Formation and evaluation of CeN thin films

• Published in: Thin solid films Vol. 317; no. 1; pp. 137 - 139
• Main Authors: Xiao, Shiqin Q, Takai, Osamu
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 01-04-1998; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Cerium; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Electrical properties of specific thin films; Electronic structure and electrical properties of surfaces, interfaces, thin films and low-dimensional structures; Exact sciences and technology; Ion and electron beam-assisted deposition; ion plating; Ion plating; Materials science; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Nitride; Other inorganic semiconductors; Physics; XPS; Cerium; XPS; Nitride; Ion plating; Inorganic compounds; Electrical conductivity; Semiconductor materials; Cerium nitrides; Binary compounds; Crystal growth from vapors; Rare earth compounds; Experimental study; Photoelectron spectroscopy; Characterization; Thin films; Energy gap; X radiation; P type conductivity
• ISSN: 0040-6090; 1879-2731
• DOI: 10.1016/S0040-6090(97)00610-X

CeN
x
films are prepared by rf ion plating and analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Ar/N
2 flow ratios are varied and Ar gas is found to play a very important role in the formation of the stoichiometric CeN film. The shake-up satellite peaks from 4f
0 initial state in the Ce 3d core level vanishes when stoichiometric CeN is formed. The CeN film shows
p-type conduction and the room temperature resistivity is 2.1×10
2 Ω cm. The optical band gap is 1.76 eV with direct transition, which agrees well with the prediction of Sclar [N. Sclar, J. Appl. Phys. 33 (1962) 2999].