Temperature dependent epitaxial growth of ferromagnetic silicide Fe₃Si on Ge substrate

Influences of growth temperature on low-temperature (60-400 °C) molecular beam epitaxy of the ferromagnetic silicide Fe₃Si layer on Ge substrates were investigated. X-ray diffraction and reflective high-energy electron diffraction measurements suggested that Fe₃Si layers were epitaxially grown on Ge at a temperature between 60 and 300 °C, while another phase layer was epitaxially grown at 400 °C. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy measurements revealed that Ge atoms began to diffuse into the Fe₃Si layers above 300 °C, and the FeSiGe layer was formed at 400 °C. As a result, very low value (4.0%) of the minimum scattering yield (χ_min) of the Fe₃Si layers was obtained at 130 °C. Transmission electron microscopy measurements indicated that the interface of Fe₃Si and Ge was atomically flat. In addition, analysis of the electron diffraction patterns of epitaxial Fe₃Si layers confirmed the formation of DO3-type Fe₃Si.