AuSn and AuSn2 thin films (5 nm) were used as precursors during the formation of semiconducting metal oxide nanostructures on a silicon substrate. The nanoparticles were produced in the processes of annealing and oxidation of gold-tin intermetallic compounds under ultra-high vacuum conditions. The formation process and morphology of a mixture of SnO2 and Au@SnOx (the core-shell structure) nanoparticles or Au nanocrystalites were carefully examined by means of spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The annealing and oxidation of the thin film of the AuSn intermetallic compound led to the formation of uniformly distributed structures with a size of ∼20-30 nm. All of the synthesized nanoparticles exhibited a strong absorption band at 520-530 nm, which is typical for pure metallic or metal oxide systems.
Keywords: Au–Sn; core–shell; intermetallic compounds; microstructure; thin films.