Fe3GaAs/GaAs(0 01): a stable and magnetic metal-semiconductor heterostructure

Bruno Lépine (1) , C. Lallaizon (1) , Philippe Schieffer (1) , A. Guivarc'H , G. Jézéquel , A. Rocher (2) , F. Abel (3) , C. Cohen (4) , S. Députier (5) , F. Nguyen van Dau

1 IPR - Institut de Physique de Rennes
2 CEMES - Centre d'élaboration de matériaux et d'études structurales
3 INSP - Institut des Nanosciences de Paris
4 GPS - Groupe de Physique des Solides
5 ISCR - Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes

We show that in agreement with the ternary Fe–Ga–As phase diagram, the solid-state interdiffusions in epitaxial Fe/GaAs(0 0 1) heterostructures lead, at a temperature of approximately 500 °C, to the formation of thermodynamically stable Fe3GaAs/GaAs(0 0 1) contacts quite similar to the well-known silicide/Si ones. The Fe3GaAs films are made of grains epitaxial on GaAs with a well-defined interface. Their magnetic and electrical properties make Fe3GaAs on GaAs an attractive metallization scheme for future magnetoelectronic devices. The results we report concern (25 or 80 nm Fe)/GaAs(0 0 1) heterostructures annealed at 480 and 500 °C for 10 min and characterized ex situ by He+ Rutherford backscattering and ion channeling, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and alternating gradient field magnetometry.

Domaines: Physique [physics]; Matière Condensée [cond-mat]

Bruno Lépine, C. Lallaizon, Philippe Schieffer, A. Guivarc'H, G. Jézéquel, et al.. Fe3GaAs/GaAs(0 01): a stable and magnetic metal-semiconductor heterostructure. Thin Solid Films, 2004, 446 (1), pp.6 - 11. ⟨10.1016/S0040-6090(03)01232-X⟩. ⟨hal-01743414⟩