Evolution of surface morphology during Fe/Si(111) and Fe/Si(001) heteroepitaxy

Abstract

The evolution of Fe surface morphology during heteroepitaxial growth on Si(111) and Si(001) substrates was investigated using real-time synchrotron x-ray reflectivity measurements. The growth on the Si(111) surface was divided into the initial stage heteroepitaxial regime, the intermediate stage crossover regime, and the final-stage homoepitaxial regime. The evolution of the surface roughness in the late stage growth was described by the dynamic scaling exponent of $\beta \sim 0.24$ consistent with reported values. On the Si(001) surface, an interlayer was formed prior to the growth of a nonepitaxial Fe layer. The roughness evolution of the Fe/Si(001) was described by $\beta \sim \mathrm{0.36.}$