Graphene growth on a Pt(111) substrate by surface segregation and precipitation

We report on the fabrication of a sizable graphene sheet on a carbon-doped Pt(111) substrate through surface segregation and precipitation. Scanning Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) reveals that the graphene covered more than 98% of the substrate surface. Our graphene consists of single-layer graphene across the substrate with fractions of several micrometer wide bi- and tri-layer graphene islands. We also show that the number of graphene layers can be precisely determined by analyzing AES data. While Raman spectroscopy is usually used to study graphene on SiO?, we show that AES is a powerful tool to characterize graphene grown on metal substrates.     

Secondary electron spectra of graphene on Ni(111) surface

We report on kinetic energy distributions of electrons emitted during bombardment of graphene adsorbed on a Ni(111) surface by 0.5-0.9 keV electrons. The spectra reveal several peaks superimposed on the background of cascade electrons. The position of these peaks does not depend significantly on primary electron energy but show a remarkable angular dependence, indicating that they are directly related to the empty bands above the vacuum level of the sample.     

Anomalous surface diffusion of C60 and anisotropic growth of nano islands on Ni(111)

The migration behavior of C60 on Ni(111) has been inferred from its growth morphology at various substrate temperatures, as observed with scanning tunneling microscopy. The number density of islands increased and their average sizes decreased anomalously in the temperature range of approximately 573 K to approximately 973 K. This trend contradicts the prediction in conventional nucleation theory. At low and high temperatures, C60 commence nucleation on both sides of surface steps in a "bi-directional step flow" mode. However, anisotropy occurs within an intermediate temperature range, in which C60 nucleate predominantly at upper step edges. Surprisingly, in-situ growth measurements at this intermediate temperature range revealed that C60 actually start nucleating from lower step edges, with concomitant formation of Ni terraces underneath. These anomalous thermal dependence of diffusivity and the peculiar growth morphology of C60 on Ni(111) are attributed to C60-induced reconstruction of Ni(111) at higher temperature.     

Formation of Extended Covalently Bonded Ni Porphyrin Networks on the Au（lll） Surface

The growth and ordering of {5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-bromophenyl)porphyrinato}nickel(II) (NiTBrPP) molecules on the Au(111) surface have been investigated using scanning tunnelling microscopy, X-ray absorption, core-level photoemission, and microbeam low-energy electron diffraction. When deposited onto the substrate at room temperature, the NiTBrPP forms a well-ordered close-packed molecular layer in which the molecules have a flat orientation with the porphyrin macrocycle plane lying parallel to the substrate. Annealing of the NiTBrPP layer on the Au(111) surface at 525 K leads to dissociation of bromine from the porphyrin followed by the formation of covalent bonds between the phenyl substituents of the porphyrin. This results in the formation of continuous covalently bonded porphyrin networks, which are stable up to 800 K and can be recovered after exposure to ambient conditions. By controlling the experimental conditions, a robust, extended porphyrin network can be prepared on the Au(111) surface that has many potential applications such as protective coatings, in sensing or as a host structure for molecules and clusters.     

The nucleation and growth of borophene on the Ag (111) surface

B sheets have been intently studied, and various candidates with vacancies have been reported in theoretical investigations, including their possible growth on metal surfaces. However, a recent experiment reported that the borophene formed on a Ag (111) surface consisted of a buckled triangular lattice without vacancies. Our calculations propose a novel nucleation mechanism of B clusters and emphasize the B–Ag interaction in the growth process of borophene, demonstrating the structural evolution of triangular fragments with various profiles and vacancy distributions. Compared with the triangular lattice without vacancies, we have confirmed that the sheet energetically favored during the nucleation and growth is that containing 1/6 vacancies in a stripe pattern, whose scanning tunneling microscopy image is in better agreement with the experimental observation.

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The epitaxial growth of Ag on Si(111)-(7 x 7) surface and its (√3x√3)-R30 surface phase transformation

Ag is adsorbed in ultra-high vacuum on to the (7x7) reconstructed Si(111) surface with submonolayer coverage control with a deposition rate of 3-3 x 10¹² atoms/cm²/sec. The initial stages of growth and intermediate equilibrium phase formation are determined by using low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and X-ray photoelectron diffraction (XPD) for structural information, and auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) for composition and interaction analyses. Room temperature (RT) adsorption results in the nearly epitaxial (1 x 1) surface phase growth in the simultaneous multi-layer growth mode. The quenching of the dangling bond states during adsorption is observed by monitoring thep-character of the Si LVV auger peak. For depositions carried out at high temperatures (HT), several plateaus in the auger uptake curve with the (√3 x √3)-R30° LEED structures are formed. It is observed that a minimum coverage of 0–33 monolayer (ML) is required for the formation of the (√3 x √3) phase and this phase causes the reappearance of thep-electron-related states that were quenched by 1.0 ML adsorption at RT. However the (√3 x √3) is observed for higher coverages (0.66 and 1.0 ML) also. The polar angle anisotropy of Si(2p) emission in XPD indicates the rearrangement of substrate Si atoms for the formation of the (√3 x √3) phase. The EELS data also shows relevant changes due to adsorption of Ag at RT and upon annealing. The results suggest the importance of controlled deposition parameters, the lack of which may have kept the determination of the nature and coverage of the (√3 x √3) surface phase unresolved in literature.     

