FORMATION OF MAGNESIUM NITRIDE LAYERS ON THE MG(0001) SURFACE BY ION-IMPLANTATION
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abstract
Thin films of magnesium nitride have been formed on the Mg(0001) surface at room temperature by exposing the surface to nitrogen ions produced by an ion gun. The reaction of nitrogen with magnesium to form magnesium nitride was verified by examination of the alteration of the energies and lineshapes of the low energy magnesium Auger transitions. By comparison with the nitrogen KVV transitions which exhibit the same splitting, the multiplet of magnesium lines following nitrogen implantation can be attributed to cross-transitions between the magnesium core level and nitrogen valence bands. Nitrogen ion uptake experiments demonstrate that the nitride films formed by implantation are homogeneous and possess a fixed stoichiometry, independent of the energy of the impinging nitrogen ions. A model based on the assumptions of preferential sputtering of nitrogen atoms and radiation-enhanced diffusion was developed to explain the depth profiles. The nitride film thicknesses estimated with this model are 9.9, 33.0 and 44.3 following reaction of magnesium with nitrogen ions with thermal energy, 1.0 and 2.0 keV, respectively. 1987 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V.