In Situ Conductance of Fe/Si and Fe/Ge Multilayers

P. Chomiuk a, M. Błaszyk a, T. Luciński a, M. Wróblewski b and B. Susła b a Institute of Molecular Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, M. Smoluchowskiego 17, 60-179 Poznań, Poland b Institute of Physics, Faculty of Technical Physics, PoznańUniversity of Technology, Nieszawska 13a, 60-965 Poznań, Poland

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Received: 7 05 2007;

In this paper we study Fe/Si and Fe/Ge multilayers prepared at room temperature by magnetron sputtering. In situ conductance measurements reveal the formation of interfacial Fe-Si and Fe-Ge mixtures. During the Fe deposition a modification of growth mode is noticed. Deposition of Si (or Ge) onto Fe leads to the reduction of the Fe layer thickness due to interdiffusion, and Fe-Si (or Fe-Ge) structures appear. Above about 1.3 nm of deposited Si (1.5 nm of Ge) nominally pure Si (Ge) starts growing. Surface topography of the Fe/Si multilayers is studied by atomic force microscopy.

DOI: 10.12693/APhysPolA.113.657 PACS numbers: 73.40.Sx;73.50.-h;75.70.Cn