High temperature epitaxial growth and structure of Nb films on α–Al₂O₃(0001)

Epitaxial Nb thin films were grown via molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) at different substrate temperatures on α–Al₂O₃(0001) substrates. For temperatures of 900 °C to 1100 °C, it was found that Nb grows in the Volmer–Weber growth mode (formation of three-dimensional crystallites). Depending on the growth temperature, different epitaxial orientations of Nb films can be found. At a growth temperature of 900 °C, the Nb{111} planes are parallel to the sapphire basal plane whereas at 1100 °C the Nb grows with the {110} planes on the basal plane of sapphire. These orientations are present even in the initial stages of growth at both temperatures. The formation of two different epitaxial orientations of thick Nb films can be conclusively explained only by considering both the change in the total density of Nb islands with temperature and the influence of island size on the total energy of the islands. The Nb island growth process has been investigatedin situusing reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were employed to determine the morphology and structure of Nb islands, Nb films, and Nb/α–Al₂O₃interfaces.