Synergistic Effect of He for the Fabrication of Ne and Ar Gas-Charged Silicon Thin Films as Solid Targets for Spectroscopic Studies

• Published in: Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 14; no. 8; p. 727
• Main Authors: Fernández, Asunción, Godinho, Vanda, Ávila, José, Jiménez de Haro, M Carmen, Hufschmidt, Dirk, López-Viejobueno, Jennifer, Almanza-Vergara, G Eduardo, Ferrer, F Javier, Colaux, Julien L, Lucas, Stephane, Asensio, M Carmen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 21.04.2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Absorption; Analytical techniques; Argon; Carbon; Dielectric films; Electron microscopy; Energy; Fabrication; Gas mixtures; gas-charged Si films; Gases; Growth models; Helium; IBA analysis; Ion beams; magnetron sputtering; microstructural characterization; Ne, Ar and He solid targets; Neon; Nuclear reactions; Photoelectric emission; Photoelectrons; Properties; Rare gases; Scanning electron microscopy; Scanning microscopy; Silicon; Silicon films; Silicon wafers; Spectra; Structure; Synergistic effect; Thin films; X ray photoelectron spectroscopy; XPS and XAS spectroscopic analyses; Spain; Netherlands; Berlin Germany; Japan; Germany; microstructural characterization; magnetron sputtering; gas-charged Si films; Ne, Ar and He solid targets; IBA analysis; XPS and XAS spectroscopic analyses
• DOI: 10.3390/nano14080727
• ISSN: 2079-4991

Sputtering of silicon in a He magnetron discharge (MS) has been reported as a bottom-up procedure to obtain He-charged silicon films (i.e., He nanobubbles encapsulated in a silicon matrix). The incorporation of heavier noble gases is demonstrated in this work with a synergistic effect, producing increased Ne and Ar incorporations when using He-Ne and He-Ar gas mixtures in the MS process. Microstructural and chemical characterizations are reported using ion beam analysis (IBA) and scanning and transmission electron microscopies (SEM and TEM). In addition to gas incorporation, He promotes the formation of larger nanobubbles. In the case of Ne, high-resolution X-ray photoelectron and absorption spectroscopies (XPS and XAS) are reported, with remarkable dependence of the Ne 1s photoemission and the Ne K-edge absorption on the nanobubble's size and composition. The gas (He, Ne and Ar)-charged thin films are proposed as "solid" targets for the characterization of spectroscopic properties of noble gases in a confined state without the need for cryogenics or high-pressure anvils devices. Also, their use as targets for nuclear reaction studies is foreseen.