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In situ chemical surface analyses using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were performed to understand the initial stages of TiO 2 thin-film MOCVD growth. Deposits on Si (1 0 0), a few nanometres thick, were obtained at a fixed temperature of 650 °C and for two different pressures, 2.9 and 0.05 mbar, using titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) as precursor. Pressure lowering led to a higher deposit growth rate. Reduction of titanium with respect to stoichiometric titanium dioxide and oxidation of the wet-cleaned silicon substrate are observed from decomposition of the Ti 2p and Si 2p peaks. The formation of a TiSi x O y mixed oxide is also pointed out and confirmed by the presence of a characteristic component in the O 1 s peak.

Molybdenum has been deposited at room temperature on stoichiometric TiO 2 (1 1 0) surfaces with two deposition rates: 0.1 equivalent monolayer (eqML) and 1.5 eqML min −1 . X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy studies clearly reveal an effect of the deposition rate upon the growth mode and the interfacial reaction. Indeed, whereas a strong interfacial reaction between Mo and TiO 2 involves a Stranski–Krastanov growth mode with the formation of amorphous molybdenum oxide monolayers for the lowest deposition rate, no reaction can be observed for the highest deposition rate. Moreover in this latter case, the growth mode seems to be a 3D one. These differences are discussed from a pure kinetics point of view.

This paper presents the growth and characterization of metallic gallium three-dimensional (3D) structures and preliminary results of their transformation into GaN-like structures. The structures were grown by metal-organic vapour phase epitaxy (MOVPE), using trimethyl gallium as gallium precursor on silicon (1 0 0). The growth temperature was between 550°C and 750°C. Interesting and new metallic structures were obtained with our growth parameters: balloon (montgolfier-like structure) and cauliflower-like. These metallic structures can grow up perpendicular to the substrate surface and have diameters between 0.1 and 5 μm, depending on the growth conditions. Moreover, selective metallic growth was obtained with our growth conditions. Some discussions about the growth mechanism are also presented. The Ga 3D nitridation process was carried out by annealing under NH 3 between 650°C and 750°C, far below the conventional nitridation temperature in MOVPE. Preliminary X-ray diffraction results show that a GaN-like structure can be obtained at such low nitridation temperature.

GaAs (100) substrates have been heat-treated in a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition reactor under flows of NH 3 and an oxygen organo-metallic precursor at temperatures between 650°C and 750°C. Yellowish films formed at the surface of all the samples. Gallium, nitrogen and oxygen were detected by EDX analysis of the films. The oxygen content was estimated in the range of at 5-10 at% depending on the heat-treatment temperature. X-ray diffraction and HRTEM results indicate that the structure of the films corresponds to the hexagonal wurtzite phase of GaN with an expanded unit cell. Raman spectra show hands corresponding to the Raman active GaN modes as well as disorder-activated broad bands below 450 cm -1 related to the oxygen content in the films.