The epitaxial growth of Cu on Si(111) 7x7: a RHEED study

We investigated the morphological and structural changes that occur during the growth of Cu on Si(111)(7 × 7) at different substrate temperatures using reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED). For temperatures up to 100°C Cu grows in a layer-by-layer like fashion as indicated by the observation of RHEED intensity oscillations. The interface is intermixed, but only for growth above −50°C we found evidence for the formation of η-Cu3Si. Above 150°C the oscillations disappear and the growth proceeds in the Stranski-Krastanov mode producing a very rough surface