Antimony on metal and semiconductor surfaces: interface formation and passivation

Abstract

We investigate the formation of Sb Al thin film, Sb Al(111) , and Sb InP(100) surfaces and interfaces by core level and valence band photoemission spectroscopies using synchrotron radiation. At room temperature, the Sb layer is reactive with both Al and InP surfaces. On the aluminum surface, Sb deposition results in AlSb formation while for InP(100), it induces the growth of an InSb layer. Both metallic and semiconducting substrates are found to be chemically passivated by the Sb layer. Finally, the InSb formed on InP(100) thermally stabilizes the surface to temperatures above 500°C while the AlSb alloy reduces dramatically the oxidation rate of aluminum.