LiF thin layers on Si(1 0 0) studied by ESD, LEED, AES, and AFM

Thin layers of LiF deposited on Si(1 0 0) single crystal were investigated by ESD, LEED, AES and AFM. The results show that the surface morphology strongly influences the kinetic energy distributions of desorbed ions in ESD experiments. LiF deposited at elevated temperatures or at room temperature and subsequently annealed forms preferentially 3D islands leaving uncovered Si areas between them. Annealing of the LiF/Si system at higher temperature makes the uncovered Si areas wider and the 3D LiF islands higher. The 1 × 1 reconstruction observed for the annealed systems is attributed to the uncovered Si substrate areas. Layers deposited at 150–300 K did not show an ordered structure. It is suggested that the LiF/Si(1 0 0) system may offer some potential possibility for nanofabrication.