Growth of MnSi1.7 Layers on MnSi Substrate by Molten Salt Method

MnSi1.7 layers have been successfully grown using a molten salt method. It was found that homogeneous MnSi1.7 layers with columnar domain structure can be grown on MnSi substrates. The dependence of the thickness and domain structure of the layers on the growth conditions was investigated. It was found that the deposited atoms, namely Si, were the dominant diffusion species, and the formation of Kirkendall voids was avoided for the silicidation reaction based on interdiffusion. The layer thickness could be controlled by the growth temperature and time, and was diffusion controlled. The interdiffusion coefficient was approximately 5 × 10−10 cm2/s for growth temperature of 900°C. The activation energy of interdiffusion was deduced to be approximately 1.1 eV for growth of the MnSi1.7 layers. This growth technique provides a simple and controllable method to grow large-area, high-quality MnSi1.7 layers.