149 research outputs found
Diffusion on semiconductor surfaces
Semiconductor devices continue to get ever smaller, which means that individual defects play an increasingly important role in their performance. In the process of fabricating more innovative, better performing devices, crystal growers have developed an amazing intuition about how atoms and molecules behave on crystal surfaces. Their intuition, formed from knowledge of fundamental atomic-scale processes and honed through experience, concerns such questions as where atoms and molecules stick, how they interact with each other and the substrate, and how they diffus
Diffusional Kinetics of SiGe Dimers on Si(100) Using Atom-Tracking Scanning Tunneling Microscopy
Quantitative measurements of the diffusion of adsorbed mixed Ge-Si dimers on the Si(100) surface have been made as a function of temperature using atom-tracking scanning tunneling microscopy. These mixed dimers are distinguishable from pure Si-Si dimers by their characteristic kinetics--a 180-degree rotation between two highly buckled configurations. At temperatures at which the mixed dimers diffuse, atomic-exchange events occur, in which the Ge atom in the adsorbed dimer exchanges with a substrate Si atom. Re-exchange can also occur when the diffusing Si-Si dimer revisits the original site of exchange
STM characterization of the Si-P heterodimer
We use scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and Auger electron spectroscopy to
study the behavior of adsorbed phosphine (PH) on Si(001), as a function
of annealing temperature, paying particular attention to the formation of the
Si-P heterodimer. Dosing the Si(001) surface with 0.002 Langmuirs of
PH results in the adsorption of PH (x=2,3) onto the surface and
some etching of Si to form individual Si ad-dimers. Annealing to 350C
results in the incorporation of P into the surface layer to form Si-P
heterodimers and the formation of short 1-dimensional Si dimer chains and
monohydrides. In filled state STM images, isolated Si-P heterodimers appear as
zig-zag features on the surface due to the static dimer buckling induced by the
heterodimer. In the presence of a moderate coverage of monohydrides this static
buckling is lifted, rending the Si-P heterodimers invisible in filled state
images. However, we find that we can image the heterodimer at all H coverages
using empty state imaging. The ability to identify single P atoms incorporated
into Si(001) will be invaluable in the development of nanoscale electronic
devices based on controlled atomic-scale doping of Si.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures (only 72dpi
Split-off dimer defects on the Si(001)2x1 surface
Dimer vacancy (DV) defect complexes in the Si(001)2x1 surface were
investigated using high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy and first
principles calculations. We find that under low bias filled-state tunneling
conditions, isolated 'split-off' dimers in these defect complexes are imaged as
pairs of protrusions while the surrounding Si surface dimers appear as the
usual 'bean-shaped' protrusions. We attribute this to the formation of pi-bonds
between the two atoms of the split-off dimer and second layer atoms, and
present charge density plots to support this assignment. We observe a local
brightness enhancement due to strain for different DV complexes and provide the
first experimental confirmation of an earlier prediction that the 1+2-DV
induces less surface strain than other DV complexes. Finally, we present a
previously unreported triangular shaped split-off dimer defect complex that
exists at SB-type step edges, and propose a structure for this defect involving
a bound Si monomer.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Dynamics of surface steps
In the framework of SOS models, the dynamics of isolated and pairs of surface
steps of monoatomic height is studied, for step--edge diffusion and for
evaporation kinetics, using Monte Carlo techniques. In particular, various
interesting crossover phenomena are identified. Simulational results are
compared, especially, to those of continuum theories and random walk
descriptions.Comment: 13 pages in elsart style, 4 eps figures, submitted to Physica
Highly Effective GeNi Alloy Contact Diffusion Barrier for BiSbTe Long-Term Thermal Exposure
A GeNi alloy diffusion barrier for contacts on bismuth antimony telluride is proposed. Multiple gold contact diffusion barriers were tested at different thermal aging conditions in air and reducing atmospheres. Among all diffusion barriers, the GeNi alloy barrier shows the best performance for bulk samples with no substantial degradation of the contact resistance, no contact color change, and no change of thermoelectric properties. We observed DAu−GeNi = (9.8 ± 2.7) × 10−20 m2/s within the GeNi alloy barrier, which is 4 times smaller than DAu−BiSbTe. The presence of the initial Ge layer also proves to be effective in reducing nickel diffusion yielding DNi−BiSbTe = (8.57 ± 0.49) × 10−19 m2/s. During GeNi alloy formation, Ge diffusion into BiSbTe produces GeTe, which apparently blocks the van der Waals gaps eliminating Au and Ni fast diffusion pathways. Thermal aging of BiSbTe nanowires shows that Au and Ni diffusion degrades the thermoelectric power factor, whereas the GeNi alloy barrier sample is mostly preserved. The GeNi alloy barrier is a reliable solution to long-term thermal applications of BiTe-based materials
Structure and Stability of Si(114)-(2x1)
We describe a recently discovered stable planar surface of silicon, Si(114).
This high-index surface, oriented 19.5 degrees away from (001) toward (111),
undergoes a 2x1 reconstruction. We propose a complete model for the
reconstructed surface based on scanning tunneling microscopy images and
first-principles total-energy calculations. The structure and stability of
Si(114)-(2x1) arises from a balance between surface dangling bond reduction and
surface stress relief, and provides a key to understanding the morphology of a
family of surfaces oriented between (001) and (114).Comment: REVTeX, 4 pages + 3 figures. A preprint with high-resolution figures
is available at http://cst-www.nrl.navy.mil/papers/si114.ps . To be published
in Phys. Rev. Let
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