GROWTH-KINETICS OF ANTIMONY LAYERS DEPOSITED ON GLASS AND SIOX IN ULTRAHIGH-VACUUM

The growth kinetics of antimony layers deposited on glass and SiOx in a vacuum of 2 x 10(-7) Pa under a constant incident rate of antimony vapour molecules is investigated for substrate temperatures T(s) between 143 and 353 K. The mean growth rate R(d) is estimated for antimony on glass by examining the relationship between the final mean thickness and the final frequency shift of a quartz oscillator through the deposition and activation energies for nucleation and growth evaluated for antimony on SiOx by electron microscopy studies. R(d) decreases only monotonically with an increase in T(s). The activation energy Q for growth of islands by their mutual coalescence is evaluated to be 0.081 +/- 0.002 eV for T(s) greater-than-or-equal-to 273 K and 0.020 +/- 0.001 eV for T(s) less-than-or-equal-to 273 K by the use of a delta(c) is-proportional-to exp(-Q/kT(s)) expression where delta(c) is the thickness at which the layer transforms from a discrete island structure to an interlinked continuous structure. The adsorption energy E(a) of admolecules to the substrate and their diffusion energy E(d) on the substrate are evaluated through the analysis of, first, changes in island density with deposition time for various values of T(s) in terms of Zinsmeister's theory and, secondly, a relationship of saturated island density to T(s) in terms of Robinson and Robins's theory. Then E(a) and E(d) are tentatively evaluated to be 0.26 +/- 0.01 eV and 0.14 +/- 0.01 eV from the former analysis and to be 0.22 +/- 0.02 eV and 0.069 +/- 0.015 eV from the latter analysis.