The formation of tin oxides in thin-film Sn/C/KCl(100) structures

The formation of oxides upon the thermal annealing (both in air and vacuum) of island tin films grown on a KCl(100) substrate, which was coated by a thin layer of amorphous carbon, has been investigated by transmission electron microscopy. It is established that thermal annealing at temperatures below the tin melting point ( T m ) does not lead to phase transitions with the formation of new crystalline oxide phases. At the same time, the films undergo structural changes: the average size of blocks in the substrate plane decreases compared to those in an as-deposited film. Thermal annealing in air at temperatures above the tin melting point leads to the formation of multiphase oxide structures and increases the average size of blocks and islands in the substrate plane. It is shown that preliminary thermal annealing in air at temperatures below T m hinders oxidation upon subsequent heat treatment.