Fabrication of epitaxial MIM structures on NiAl(110) studied by XPS and low energy electron diffraction

Abstract

AbstractFabrication of a metal‐insulator‐metal (MIM) structure of the Au/Pd/Al2O3/NiAl(110) system was investigated in situ using XPS and low energy electron diffraction (LEED). A well‐ordered Al2O3 film thicker than 0.5 nm was grown through the controlled oxidation of NiAl(110) at elevated temperature. Nearly layer‐by‐layer growth of Pd film on a 0.85‐nm thick, well‐ordered Al2O3 was observed by XPS when Pd was slowly deposited at room temperature. Binding energy shifts were not observed for the photoelectron peaks from the alumina or the substrate, but a binding energy shift was observed in the Pd peak during Pd deposition until 1.3 ML. The Pd layer produced hexagonal spots in LEED, suggesting the epitaxial growth of the (111) plane parallel to the surface. The Au layer was deposited on the Pd layer at room temperature under a slow deposition rate and also showed hexagonal spots in LEED. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.