Abstract
This study reports on preliminary experiments which are required to define the experimental conditionsfor depositing CoSb3 thin films by the electrochemical atomic layer epitaxy (EC-ALE) method. The underpotentialdeposition (UPD) of cobalt and antimony on polycrystalline gold substrates has been investigatedby means of cyclic voltammetry, anodic potentiodynamic scanning and coulometry. The UPD ofSb on Co-covered Au and of Co on Sb-covered Au have also been studied and compared to those obtainedon bare Au substrate.The UPD potential values for both Co and Sb are reported in this paper, and owing to the flexibility of theEC-ALE equipment, new insights on the Co UPD on gold substrate are presented. This study shows thatthe subsequent alternate deposition of Co and Sb monolayers is feasible and thus that the EC-ALE methodcan be used to elaborate CoSb3 thin films.