Abstract
The growth mechanism of NiSi2/Si(111) heteroepitaxy by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) was studied as a function of substrate temperature. Growth modes of the epitaxy were classified into these kinds: 1) two-dimensional epitaxy at ledge, 2) two-dimensional epitaxy at kink, and 3) three-dimensional epitaxy. The temperature regions corresponding to these growth modes were ∼1/4– ∼1/2T m, ∼1/2– ∼3/4T m, and \gtrsim3/4T m, respectively, where T m (°K) is the melting point of NiSi2. By comparing these results with those of the various MBE material systems, e.g., Si/Si, GaAs/GaAs, Ga0.7Al0.3As/GaAs and InP/InP systems, the relation between growth mode and epitaxial temperature range was found to be almost the same. The epitaxial layers with high crystallinity and smooth surface morphology grew in the region of 2) of the above classification.