Quantitative model of reactive metal-semiconductor interface growth using high-resolution photoemission results

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Abstract
High-resolution core-level photoemission studies of the reactive metal-semiconductor interfaces V/Ge(111), Ce/Si(111), and Ce/Ge(111) show that intermixing leads to unique chemical environments or species having well-defined chemical shifts. Decomposition of the coverage-dependent core-level emission shows the growth and attenuation of each of these species. We present a model which quantitatively describes the evolution of the interface. We show that two-phase growth can be described by the lever rule, such that bulk thermodynamic partitioning applies to interfaces having thicknesses of tens of angstroms or less. From the modeling, we extract values for the onset coverage of each phase, the composition of each phase, and the coverage at which each ceases to form. These interface phase diagrams indicate that the first phase is not consumed when subsequent phases form. Application and refinement of these analysis techniques should lead to predictive abilities for junction formation and interface stability.