Room-Temperature Reaction between Laser Chemical Vapor Deposited Selenium and Some Metals

Laser-chemical vapor deposition (LCVD) of elemental selenium onto the surface of several metals (Ag, Cu, Cd, Zn, Mg, Sn) has been achieved using photolytic decomposition of diethyl selenium, and the interaction between the deposited selenium coatings and the metal surface has been examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and electron microscopy. It is revealed that thin coatings of Se take part in a solid-state chemical reaction with Ag, Cd, Cu, Mg, and Zn substrates and demonstrated for the first time that the reaction between amorphous selenium and these metals (and not only Cu) does not require high temperatures but takes place at room temperature. The results reveal the feasibility of room-temperature selenization of metals.