GROWTH OF SILICON THIN-FILMS ON ERBIUM SILICIDE BY SOLID-PHASE EPITAXY

A study of the growth of thin (20-30 Angstrom) silicon overlayers on e rbium silicide films epitaxially grown on Si(111), using the solid pha se epitaxy technique under ultrahigh vacuum conditions was made. The s ilicon overlayers were characterized in situ by photoemission spectros copy and low-energy electron diffraction for each annealing temperatur e. The structure of the films was analyzed (ex situ) by means of high resolution transmission microscopy. The Si overlayers are found to be essentially continuous and epitaxial after annealing at 600 degrees C. Electron microscopy reveals that defects are present in both the sili cide and in the silicon films. The stability of thin silicon films has also been investigated.