Structural Surface Features of Tellurium-Doped Bismuth Films

Abstract

The effect of the degree of tellurium doping on the structural characteristics (average sizes of grains and growth figures) of bismuth films in the concentration range 0.005−0.15 at % Te and the thickness range 0.3−0.7 μm is studied. The thicknesses of the investigated films are measured by multi-beam optical interferometry. The amount of tellurium in the film is considered to be equal to that in the initial bismuth single crystal with a previously known tellurium concentration. Additional control of the tellurium content in the initial crystal is performed using a time-of-flight LYUMAS-30 mass spectrometer. To determine the average sizes of grains and growth figures, I use the technique developed by E.V. Demidov. The studies conducted reveal that an increase in the degree of tellurium doping in bismuth films leads to a significant decrease in the growth figures. The weak effect of annealing on the crystallite size in tellurium-doped bismuth films indicates the high temporal stability of their structures.