Effect of uniaxial strain on adatom diffusion across {1 1 1}-faceted step

Diffusion of Pt adatom across the strained {1 1 1}-faceted step is studied by embedded atom method along with nudged elastic band method. For adatom on the flat (1 1 1) surface, the anisotropic diffusion behavior is found as the uniaxial strain is imposed. For the strained {1 1 1}-faceted step, our results show that the maximum energy barrier for adatom crossing step edge remains approximately constant as the strain varied from −1.0% to 1.0%, and there is a rise as the larger uniaxial strain is applied. The calculated energy barrier for adatom diffusion along the step edge increases with increasing tensile strain, and the slope of the straight line is small.     

Measurement of the barrier height of the reflective W {110} plane boundaries in surface diffusion of single atoms

Plane boundaries are in general reflective to diffusing atoms. From about 2000 heating periods of direct field ion microscope observations we have studied adatom plane edge interaction and determined the barrier heights of the W {110} plane boundaries in single atom diffusion of W, Re, and Ir. Using equations we have derived recently, the barrier heights ΔE_b are found to be about 200 meV for these adatoms.     

Surface self-diffusion of a Pt adatom on cuboctahedral and truncated decahedral clusters,size dependence

The self-diffusion of single Pt adatom on the surface of cuboctahedral and truncated decahedral clusters with 561–10 179 atoms are studied within the context of the many-body potentials obtained via the embedded atom method. The minimum energy diffusion path and the corresponding energy barrier for adatom diffusion on the cuboctahedral and truncated decahedral clusters surfaces are determined through a combination of the quenched molecular dynamics and the nudged elastic band method. The calculated energy barriers are consistent with the available experimental data. The dependence of energy barrier for adatom diffusion across the step edge on the cluster size is found. For the larger cuboctahedral and truncated decahedral clusters, the simulations show that the movement of the adatom is confined to a central region, and the adatom may escape from the center region only at elevated temperatures. In addition, we also find that the truncated decahedral structure is more favorable over the cuboctahedral structure for smaller clusters. The cluster growth experiments support our results.     

Atomic diffusion inside a STM junction: simulations by kinetic Monte Carlo coupled to tunneling current calculations

The influence of a static scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip on the diffusion of xenon atoms adsorbed on a Cu(1 1 0) stepped surface is studied. Semi-empirical potentials for the Xe-surface interaction and a N-body energy based method for the Xe-tip contribution are used to calculate the adsorption energy of adsorbates in the STM junction. First, we analyse the variation of this energy when the adatom is placed near a step edge and for different tip positions. When the tip is situated in the neighbourhood of the step edge, the Ehrlich-Schwoebel barrier experienced by the adatom is lowered. This opens a specific diffusion channel, allowing a possible crossing of the step edge. Second, through a kinetic Monte Carlo approach coupled to the elastic scattering quantum chemistry method, the noisy tunneling current created by the random motion of diffusing atoms in the vicinity of the tip can be analyzed. We show that, by counting the number of diffusion events, we can determine effective barriers related to the most dominant processes contributing to the diffusion at a particular temperature. We also demonstrate that the interaction mode of the tip (attractive or imaging) greatly modifies the diffusion processes.     

Surface energy anisotropy of tungsten

Field-ion microscopy was used to study the faceting behavior and/or surface energy anisotropy of tungsten in vacuum and in hydrogen. In vacuum below 1700 K the activation energy for {110} facet growth agreed with values previously reported for surface diffusion on tungsten. The observed anisotropy values at 0.5 T_m, where T_m is the absolute melting temperature of tungsten (～3680 K), were different from those previously reported at higher temperatures and more nearly agreed with broken bond calculations based on Mie potential using m = 5, n = 8, and a 1.5% lattice expansion. Hydrogen appeared to have a negligible effect on surface energy anisotropy, but did preferentially increase surface diffusion rates on {310} regions.     

Crystallographic anisotropy in chemisorption: Nitrogen on tungsten single crystal planes

A molecular beam technique for the determination of sticking probabilities and surface coverages was used in earlier work to investigate the adsorption of nitrogen on tungsten {110}, {111} and {100} single crystal planes. In the present paper these studies have been extended to the {310}, {320} and {411} planes. Absolute sticking probabilities and adatom surface coverages are reported for crystal temperatures between 90 K and 960 K. Crystallographic anisotropy in this system is exemplified by zero coverage sticking probabilities with the crystal at room temperature: {110}, 1̃0^?2; {111}, 0.08; {411}, 0.4; {100}, 0.59; {310}, 0.72; {320}, 0.73. Results for planes on the [001] zone are quantitatively described by a general model developed for adsorption on stepped planes as an extension to the precursor-state order-disorder model for adsorption kinetics of King and Wells. It is shown that nitrogen dissociation only takes place at vacant pairs of {100} sites, but that subsequently the chemisorbed adatoms so formed may migrate out onto {110} terraces. The results are critically analysed in terms of the available LEED and work function data for nitrogen on tungsten single crystal planes, and the general model developed by Adams and Germer.     

