Growth instability and surface phase transition of Ti thin film on Si(1 1 1): An atomic force microscopy study

• Published in: Applied surface science Vol. 252; no. 18; pp. 6135 - 6140
• Main Author: Aurongzeb, Deeder
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 15.07.2006; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Annealing; Atomic force microscopy; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Exact sciences and technology; Phase transitions and critical phenomena; Physics; Scaling properties; Solid surfaces and solid-solid interfaces; Structure and morphology; thickness; Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties); Thin film structure and morphology; Scaling properties; Atomic force microscopy; Annealing; Grain size; Phase transformations; Roughness; Spectral analysis; Surface structure; Thin films; Transition elements; Scaling laws; Titanium; Instability; Spectral density
• ISSN: 0169-4332; 1873-5584
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2005.07.026

Evolution of surface structure during the annealing of e-beam evaporated Ti films is studied by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM). Image variography and power spectral density analysis are used to study scaling properties of the films, ranging from 50 nm to 20 μm length scale. No particular grain size is observed up to 473 K. At 673 K, grain size of ∼250 nm are formed and coalesced to form bigger grain size upon further annealing. At 473 K, RMS roughness dropped at all length scale and became rougher at 673 K with an increasing trend up to 873 K. Clustering at 673 K indicates Kosterlitz–Thaouless [J.M. Kosterlitz, D.J. Thaouless, J. Phys. Chem. 6 (1973) 1181] type phase transition at the surface. The observed transition is also consistent with existing scaling laws.