Cerium(III) fluoride thin films by XPS

Nanocrystalline cerium fluoride thin films were synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using Ce(hfa)3*diglyme (hfa=1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoro-2,4-pentanedionate; diglyme=bis (2-metoxyethyl)ether) as precursor compound on Si(100) under N2+O2 atmosphere. The obtained samples were analyzed by glancing-incidence x-ray diffraction (GIXRD), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), for a thorough characterization of their microstructure, chemical composition, and morphology. This work is specifically dedicated to the XPS characterization of a representative CeF3 thin film deposited at 350 °C. Besides the wide scan spectrum, detailed spectra for the Ce 3d, F 1s, O 1s, and C 1s regions and related data are presented and discussed. Both the F/Ce atomic ratio and Ce 3d peak shape and position point out to the formation of CeF3 films, in agreement with the structural characterization. Moreover, carbon contamination is merely limited to the outermost sample layers.