Thin Solid Films, Vol.288, No.1-2, 182-185, 1996
Interface Formation During Silicon Deposition on Noble-Metal Substrates - A Comparative AES Study
The room-temperature growth of evaporated silicon on copper, silver and gold surfaces has been studied by Auger electron spectroscopy. All interfaces, including Si-Ag, are found to be reactive. The formation of the silicide-like bonds takes place from the very first stages of the Si deposition and only in an interface layer a few angstroms thick. Higher coverage results in the growth of a pure continuous Si film. For Si-Au system our data indicate the silicon diffuses into the gold.