Silicide formation at palladium surfaces. Part II: Amorphous silicide growth at the Pd(100) surface

The morphology and reactivity of the Si/Pd(100) surface is studied by the in-situ combination of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS) of adsorbed CO. Si adsorption on Pd(100) is found to be reactive: above 140 K the deposited Si reacts with the substrate to form palladium silicide. In the studied temperature range, 150 K≤ T≤600 K, the silicide structure is amorphous. STM and RAIRS measurements reveal an incomplete chemical reaction at the interface with unreacted Si clusters interspersed in a homogeneous film of Pd ₂Si.