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HL: Fachverband Halbleiterphysik
HL 42: Nitrides III – Emerging thin films and electrochemistry
HL 42.4: Vortrag
Donnerstag, 12. März 2026, 12:15–12:30, POT/0006
Epitaxial YbN thin films grown by nitrogen plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy — Yitong Chen1,2, •Anna Meléndez Sans1,3, Shin-ichi Kimura2,4,5, Liu Hao Tjeng1, and Simone Altendorf1 — 1Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, Dresden, Germany — 2Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, The University of Osaka, Toyonaka, Japan — 3Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain — 4Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, The University of Osaka, Suita, Japan — 5Institute for Molecular Science, Okazaki, Japan
Rare-earth mononitrides display interesting magnetic and semiconducting properties due to the strongly correlated and localized 4f electrons. However, extreme air sensitivity and poor stoichiometry hindered research on bulk samples when they were first discovered. Modern advancements in UHV-based thin film growth techniques have opened the possibility to synthesize and study high quality samples.
Unlike most of the rare-earths, which can break the molecular nitrogen bond, Yb does not react with nitrogen gas and therefore requires an activated nitrogen source for the synthesis of YbN.
Here we present our growth study on YbN thin films grown by nitrogen plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy, using different substrates (MgO and LaAlO3) and growth conditions. The films were characterized in situ with photoelectron spectroscopy, confirming their semiconducting character and the Yb valence as 3+. Photon-energy dependence of the valence band spectra revealed a significant hybridization of the Yb 4f and N 2p states.
Keywords: Rare-earth mononitride; Molecular beam epitaxy growth; Nitrogen plasma; Thin film; Ultra-high vacuum