CrSi2 nanocrystals were grown via the reactive deposition epitaxy of Cr at 550C. After deposition the Cr was localized in about 20–30nm dots on the Si surface. The nanocrystals were covered by silicon cap grown by molecular beam epitaxy at 700C. The redistribution of nanocrystals in the silicon cap was investigated by transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The nanocrystals were partly localized at the deposition depth, and partly migrate near the surface. A new migration mechanism of the CrSi2 nanocrystals was observed, they were transferred from the bulk toward the surface through nanopipes formed in the silicon cap. The redistribution of CrSi2 nanocrystals strongly depended upon the Cr deposition rate and on the cap growth temperature.

Migration of CrSi2 Nanocrystals through Nanopipes in the Silicon Cap. N.G.Galkin, L.Dózsa, E.A.Chusovitin, B.Pécz, L.Dobos: Applied Surface Science, 2010, 256[23], 7331-4