Self-limiting growth of transition-metal fluoride films from the reaction with XeF2 - art. no. 115409

Metal-fluoride thin films were grown by reacting XeF2 with polycrystalline vanadium, iron, and copper surfaces at room temperature. X-ray photoelectro n spectroscopy was used to ascertain that films of VF3, FeF2, and CuF2 form on the respective substrates. The film growth initially follows the Mott-C abrera rate law, but then levels off after a self-limiting thickness is att ained. The sudden stop in film growth is attributed to the inability of the precursor molecule to dissociate at the surface when the insulator film be comes too thick for electrons from the substrate to transport through. Thic ker films grow on iron and vanadium than on copper, which is attributed to different densities of states at the Fermi level.