Structure and stability of metastable α-Sn

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
We report for the first time the growth of high quality films of metastable α‐Sn. The structural properties of the molecular beam epitaxy grown metastable α‐Sn are investigated by means of in situ reflection high‐energy electron diffraction (RHEED) analysis, scanning electron microscopy including electron channeling patterns, and high‐resolution x‐ray scattering techniques. Scanning electron microscopy reveals a growth morphology of smooth and uniform surfaces. RHEED patterns yield a highly streaked (2×1) surface reconstruction suggesting a layer‐by‐layer growth mechanism. Triple‐axis x‐ray diffractometry was employed to determine structural parameters and the strain distribution. In‐plane rocking scans of the (400) reflection indicate a half width of 3 arcsec for the heterostructure α‐Sn/InSb. Out‐of‐plane scans reveal a tetragonal distortion perpendicular to the film plane, contributing a net strain of ∼0.28%. These results are in quantitative agreement with values calculated using simple elastic theory.