Bi on Si(111)

Bi on Si(111)

Day before: HF dip and load sample. I generally run my STOs in the morning because they're short, but you can set up the Bi one to run overnight if you prefer.

Growth day:

  • Morning: Set Bi tip to desired temp. Bi base and tip will heat up. Ramp up time ~ 1 hour

  • Go to lab

  • Move trolley from LC to BC. Close gate valve. Load first Si wafer onto HTS. Move trolley as far as possible from HTS. Bake for 1 hour at 450 C.

  • Set HVP to 25

  • Record background pressures

  • Make sure CAR is in transfer position

  • While baking, run Bi STO (see recipe section). The Bi tip temperature / BEP conversion is very stable over time.

  • After STO, double check Bi BEP manually

  • Turn off beam flux IG

  • Ramp up RHEED to 1.5 A and 10 kV

  • After HTS bake, set HTS to 10, wait for temperature to drop below 250 C

  • Move first sample from HTS to GC

    • Move first sample from HTS to trolley

    • Set substrate heater to manual

    • Open GV between GC and BC, then shutter. Make sure to lock shutter in open position

    • Transfer off RHEED block

    • Transfer in first sample

    • Close shutter, then GV

  • Put substrate heater back in auto, set to 450 C for away bake (10 - 15 minutes)

  • Transfer second sample to HTS, start second sample HTS bake

  • After away bake, start "deox" bake (not a true deox, actually desorbing hydrogen passivation + any crap)

    • Rotate CAR to growth position

    • Open RHEED to check wafer has made it

    • Start substrate rotation

    • Set substrate temperature to 750 C (thermocouple)

    • Stop substrate rotation (rotating above 800 C may damage the CAR bearings)

    • Set substrate temperature to 990 C (thermocouple)

    • Deox bake for 15 minutes at 990 C thermocouple. This should be 740-760 C pyro. Since it's the max temperature, and I use it every time, I don't check with the pyro on every growth. The pyro doesn't monitor the low temperatures I need for growth very well, and black body doesn't work well for Si, so I use the thermocouple (TC) for everything.

  • After deox, cool down and face cryoshroud

    • Set substrate temp to 5 degrees below desired growth temp

    • When TC < 750 C, start substrate rotation

    • When TC < 650 C, stop rotation. Manually rotate CAR past transfer position to the hard stop. The CAR is now facing the internal GC cryoshroud. The purpose of this is to prevent crap desorbed from chamber walls from 990 C to land on cooling sample, and to speed up cooling

    • Wait for TC to be about 10 degrees ABOVE desired growth temp. This takes ~1.5 hours.

    • MAKE SURE to come in before TC reaches set temperature - otherwise significant power oscillation will occur and overly increase the temperature

  • Remember to cool down HTS once second sample has finished baking

  • Set substrate heater to manual, power output 0

  • After first sample reaches set growth temperature, return CAR to growth position

  • Start substrate rotation, 5-10 RPM

  • Load Bi growth recipe with appropriate thickness, and growth rate for the BEP., run recipe

  • Monitor with RHEED and record the nominal thickness of the double lined to 1x1 RHEED transition. This is the point where the (012) to (001) transition should occur in XRD (corresponding to the A17 to A7 structural transition). Recording this each time can help us determine the transition dependence on substrate temp, growth rate, etc.

  • After growth, promptly transfer first sample to trolley

  • Replace with second sample and repeat as applicable

  • After finishing all growths

    • Transfer RHEED block back in

    • Move trolley with grown wafers to LC

    • Ramp down RHEED

    • Idle Bi cell

    • Turn on BF gauge

    • Set HTS to normal temp

    • Any other standard procedures I forgot to list

    • Unload sample and load for next grower