Solid phase epitaxy of beta-FeSi2 on Si(100)

Orthorhombic beta-FeSi2 is a semiconducting material with a direct band gap of about 0.87 eV, which makes it an active component in light detectors and near-infrared sources. Solid phase epitaxy (SPE) has been used as the conventional method to grow epitaxial beta-FeSi2 films. In this article. we report on the SPE of beta-FeSi2 films using Fe/Si(100) heterostructures obtained by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The formation processing of the beta-FeSi2, thin films includes the deposition of iron on Si(100) by MOCVD and a subsequent annealing. The highly textured Fe layer deposited on the silicon substrate was tested by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron microscopy techniques. The beta-FeSi2 film was successfully formed after the annealing process. The better epitaxy of beta-FeSi2, on Si(100) was evidenced by XRD measurements. It was also confirmed by Raman spectra measurements, in which some main Raman lines were clearly detected. Optical transmission measurements revealed a strong absorption of beta-FeSi2, near 0.87 eV. (C) 1996 American Vacuum Society.