Pyramidal structural defects in erbium silicide thin films

• Main Authors: Srolovitz, David J., Tan, Eu Jin, Bouville, Mathieu, Chi, Dong Zhi, Pey, Kin Leong, Lee, Pooi See, Tung, Chih Hang
• Other Authors: School of Materials Science & Engineering
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Materials
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/95015; http://hdl.handle.net/10220/8074
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Pyramidal structural defects, 5–8 μm wide, have been discovered in thin films of epitaxial ErSi2−x formed by annealing thin Er films on Si(001) substrates at temperatures of 500–800 °C. The formation of these defects is not due to oxidation. We propose that they form as a result of the separat...