Abstract
The atomic arrangement of the PtSi-Si(111) interface and epitaxial growth of PtSi on Si(111) have been investigated using lattice imaging. Small PtSi domains (20–40nm) which have three equivalent positions on Si(111) grow epitaxially all over the substrate with an atomically uneven interface. However, the transition from a PtSi lattice to a Si lattice is abrupt. The interface has atomic steps, which have been verified by image simulations at the interface. Atomic-scale models of the interface consistent with the observed lattice images have been derived. In the proposed models, inclined interfaces increase the local coherency between PtSi and Si. The validity of the models has been examined by classical ideas of interphase boundaries.