Growth of the room temperature Au/Si(111)-(7×7) interface

Synchrotron radiation photoemission spectroscopy suggests that the room temperature grown Au/Si(111) interface is an abrupt interface with the contact made by metallic Au and bulk Si. Si 2[ital p] core level spectra show no sign of an interface component, but only the surface reacted and bulk Si components during the growth of the interface. A surface Au-Si alloy film is first formed for Au coverages below 3 monolayers. The alloy is then stabilized into an Au[sub 3]Si-like film and detached from the Si substrate when metallic Au starts nucleation in between.