UHV facility for metal–semiconductor thin-film studies

A unique multifunction apparatus consisting of a surface analysis chamber operating at 1×10−8 Pa connected by a 4.5-m-long beam line to a 3.75-MeV Van de Graaff accelerator operating at 1×10−4 Pa is described. The bakeable, all-metal sealed beam line contains collimating, blocking, focusing, and steering facilities for the MeV ion beam and is differentially pumped with a turbomolecular pump to 4×10−7 Pa after a mild (100°C) bakeout. The chamber contains surface preparation equipment, a double-pass CMA for AES and ELS, and facilities for metal evaporation at P?8×10−7 Pa from an electron-beam source while simultaneously performing MEED. A specially designed manipulator allows samples to be cleaned, annealed, and characterized prior to in situ evaporation. The resulting metal–semiconductor couple may also be annealed in situ and characterized by AES, MEED, and Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy.