Characterization of single crystal films of molybdenum (011) grown by molecular beam epitaxy on sapphire (112̄0) and studied by low-energy electron microscopy

Abstract

Films of molybdenum grown on the (112̄0) plane of sapphire (Al 2O 3) are characterized using low-energy microscopy and low-energy electron diffraction. Stress fields observed on the Mo surface originate at dislocations and at miscut steps of the buried molybdenum–alumina vicinal interface. As-grown films contain small-angle grain boundaries. These are largely eliminated upon heating to 1700 K as edge dislocations that form the boundaries become extremely mobile. Edge dislocations attract and annihilate one another, and the small-angle grain boundaries disappear. Mobility of edge dislocations is correlated with rapid diffusion of carbon, which apparently pins dislocations up to temperatures that allow diffusion of carbon from dislocations into the bulk. The main contaminants of the Mo surface are carbon, oxygen and carbon monoxide. The most stable impurities are carbides that persist to 1700 K. Oxygen promotes bunching of monatomic steps into groups of two, three and four. Electron beams dissociate CO with energy less than 1 eV and deposit residues of carbon. Fairly ideal single crystal films of Mo produced by annealing exhibit monatomic surface step and terrace structure, and a minimum of dislocations. The quality of surfaces on these films exceeds that of typical single crystal bulk samples and is well suited for fundamental studies in surface science.