Fabrication of highly-oriented silicide film on Si substrate treated by low-energy ion beam

Hamamoto, Satoshi*; Yamaguchi, Kenji; Hojo, Kiichi

Semiconducting silicides, such as -FeSi, BaSi and MgSi are quite attractive for their potential as optoelectronic, photovoltaic and thermoelectric materials. Authors have shown that thin, uniform and highly-oriented -FeSi films can be fabricated on Si (100) substrates with an atomically flat interface, when the substrates are pre-treated with low-energy ions. Since the use of ion beam introduces irradiation defects to the substrate and the film, semiconducting properties may be affected by such defects. Dependence of the crystalline properties of -FeSifilms on the irradiated fluence of sputter etching (SE) of the substrate was investigated to discuss whether it is possible to obtain high crystalline -FeSi thin film with very low defect concentration.