of CaF2 on Si(111)7X7 at 300 degrees C to study the morphology of the growing film. With increasing CaF2 coverage the nonfundamental spots of the 7X7 diffraction pattern fade out very effi ciently. The exponential decay of the first order reconstruction spot shows that the transformed areas surrounding the CaF2 molecules overla p statistically. Initially the specular spot shows intensity oscillati ons dying out depositing 4-5 mi CaF2. We conclude from the damped osci llations that first the film grows in the multilayer growth mode follo wed by forming three-dimensional islands on top of it. (C) 1996 Americ an Institute of Physics.