LOW KINETIC-ENERGY AED - A TOOL FOR THE STUDY OF GE EPITAXIAL LAYERS GROWN ON SB-TERMINATED SI(111) SURFACE

The intensity anisotropy of the Si L-2,L-3 VV and of the Ge M2,3M4,5M4 ,5 Auger lines are used to study the growth of Ge on Si(111) assisted by Sb-surfactant. The very surface sensitivity of the low kinetic ener gy AED is used to investigate the early stage of the Ge/Si (111) inter face formation. We compare the AED data obtained after the 10 ML of Ge deposition on bare Si and on the antimony-terminated Si substrate. In the first case, the structureless of the AED spectrum accounts for th e island formation nucleated in random manner, while the marked anisot ropy of the Auger line shown in the second case evidences the epitaxia l growth of the Ge film. A simplified version of the multiple scatteri ng approximation, developed to describe the low kinetic energy AED of the Si L2,3VV transition, has been used for the theoretical analysis o f the experimental data. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.