Initial epitaxial growth of (111) Au/(111) Cu and (111) Cu/(111) Au

The room temperature modes of growth of Au/(111) Cu and Cu/(111) Au are described. For the former growth mode initial deposits (2.4 Å) of gold on copper form smooth flat islands delineated by coincidence lattice misfit dislocations. For 6.0 Å of gold deposit, both thick and thin gold areas were observed with almost complete substrate coverage. For a 10 Å deposit, surface coverage was complete. Strain measurements and dislocation densities obtained on the (111) Au/(111) Cu films suggest the presence of two separate misfit dislocation networks at the interface. The coincidence lattice networks were large enough for transmission electron microscopy observation but contributed little to total overlayer strain. The (van der Merwe) natural lattice misfit dislocations were too closely spaced for direct observation but their presence was inferred because of the strain measurements. The initial epitaxy of Cu/(111) Au was similar to the Stranski-Krastanov model: the initial monolayer of copper (also delineated by coincidence misfit dislocations) grew smoothly on the gold; additional copper formed essentially stress-free “nuclei” on top of the initial copper layer.     

Epitaxial growth of Ni films sputter-deposited on a GaAs(001) surface covered with a MgO film

We studied the epitaxial growth of a Ni film prepared on a GaAs(001) substrate covered with a thin epitaxial MgO buffer film, assuming that this buffer film plays a key role in the epitaxial growth of the Ni film. The MgO and Ni films were deposited by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering of the MgO and Ni targets in pure Ar gas. First, a MgO film of thickness ranging from 78 to 4.4 nm was deposited on the GaAs(001) substrate at a temperature ranging from ambient temperature to 700 °C, and then, a 136-nm-thick Ni film was deposited on the MgO/GaAs substrate at a temperature range 300-500 °C. Using transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometry, we showed that the MgO film grows with the epitaxial relationship MgO(001)[001]//GaAs(001)[001] on GaAs(001) at 500 °C, and that the structure of the Ni film depends on three factors: the MgO/GaAs substrate temperature, the MgO thickness, and the annealing condition of the MgO/GaAs substrate before the Ni deposition. In conclusion, we proved that the Ni film grows with the epitaxial relationship Ni(001)[001]//MgO(001)[001]//GaAs(001)[001] on MgO/GaAs with the 4.4-nm-thick MgO film when the MgO/GaAs substrate is annealed in situ at room temperature before the Ni deposition and maintained at 300 °C during the Ni deposition.     

Features of defect formation on a deformed Si(111) surface

Dynamics of the surface relief on a Si(111) single crystal face of a sample subjected to biaxial lateral extension after mechanical or chemical polishing was studied using scanning tunneling microscopy. In both cases, despite certain differences, the sample surface shows evidence of relief dynamics on a nanometer scale and exhibits a fractal character of the spatial structure formed in late stages of the process.     

Si(111)衬底上多层石墨烯薄膜的外延生长

利用固源分子束外延(SSMBE)技术, 在Si(111)衬底上沉积碳原子外延生长石墨烯薄膜, 通过反射式高能电子衍射(RHEED)、红外吸收谱(FTIR)、拉曼光谱(RAMAN)和X射线吸收精细结构谱(NEXAFS)等手段对不同衬底温度(400、600、700、800℃)生长的薄膜进行结构表征. RAMAN和NEXAFS结果表明: 在800℃下制备的薄膜具有石墨烯的特征, 而 400、600和700℃生长的样品为非晶或多晶碳薄膜. RHEED和FTIR结果表明, 沉积温度在600℃以下时C原子和衬底Si原子没有成键, 而衬底温度提升到700℃以上, 沉积的C原子会先和衬底Si原子反应形成SiC缓冲层, 且在800℃沉积时缓冲层质量较好. 因此在Si衬底上制备石墨烯薄膜需要较高的衬底温度和高质量的SiC缓冲层.     

Investigations of surface structure for thermally evaporated silicon on a Cu(111) surface

The surface structure and composition of semiconductor/Cu(111) films prepared by thermal evaporation in an ultrahigh vacuum condition have been investigated. As Si atoms were deposited on a Cu(111) surface, diffused spots were observed up to 2 monolayers while 1 × 1 spots become dimmer as revealed using low-energy electron diffraction technique. Because of a larger electron affinity of Si than that of Cu, the Cu L₃M₄₅M₄₅ Auger line shifts to a lower kinetic energy. Annealing treatments at 425 K causes a splitting of the Cu L₃M₄₅M₄₅ line. This shows the interdiffusion at the Si/Cu interface and the formation of a Cu-rich surface layer. After annealing treatments, the domains grow and aggregate to form larger domains as revealed by the decreasing full-width at half maximum of diffraction spots. Ge/Cu(111) shows 1 × 1 structure as annealing up to 500 K. Lack of a dominant structure and a large valence diameter of Ge result in different structures as compared to Si/Cu(111).     

