Formation of manganese silicides on the Si(111)7 $\times$ 7 surface

The initial stages of the growth of manganese films on the Si(111)7 $\times$ 7 surface at room temperature and reactions of solid-phase synthesis of manganese silicides, which occur during annealing these films in the temperature range up to 600$^\circ$C, have been investigated using high-energy-resolution photoelectron spectroscopy with synchrotron radiation. It has been shown that the deposition of manganese on the silicon surface leads to the formation of interfacial manganese silicide and a film of the silicon solid solution in manganese. The growth of a metallic manganese film begins after the deposition of $\sim$ 6 $\mathring{\mathrm{A}}$ Mn. The segregation of silicon is observed in the coverage range of 17 $\mathring{\mathrm{A}}$ Mn. The annealing of the sample with a coverage of 25 $\mathring{\mathrm{A}}$ Mn in the temperature range of 200–400$^\circ$C leads to the formation of a Mn–Si solid solution and manganese monosilicide. A further increase in the temperature to 600$^\circ$C results in the transformation of MnSi into the semiconductor silicide MnSi$_{1.7}$.