Texture of NiGe(Sn) on Ge(100) and its evolution with Sn content

Abstract

The texture of the Ni monostanogermanide phase on a Ge(100) substrate was evaluated during a solid-state reaction, with a focus on the impact of Sn addition. Complementary X-ray diffraction analyses involving in situ X-ray diffraction, in-plane reciprocal space maps (RSMs) and pole figures were used to that end. A sequential growth of the phases for the Ni/Ge(Sn) system was found. An Ni-rich phase formed first, followed by the NiGe(Sn) phase. The NiGe and NiGe(Sn) layers were polycrystalline with different out-of-plane orientations. The number of out-of-plane diffraction peaks decreased with the Sn content, while the preferred orientation changed. In-plane RSM analyses confirmed these results. Sn addition modified the out-of-plane and in-plane orientations. Pole figure analysis revealed that numerous epitaxial texture components were present for the Ni/Ge system, while Sn addition reduced the number of epitaxial texture components. On the other hand, segregated Sn crystallized with an epitaxial alignment with the Ge substrate underneath.