The growth and transformation of Pd2Si on (111), (110) and (100) Si

Thin Pd films on (111), (110), (100) and amorphous Si substrates form [001] fiber textured Pd₂Si in the temperature range 100°–700°C. The degree of texture is a function of substrate orientation, increasing in the order amorphous Si, (100) Si, (110) Si and (111) Si. Only on the (111) Si substrate is the Pd₂Si film epitaxially oriented. Temperature-dependent growth on this orientation can be characterized by [001] textured growth, epitaxial azimuth orientation at the Si interface and progressive layer by layer formation of the mosaic crystal to the thin film surface.During Pd deposition, rapid non-diffusion-controlled growth of epitaxial Pd₂Si on (111) Si occurs at substrate temperatures of 100° and 200°C. An unidentified palladium silicide of low crystallographic symmetry forms during Pd deposition onto a 50°C substrate. The diffusion-controlled growth of Pd₂Si on (111) Si follows a t^0.5 dependence. The velocity constant is

$\text{k = 7 × 10}{}^{\mathrm{?2}}\text{exp}\text{?}\text{29200±800}\text{RT}\text{cm}{}^2\text{/}\text{sec}$

Palladium deposited on 100°C (111) Ge substrates reacts during deposition to form epitaxially oriented Pd₂Ge. However, growth of this phase at higher temperatures results in a randomly oriented film. The transformation of Pd₂Ge to PdGe is kinetically controlled. After a 15 min anneal at 560°±10°C in N₂ only PdGe is detectable on (111) Ge.The high temperature stability of thin film Pd₂Si is controlled by time- temperature kinetics. For a given annealing cycle, the nucleation and growth rates of the PdSi phase are inversely related to the crystalline perfection of Pd₂Si. Decreasing transformation rates follow the order (100), (110), (111) Si. formation of thin film Pd₂Si occurs by the formation of PdSi and subsequent growth of Si within the PdSi phase. After a 30 min N₂ anneal, initial transformation occurs at 735°C on (100) Si, 760°C on (110) Si and 840°C on (111) Si. Extended high temperature annealing produces a two-phase structure of highly twinned and misoriented Si and small PdSi grains that penetrate as much as 3 μm into the Si.     

Nanoheteroepitaxy of GaN on a nanopore array of Si(111) surface

Nanoheteroepitaxial (NHE) growth of GaN using AlN/AlGaN as a graded buffer layer by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition has been demonstrated on the nanoporous patterned Si(111) substrates. The nanopore array on Si(111) has been fabricated by using anodized aluminum oxide membrane as an induced couple plasma dry etching mask. The reduction of the threading dislocation density and relaxation of the tensile stress in NHE GaN are revealed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), micro-Raman spectrum and photoluminescence spectrum, respectively. Cross-sectional TEM analysis shows that dislocations nucleated at the interface are forced to bend into (0001) basal plane. Red shift in the E₂ (TO) phonon peak of micro-Raman spectrum indicates the relaxation of tensile stress in the nanoheteroepitaxial lateral overgrowth of GaN. A single step ELO without mask on nanopatterned Si(111) substrates is a simple and promising way for the improvement of the quality of GaN on Si substrates.     

Orientation of ethyl mercaptan on Cu(111) surface

X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) studies have been performed on ethyl mercaptan adsorbed on a clean Cu(111) surface at 85 K. At submonolayer coverage (0.36 ML), two different states of sulfur (thiolate) are identified with the aid of XPS investigations. Polarization dependence of S K-edge NEXAFS of the submonolayer phase indicates that the S---C bond for the two thiolate phases are tilted 33±7° and 30±7° from the surface.     

The adsorption of Ni on the Mo(111) crystal face

STM, LEED, AES, TDS and Δ? measurements were performed to investigate the adsorption of Ni on the molybdenum (111) surface. The adsorption energy of Ni atoms on the Mo(111) surface was determined. At 300 K the layer-by-layer growth mechanism was observed. No faceting of the Mo(111) surface was observed after the annealing. Annealing leads to the adsorbate agglomeration and formation of Ni islands in the shape of pyramids.     

SEM characterization of CdTe growth on CdTe(111) by close-spaced sublimation

A close-spaced sublimation (CSS) reactor is used to explore the growth of CdTe thin films on CdTe(111) substrates in order to determine the parameters required for high quality smooth film growth. Growth rates below 1 μm/h were targeted based on a preliminary sublimation study of the substrate material. The CSS technique is of interest due to its low cost and the potential for producing high quality films at higher growth rates compared to molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Films were characterized by optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and the film thickness was determined using an alpha-step IQ profilometer. The initial quality of the films was determined by the electron back scattering diffraction (EBSD) technique.