RHEED intensity oscillations during the growth of PbIn films on Si(111) with modified surface

Abstract

Ultrathin PbIn films were deposited onto Si(111) substrates at 110 K. For about 30 at% of In almost perfect monolayer-by-monolayer growth mode was observed. Three types of Si(111) substrates were used: Si(111)−(7×7), Si(111)−(6×6)Au and Si(111)−(7×7) with PbIn buffer layer. For the first two substrates the regular RHEED intensity oscillations periodicity was seen first after evaporation of about 4–6 monoatomic layers (ML) of PbIn. On Si(111) with buffer layer PbIn grew in almost ideal monolayer-bymonolayer mode from the very beginning In this case two maxima in a period of 1 ML RHEED intensity oscillations during thin film growth for very low values of the glancing angle (< 0.4° for incident electrons of the energy of 20 keV) have been found experimentally and theoretically.