Temperature dependence of Heteroeptaxial $Y_2O_3$ films grown on Si by ionized cluster beam deposition

Heteroepitaxial $Y_2O_3$ films were grown on a Si(111) substrate by ionized cluster beam deposition(ICBD) in ultra high vacuum, and its qualities such as crystllitnity, film stress, and morphological characteristics were investigated using the various measurement methods. The crystallinity was investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED). Interface crystallinity was also examined by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy(RBS) channeling, transmission electron microscopy(TEM). The stress of the films was measured by RBS channeling and XRD. Surface and interface morphological characteristics were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and x-ray scattering method. Comparing the interface with the surface characteristics, we can conclude that many defects at the interface region were generated by interface reaction between the yttrium metal and SiO2 layer and by ion beam characteristic such as shallow implantation, so that they influenced the film qualities. The film quality was dominantly depended on the characteristic temperature range. In the temperature range from $500^{\circ}C$ to $600^{\circ}C$, the crystallinity was mainly improved and the surface roughness was drastically decreased. On the other hand, in the temperature range from $600^{\circ}C$ to $700^{\circ}C$, the compressive stress and film density were dominantly increased, and the island size was more decreased. Also the surface morphological shape was transformed from elliptical shape to triangular. The film stress existed dominantly at the interface region due to the defects generation.