Elaboration and characterization of Fe/silica-nanofilm tailored surfaces

• Fe/silica patterned surfaces are created using PECVD followed by photolithography.
• PECVD reproduces chemistry of silica formed during annealing of Si alloyed steels.
• Silica layer is amorphous and well stoichiometric of 70 nm thick.
• At the SiO2/Fe interface polycrystalline sub-layer of magnetite is detected.
• The height of patterns is slightly higher than the total thickness of oxide layers.

PECVD method with subsequent photolithography process has been used to create different tailored surfaces of Fe/silica with silicon oxide representative to that formed during recrystallization annealing of Si alloyed steels, i.e. stoichiometric, amorphous and about 50 nm in thickness. The tailored surfaces have been characterized by different analytical techniques like XPS, AES, Raman, FIB-TEM, AFM and mechanical profilometry.