Amorphous ferrosilicide film exhibiting semiconductor characteristics and method of for producing the same

Abstract

Disclosed is an amorphous iron-silicide film fully exhibiting semiconductor characteristics close to those of β-FeSi 2 , which has not been able to be achieved through a conventional cluster ion beam deposition process, molecular beam epitaxial growth process, ion implantation process or RF-magnetron sputtering process. FeSi 2 is grown as a non-granular flat or continuous film on a substrate maintained at a temperature of less than 400° C. through a sputtering process under an Ar gas pressure of 5 mTorr or less using a FeSi 2 alloy target having a Fe:Si atomic ratio of 1:2, to obtain an amorphous FeSi 2 film exhibiting semiconductor characteristics. In particular, a facing-targets type is preferable as the sputtering process.

1 . An amorphous FeSi 2  film having a bandgap of 0.6 to 1.0 eV and exhibiting semiconductor characteristics, which is obtained through a sputtering process using a FeSi 2  alloy target having a Fe:Si atomic ratio of 1:2.  
     
     
         2 . A method of preparing an amorphous FeSi 2  film having a bandgap of 0.6 to 1.0 eV and exhibiting semiconductor characteristics, said method comprising depositing FeSi 2  as a non-granular flat continuous film on a substrate maintained at a temperature of less than 400° C. through a sputtering process in a sputtering chamber evacuated to a pressure of 10 −4  Pa and supplied with an Ar gas at a pressure of 5 mTorr or less using a FeSi 2  alloy target having a Fe:Si atomic ratio of 1:2.  
     
     
         3 . The method as defined in  claim 2 , wherein said sputtering process is a facing-targets type sputtering process.