Electrodeposition of PbSe epitaxial films on (111) InP
Epitaxial growth of PbSe is addressed on (111) InP single crystals by electrodeposition from aqueous solutions containing Se(IV), Pb(II) and Cd(II). The structure of the deposits is studied by reflection high-energy electron diffraction and X-ray diffraction. It is shown that an epitaxial growth is only observed in the presence of cadmium in the electrolyte. The best epitaxy is obtained for an optimal 0.5 M cadmium concentration.
While alloy deposition is a frequently studied topic analysis of the alloy phases formed is a complex and often destructive process. In the current study the complex copper–tin alloy system has been studied in deep eutectic solvents using a variety of electrochemical and surface analysis techniques to determine the mechanism of alloy deposition and composition of deposits. The use of electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance is shown to enable real-time monitoring of alloy composition and the latter is shown to be very dependent upon the concentration of ions in solution. For this system X-ray diffraction was also used to study the phase behaviour of the deposits as a function of solution composition and current density. Finally it was shown for the first time that brighteners used for copper deposition in aqueous solutions also work in ionic liquids.