Epitaxial growth of high quality b-FeSi2 layers on Si(1 1 1) under the presence of an Sb ¯ux

b-FeSi2 layers were grown on Si(1 1 1) substrates by Fe deposition and simultaneous reaction with Si under the presence of an Sb ¯ux. High quality epitaxial layers were obtained at the substrate temperature of 6508C with smooth interface between the reactive resultant b-FeSi2 layers and Si substrates, in comparison to the layers grown by conventional reactive deposition epitaxy (RDE). Sb/Fe ¯ux ratio dependence of the structural property was examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Photoluminescence spectra were also measured at low temperature. # 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.