Surface Reactions of Co on SiO₂ thin layer/Si substrate Studied by LEEM and PEEM

抄録

To clarify how Co reacts with a SiO₂ layer on Si substrates, the annealing processes were observed using low energy electron microscopy (LEEM) and photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM). LEEM results using patterned substrate showed that Co silicide nano-dots form and that the Co diffusion length on the SiO₂ layer is very small. From PEEM observations of a SiO₂ layer with voids on Si substrate, we found that Co atoms in the void area remain because of the formation of silicides, but those on the SiO₂ surface disappear because metallic Co atoms easily diffuse. Co diffusion through the SiO₂ layer to the Si substrate can compatibly explain these two results. [DOI: 10.1380/ejssnt.2006.155]