Study of the CdTe/As/Si(111) interface by scanning tunneling microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

The structure of the CdTe/As/Si(111) interface has been studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) afte r desorption of a 5 mu m thick CdTe film grown by molecular beam epitaxy. A fter annealing around 500 degrees C, 2D islands of CdTe remain on the As/Si (111) surface. Both XPS and STM show a coverage of similar to 1/4 of a mono layer. STM reveals that islands are not homogeneously distributed, but that a depleted zone exists on top of the step edges. These results agree with a model based on Cd-As bonds at the interface to explain the growth of CdTe ((1) over bar (1) over bar (1) over bar)B on As-terminated Si(111). (C) 200 0 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.