Photoelectron spectra of Yb-Si(100) heterointerfaces formed at room temperature

Abstract

The laws of formation of the heterointerfaces formed upon ytterbium (Yb) deposition at room temperature (T=300 K) onto a (2×1)-reconstructed Si(100) surface were studied by methods of photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) with excitation by synchrotron radiation and low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). In the range of submonolayer surface coverages θ, the adsorption of Yb atoms leads to destruction of the surface dimers. This is accompanied by the formation of an amorphous film consisting of mixed Yb and Si atoms. For θ>1.5, a partly ordered metallic ytterbium film containing dissolved Si atoms is formed on the substrate surface. In all stages of deposition, there is charge transfer from Yb to Si atoms, which is manifested by a shift of the Si 2p core level. This shift is especially pronounced (reaching 1.5 eV) for silicon atoms dissolved in the metallic film.