Physical Properties of Fe3Si Films Coated through Facing Targets Sputtering after Microwave Plasma Treatment

Abstract

Fe3Si films are deposited onto the Si(111) wafer using sputtering with parallel facing targets. Surface modification of the deposited Fe3Si film is conducted by using a microwave plasma treatment under an Ar atmosphere at different powers of 50, 100 and, 150 W. After the Ar plasma treatment, the crystallinity of the coated Fe3Si films is enhanced, in which the orientation peaks, including (220), (222), (400), and (422) of the Fe3Si are sharpened. The extinction rule suggests that the B2–Fe3Si crystallites are the film’s dominant composition. The stoichiometry of the Fe3Si surfaces is marginally changed after the treatment. An increase in microwave power damages the surface of the Fe3Si films, resulting in the generation of small pinholes. The roughness of the Fe3Si films after being treated at 150 W is insignificantly increased compared to the untreated films. The untreated Fe3Si films have a hydrophobic surface with an average contact angle of 101.70°. After treatment at 150 W, it turns into a hydrophilic surface with an average contact angle of 67.05° because of the reduction in the hydrophobic carbon group and the increase in the hydrophilic oxide group. The hardness of the untreated Fe3Si is ~9.39 GPa, which is kept at a similar level throughout each treatment power.

Wetting state and mechanical property alteration for the Fe3Si films using rapid thermal annealing under various temperatures

“…1 a reveals a dominant Fe 3 Si(222) peak at 56.34° with Si(111) at 28.46°. This result correlates with our previous works, where we reported that Fe 3 Si deposited at low temperatures through FTS caused a superposition peak in the B2 structure [ 1 , 2 ]. After RTA at 200 °C–400 °C, the Fe 3 Si(222) and Si(111) peak intensifies as the T RTA value increases.…”

“…Ferromagnetic silicide (Fe 3 Si), comprising crystals with a diameter range of less than 10 nm, is a recent innovation and a fascinating spin transistor material and possible candidate for self-cleaning surfaces and hard coating applications [ [1] , [2] , [3] ]. This kind of composite can be formulated from environmentally friendly elements that are abundant on the earth like Si and Fe.…”

“…Based on former studies linked to this present work, our research group epitaxially manufactured the Fe 3 Si films onto Si ((111)-orientation) wafers using the FTS [ 1 , 2 ]. The FTS layout comprises a couple of sputtering targets set far from a substrate holder while both targets face each other allowing the magnetic confinement to occur [ [12] , [13] , [14] , [15] ].…”

“…This setup allows the machine to produce high-density plasma under low pressure and minimize the plasma damage, to create a seamless film with miniscule stoichiometry error [ [12] , [13] , [14] , [15] ]. The authors have recently reported the impact of microwave plasma etching under argon (Ar) atmosphere and variation of its power on the physical features of the Fe 3 Si films, where we discovered that the hydrophobic condition for the Fe 3 Si layer without etching turned into a hydrophilic condition after exposing to Ar etching [ 1 ]. To properly realize the new application for Fe 3 Si, further study on its wetting and mechanical attributes and the method to optimally modify them is required.…”

Determining the Annealing Temperature Dependency of Wetting and Mechanical Features on Fe3Si Films

“…Ferromagnetic silicide (Fe 3 Si), composed of naturally available materials (Si and Fe), is known to be appealing in the plausible application of spin transistors and self-cleaning surfaces [1][2][3][4]. Prior related studies show that the epitaxial production of Fe 3 Si films onto 111-oriented Si wafers can be achieved via the usage of facing target sputtering (FTS) [5,6].…”