Effect of high-energy electron beam irradiation on the surface morphology of CaF2/Si(100) heterostructures

The effect of high-energy electron beam irradiation on the surface morphology of CaF2 films in the course of molecular-beam epitaxy on Si(100) substrates is studied by atomic-force microscopy. It is shown that not only do morphological defects significantly change their shape in the electron beam spot, but also their average height more than doubles.