Abstract
During growth of multilayers by pulsed laser deposition (PLD), often both intermixing and resputtering occur due to the high kinetic energy of the particles transferred from the target to the substrate surface. In order to obtain a fundamental understanding of the underlying processes, W/Si multilayers have been studied by the complementary methods of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray reflectivity (XRR) and in-situ rate monitoring. For the experiments, deposition conditions were chosen that result in high energetic Si ions and mainly low energetic W atoms for the multilayer growth. Under these conditions, interface mixing of up to 3 nm occurs at the W/Si interfaces, while the Si/W interfaces remain sharp. Furthermore, enhanced resputtering of Si leads to a Si thickness deficit of up to 2 nm at the W/Si interfaces. The presented results can be understood by a combination of theoretical calculations as well as SRIM and TRIDYN simulations, which match perfectly to the experimentally obtained intermixing and enhanced resputtering of Si at the W/Si interfaces.
Highlights
Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) is a thin film growth technique, which allows the preparation of multilayers for a wide range of material classes [1, 2]
Aim of this paper is to study resputtering and intermixing in W/Si multilayers grown under conditions, where the light Si particles with a mass of 28.1 atomic mass units are deposited with high kinetic energy, while the much heavier W atoms (m = 183.9 amu) are deposited with low particle energy
In summary it has been shown that both implantation and enhanced resputtering occur in W/Si multilayers due to energetic deposition of Si particles and can be studied in detail by the complementary methods of ex-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray reflectivity (XRR) and in-situ rate monitoring
Summary
Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) is a thin film growth technique, which allows the preparation of multilayers for a wide range of material classes [1, 2]. Choosing conditions that allow depositing light particles energetically on a layer of a much heavier material, such a SYA-effect should be observable at the interfaces of laser deposited multilayers. Aim of this paper is to study resputtering and intermixing in W/Si multilayers grown under conditions, where the light Si particles with a mass of 28.1 atomic mass units (amu) are deposited with high kinetic energy, while the much heavier W atoms (m = 183.9 amu) are deposited with low particle energy. Using these conditions, intermixing and resputtering should only occur at the W/Si interfaces The complementary methods of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray reflectivity (XRR) and in-situ rate monitoring are used, and the obtained results are compared to theoretical calculations as well as to SRIM and TRIDYN simulations
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