Abstract
Fe3Si films are deposited onto the Si(111) wafer using sputtering with parallel facing targets. Surface modification of the deposited Fe3Si film is conducted by using a microwave plasma treatment under an Ar atmosphere at different powers of 50, 100 and, 150 W. After the Ar plasma treatment, the crystallinity of the coated Fe3Si films is enhanced, in which the orientation peaks, including (220), (222), (400), and (422) of the Fe3Si are sharpened. The extinction rule suggests that the B2–Fe3Si crystallites are the film’s dominant composition. The stoichiometry of the Fe3Si surfaces is marginally changed after the treatment. An increase in microwave power damages the surface of the Fe3Si films, resulting in the generation of small pinholes. The roughness of the Fe3Si films after being treated at 150 W is insignificantly increased compared to the untreated films. The untreated Fe3Si films have a hydrophobic surface with an average contact angle of 101.70°. After treatment at 150 W, it turns into a hydrophilic surface with an average contact angle of 67.05° because of the reduction in the hydrophobic carbon group and the increase in the hydrophilic oxide group. The hardness of the untreated Fe3Si is ~9.39 GPa, which is kept at a similar level throughout each treatment power.
Highlights
There are a variety of materials that could pair with silicon (Si) to form a silicide composite such as nickel, titanium, chromium, and iron (Fe) to name a few [1]
The sharp diffraction pattern of the untreated Fe3Si films exhibited the preferential orientations of Fe3Si(220), Fe3Si(222), Fe3Si(400), and Fe3Si(422) at the positions of 44.42◦, 56.26◦, 64.70◦, and 81.88◦, respectively
The crystallite size became 35.200, 33.175, and 31.225 nm after treating with Ar plasma at 50, 100, and 150 W, respectively. This behavior shows a rise in the crystallite size of the Fe3Si films after the 50 W plasma treatment, which may originate from the enhancement in crystallinity of the Fe3Si films [28,29,30]
Summary
There are a variety of materials that could pair with silicon (Si) to form a silicide composite such as nickel, titanium, chromium, and iron (Fe) to name a few [1]. Fe3Si films possess a smooth surface that can be epitaxially produced on the (111) orientation Si wafer [5,9,10] It generates attention as a hard coating material. Our research group epitaxially created Fe3Si films onto Si wafers owning a (111) orientation at ambient temperature, relying on sputtering with a facing targets system [5,14,15,16]. It was expected that the roughness and chemical composition of the Fe3Si surface could be changed by a variation of the plasma power under an Ar ambient, which may lead to the modifications of the wetting angle and hardness. .TThhene,nt,htehechcahmambebrewr wasafsilfilelldedwwithithAr Agragsa(sIw(IwataantainCi oCropr.p, O., sOaskaak, aJa, pJaapna;n9;99.999.99999%9%pupruitryi)tya)t aatcaocnosntasntatnfltoflwowratreatoefo1f51s5ccsmccmvia viaa ma masassfsloflwowcoconntrtorolllelrer(K(KOOFFLLOOCC, ,KKyyoottoo,, JJaappaann;; mmooddeell 33666600)),, wwhheerreeththeepprersessusurerewwasas mmaianitnatianiendedata1t.313.3×3 ×101−0−11 PPaa. TThheetteemmppeerraattuurreeccoonntrtroolllelerr(O(OMMRROONN, ,KKyyoototo, J,aJpaapna;nm; modoedlel EE5C5CNN) h) ehaetaetdedthteheSiSsiusbusbtsrtartaetefrformomthtehebabcakcskisdiedeatatthtehesestettetmempepreartautrueroefo3f03000◦C°C. The mechanical characteristics of hardness and reduced elastic modulus for the untreated and treated Fe3Si films were assessed by a nanoindenter (Bruker’s Hysitron, Minneapolis, MN, USA; model Ti premier)
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