Phase formation in Mn–Si thin films during rapid thermal annealing

Abstract

In this work, we investigated the phase formation in Mn–Si thin films during rapid thermal annealing. Manganese layers with different thicknesses (50, 75, and 100 nm) were deposited onto Si (100) and Si (111) substrates using a magnetron RF-sputtering. To study the phase formation, the samples were submitted to rapid thermal annealing under vacuum for 1 s at different temperatures, ranging from 350 °C to 800 °C. Two heating rates (10 °C/s and 75 °C/s) were used in these treatments. From this study we can suggest the following sequence of phase formation: Mn5Si3, MnSi and Mn4Si7. The corresponding temperatures of formation mainly depend on the heating rate. The electronic transport properties of the Mn4Si7 thin films were determined using the Hall method and compared to those previously reported in literature.