Investigation of phase transitions

An investigation of layers of CuCl grown on the (3) face of silicon has been undertaken. Detailed studies using ESCA for analysis have led to the development of an effective etching and cleaning procedure for silicon surfaces. The CuCl layers can not be grown by vapor phase transport, nor from liquid fluxes using a dipping technique, but polycrystalline layers may be grown using an improved slider-boat technique. The CuCl/silicon specimens exhibit a dielectric anomaly. The temperature of the onset of the dielectric anomaly varies from specimen to specimen, and it also depends on the history of the specimen. Materials research designed to determine the factors which affect this phenomenon is underway.