Abstract
In this research, β-FeSi₂ films were formed on Si(111) wafer substrates via the utilization of facingtargets direct-current sputtering (FTDCS). The sputtering pressure was set at 1.33×10-1 Pa and the substrate temperature was maintained at 600 °C. After formation, the as-formed β-FeSi₂ films were transferred to the annealing system and annealed for two hours in a vacuum at 200, 400, and 600 °C. The peaks of the Raman line were located at positions of 194 and 247 cm-1, which affirmed the formation of the β phase for the as-produced FeSi₂ films. These peak positions were not changed significantly by annealing. FESEM imagery of the as-formed β-FeSi₂ films exhibits a large amount of crystallite with an average grain size of 114.11 nm, including many grain boundaries and a porous area. After annealing, the porosity of the film surface was diminished and grain size was expanded. The rms roughness of the as-formed β-FeSi₂ films was 2.02 nm, which changed slightly after annealing. The average contact angle between the water droplet and as-formed β-FeSi₂ film surface was found to be 93.25°. This result showed that the surface of the unannealed β-FeSi₂ films was hydrophobic. The average contact angle value decreased to 82.15° at an annealing temperature of 600 °C. The hardness of the β-FeSi₂ film surface was 37.55 GPa and 64.88 GPa in cases of non-annealing and annealing temperatures of 600 °C, respectively.
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