Comprehensive Rutherford backscattering and channeling study of ion-beam-synthesized ErSi1.7 layers

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Abstract
Heteroepitaxial ErSi1.7 layers with excellent crystallinity (χmin of Er is 1.5%) have been prepared by high‐dose 90 keV Er implantation into a Si(111) substrate using channeled implantation. Such an ErSi1.7/Si system offers a rare opportunity to study comprehensively the structure, orientation, and strain using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and channeling analysis. We found that the minimum yield and width of the [0001] dip of the Er atoms are quite different from that of the Si atoms in the silicide layer. It is confirmed that the azimuthal orientation of the hexagonal ErSi1.7 layer to the cubic Si substrate is ErSi1.7 [0001] ∥ Si[111] and ErSi1.7 {112̄0} ∥ Si {110}, and that the epilayer is compressively strained. Besides, by using the angular scan and image scan, we reveal that the dips of the {101̄0} family are missing for the Si atoms in the epilayer but do exist for the Er atoms in the same epilayer. The reason for this drastic difference is explained by the separate {101̄0} planes and the different steering potential of the Si and Er atoms in ErSi1.7.