Effect of Substrates and Thermal Treatments on Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition-Grown Sb₂Te₃ Thin Films

Antimony telluride (Sb₂Te₃) thin films were obtained by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The films were grown on crystalline Si(100) and Al₂O₃(0001) and amorphous SiO₂ and a-Al₂O₃ substrates. Their structural properties were compared with those of the Sb₂Te₃/Si­(111) heterostructure. In addition to the effect of the substrate, the influence of pre- and post-growth thermal annealing is also presented. The quality of the films is discussed by comparing their morphological properties, such as roughness and granularity, and ascertaining their crystallinity and their in-plane and out-of-plane orientation.