An investigation of thin Zr films on 6H-SiC(0001) and GaN(0001) surfaces by XPS, LEED, and STM

In this work, the results of the growth of zirconium films deposited under the ultrahigh vacuum at room temperature on the 6H-SiC(0001) and GaN(0001) surfaces were studied. Observed changes in the chemical composition, bonding environment, and surface reconstruction, and the effects of high-temperature annealing of the film are presented and discussed as well. In the performed experiment, the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, low-energy electron diffraction, and scanning tunneling microscopy were used. The results show that for both investigated substrates, the grown films have eminently rich and varied compositions. Besides the metallic zirconium, there are also zirconium oxides, zirconium carbides, or zirconium nitrides. The growth process proceeds according to the Volmer–Weber mode. Moreover, the zirconium–semiconductor interface does not form typical Schottky contact, but some paths with a quasi-ohmic conduction character can be observed.