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Modification of the Surface of Lead-Tin Telluride Films by Low-Energy Argon Ions

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Abstract

The processes of surface modification of epitaxial films of lead-tin telluride Pb1 – xSnxTe (х = 0.0–1.0) during ion-plasma treatment in argon plasma at an ion energy of ~25 eV are studied. Films 1–2 µm thick are grown by molecular-beam epitaxy on (111) BaF2 substrates. The treatment is carried out in the dense argon-plasma reactor of a low-pressure RF inductive discharge. It is found that the sputtering rate of Pb1 – xSnxTe decreases as the Sn content in the film increases. It is shown using scanning electron microscopy that nanostructures of various shapes are formed on their surface during sample processing. The size and shape of the nanostructures depend on the tin content in the film and on the plasma-treatment time t (60–240 s). At х = 0.0 and 0.2, hemispherical formations appear on the surface of the sample, the sizes of which increase with treatment time. At t > 120 s, two groups of quasi-spherical particles, differing in size, are formed on the surface. Large particles with a size of 250–500 nm are hollow and, in terms of chemical composition, consisted mainly of lead. When treating films with a high tin content (x = 0.8), an ensemble of vertical nanorods grow on their surface according to the “vapor–liquid–crystal” mechanism up to 30 nm in height with spherical “caps” 20–30 nm in diameter.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

SEM studies were carried out at the Collective Use Center “Diagnostics of microstructures and nanostructures” and supported by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science of the Russian Federation.

Funding

This work supported by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science of the Russian Federation was performed in the framework of the state task of the Yaroslavl Branch of K. A. Valiev Institute of Physics and Technology, Russian Academy of Sciences (theme no. FFNN-2022-0017) and in the framework of the initiative research at Yaroslavl State University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Demidov Yaroslavl State University, 150003, Yaroslavl, Russia

    S. P. Zimin & Ya. D. Belov

  2. Yaroslavl Branch of the Valiev Institute of Physics and Technology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 150007, Yaroslavl, Russia

    S. P. Zimin, I. I. Amirov, V. V. Naumov & Ya. D. Belov

  3. Laboratório Associado de Sensores e Materiais, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, São José dos Campos, 12227010, Brazil

    E. Abramof & P. H. O. Rappl

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  1. S. P. Zimin
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  2. I. I. Amirov
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  3. V. V. Naumov
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  4. Ya. D. Belov
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  5. E. Abramof
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  6. P. H. O. Rappl
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Correspondence to S. P. Zimin or I. I. Amirov.

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Translated by Yu. Ryzhkov

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Zimin, S.P., Amirov, I.I., Naumov, V.V. et al. Modification of the Surface of Lead-Tin Telluride Films by Low-Energy Argon Ions. J. Surf. Investig. 16, 876–883 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1027451022050421

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