Ultrahigh vacuum deposition of higher manganese silicide Mn4Si7 thin films

The authors have successfully grown one of the higher manganese silicides, Mn4Si7 thin films on silicon (100) substrates using an ultrahigh vacuum deposition with a base pressure of 1 x 10(-9) Torr. The thickness of the film was varied from 65 to 100 nm. These films exhibit a tetragonal crystal structure and display paramagnetic behavior as predicted for the stoichiometric Mn4Si7 system. They have a resistivity of 3.32 x 10(-5) Omega m at room temperature and show a semimetallic nature. (C) 2015 American Vacuum Society.