Influence of strain, surface diffusion and Ostwald ripening on the evolution of nanostructures for erbium on Si(001)

Abstract

This study explores the evolution of nanoscale islands and wire structures during deposition and surface ripening. Ultraviolet photoelectron emission microscopy has been employed to study the real time growth process of individual erbium silicide nanostructures on Si(001) surfaces at temperatures up to 1050 °C. During the initial island formation process compact islands form and some undergo a shape transition to elongated islands oriented along the 〈110〉 directions of the Si substrate. The initial island formation is driven by the surface and interface energies of the silicide/Si structure. The widths of the growing islands remain essentially constant while the lengths increase. The observed elongated islands are ∼150 nm wide, which is larger than the width of prior reported erbium silicide nanowire structures. We propose that the ∼150 nm elongated islands are partially relaxed, possibly through the formation of misfit dislocations. The results indicate a temperature regime where island growth is mainly governed by surface diffusion of the deposited Er adatoms and a higher temperature regime where Ostwald ripening contributes to the island morphology.