Heteroepitaxial Er0.49Gd0.51Si1.7 layers formed by channeled ion beam synthesis

Epitaxial ternary silicide Er0.49Gd0.51Si1.7 layers with a good crystalline quality (chi(min) of Er and Gd is 3.7%) have been formed by 60 keV Er and Gd ion implantation into Si(1 1 1) substrates to a total dose of 1.0 x 10(17)/cm(2) at 450 degrees C using channeled ion beam synthesis (CIBS). The composition, the structure, the strain and the thermal stability of these layers have been studied using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Rutherford backscattering (RBS)/channeling and X-ray diffraction (XRD). It is shown that the perpendicular and parallel elastic strains of the ET0.49Gd0.51Si1.7 epilayer are e(perpendicular to) = -0.46% +/- 0.02% and e(parallel to) = +0.73% +/- 0.19%. The layer is stable up to 900 degrees C. Annealing at 950 degrees C results in a phase transformation. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.status: publishe