Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy of iron suicide epitaxially grown on Si(111)

Abstract

Epitaxial iron suicide films have been grown on Si(111) by solid phase epitaxy (SPE) in UHV. Structural and electronic properties have been investigated with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS). For initial Fe deposition up to 3 Å and annealing at 850 K, metallic γ-FeSi 2 is formed. These films exhibit a perfect (2 × 2) superstructure, which is attributed to γ-FeSi 2(111) with Si termination. SPE at higher initial iron deposition (15 Å) and annealing at 800 K results in ϵ-FeSi showing a (√3 × √3) R30° superstructure. Subsequent annealing above 900 K leads to β-FeSi 2 formation. As by STS, β-FeSi 2 films are semiconducting with E g = 0.85 eV. STM topographs show that SPE produces rough silicide surfaces wit β-FeSi 2(101) [and not β-FeSi 2(110)] epitaxy. The atomic structure on β-FeSi 2 terraces is complex, consisting domain boundaries and defects.