Continuous highly (110)/(101)-oriented β-FeSi2 films were fabricated on Si (111) substrates by using the facing-target sputtering method. An epitaxial thin β-FeSi2 template buffer layer preformed on the Si substrate was found to be essential in the epitaxial growth of thick β-FeSi2 films. It was proved that the template reduced Fe diffusion into the Si substrate during thick β-FeSi2 film fabrication. Even though the annealing was performed at 880C for 10h, diffusion of Fe was effectively hindered by the template. By introducing this template buffer layer, an abrupt interface without appreciable defects between the β-FeSi2 film and the Si substrate was formed. The mechanism for the reduction of Fe diffusion by the template buffer layer was proposed.

Reduction of Iron Diffusion in Silicon during the Epitaxial Growth of β-FeSi2 Films by Use of Thin Template Buffer Layers. Z.Liu, Y.Suzuki, M.Osamura, T.Ootsuka, T.Mise, R.Kuroda, H.Tanoue, Y.Makita, S.Wang, Y.Fukuzawa, N.Otogawa, Y.Nakayama: Journal of Applied Physics, 2004, 95[8], 4019-24