Characterization of molecular beam epitaxy grown CdF2 layers by x-ray diffraction and CaF2:Sm photoluminescence probe

Abstract

For studies of crystal quality and strain relaxation in heterostructures with epitaxial CdF2 and CaF2 layers on Si(111), differential double crystal x-ray diffractometry and impurity photoluminescence techniques were used. The crystalline quality of molecular beam epitaxy grown CdF2 layers can be high and comparable with that of III–V compound pseudomorphic heterostructures. The best results were obtained for CdF2 layers grown on CaF2 buffer layers which were coherent with the Si substrate.