分子动力学模拟Gd原子在Cu(110)表面的扩散过程

为了分析Gd吸附原子在Cu(110)表面的扩散机理，用分子动力学对该扩散过程进行模拟.模拟 结果表明在［1 1 0］方向Gd原子通过跳跃机理扩散，而且多步跳跃频率很高.而在［0 0 1］方向则通过交换机理扩散.吸附原子在［1 1 0］方向的扩散能力要比［0 0 1］ 方向强.通过对扩散频率的拟合，发现两种扩散机理都符合Arrhenius公式，从而确定了跳跃 机理的扩散势垒为0.097eV，交换机理的扩散势垒为0.33eV.另外还用能量弛豫的方法确定了 跳跃机理的扩散势垒. 关键词： 分子动力学 表面扩散 跳跃机理 交换机理 扩散势垒     

Structure and composition of tungsten silicide thermal-field microprotrusions

The thermal-field microprotrusions that grow on the surface of a tungsten tip coated with silicon when the tip is heated in an electric field are investigated by a suite of field emission methods, including electron field emission, ion desorption microscopy, and the atomic-probe method. For Si coatings more than a few monolayers thick, microprotrusions are observed to grow in the field desorption regime when the tip is heated to temperatures T=1100–1200 K in an electric field with initial intensity F=5.7–8.6×10⁷ V/cm. The field at which they evaporate is 1.2–1.8×10⁸ V/cm. The set of moving spots (i.e., microprotrusions) forms rings whose collapse signals the dissolution of the thermal-field growths on the developed faces. The most interesting structures are the sharp microprotrusions that grow on the central facet of a {110} tungsten tip under certain conditions. Atomic-probe analysis of their composition reveals that they consist of tungsten trisilicide WSi₃ with a monolayer surface skin whose composition is close to WSi₂. The intense growth of these formations on an initially smooth closepacked {110} face of tungsten is evidence that reconstruction of the latter takes place under the influence of the strong field and the interaction with silicon. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 102–109 (September 1997)     

Edge effects on the characteristics of uranium diffusion on graphene and graphene nanoribbons

The first principles density-functional theoretical calculations of U adatom adsorption and diffusion on a planar graphene and quasi-one-dimensional graphene nanoribbons(GNRs) are performed. An energetic preference is found for U adatom diffusing to the hollow sites of both graphene and GNRs surface. A number of U distinctive diffusion paths either perpendicular or parallel to the ribbon growth direction are examined. The edge effects are evidenced by the calculated energy barriers of U adatom diffusion on armchair and zigzag nanoribbons surfaces. The calculation results indicate that the diffusion of U adatom from the inner site toward the edge site is a feasible process, particularly in zigzagGNR. It is viable to control the initial morphology of nuclear carbon material to retard the diffusion and concentration of nuclides.     

Trapping of a diffusing adatom by a substitutional surface defect

We propose a simple model to explain qualitatively the results of a recent field-ion-microscopy (FIM) study in which a substitutional Ir atom in the Rh(001) surface traps diffusing Rh adatoms [G.L. Kellogg, Phys. Rev. Lett., to be published]. The proposed explanation is supported by an embedded-atom-method investigation of the effect of a substitutional Pt atom in the Pd(001) surface on Pd adatom diffusion. We find a smaller energy barrier for a single adatom to diffuse around the defect than away from it, i.e., the adatom is effectively trapped by this defect in qualitative agreement with the FIM study. We also find that Pd adatom clusters are more strongly bound at the defect than away from it, indicating that such a defect can act as a nucleation site for cluster growth.     

Field emission and field ion microscope study of Ga,In and Sn on W: Structure,work function,diffusion and binding energy

Gallium, indium and tin were deposited on a tungsten tip by making a contact between the tip and these metals in the liquid state. The activation energies of diffusion of the adsorbates on tungsten were found to be 0.29 eV for Ga, 0.35 eV for In and 0.71 eV for Sn. The adsorbates were field-evaporated by gradually increasing a positive tip voltage by a small increment each time and the variation of the work function with the decreasing coverage was examined for each evaporation stage. The result indicates that the adatoms assume one of two different adsorption states. The adatoms bound as strongly as in a bulk crystal were field-evaporated at a low evaporation field. The remaining adatoms form a more strongly bound covering layer which maximizes the average work function of the covered surfaces, 4.75 eV for Ga, 4.63 eV for In and 5.10 eV for Sn, and are field-evaporated at a significantly higher field. The covering layer of the strongly bound adatoms were observed on the areas from the {001} to {114} planes and were hardly noticed on the {011} and 112 areas. The arrangement of the strongly bound adatoms, particularly on the {114} planes, is found to be a precise replica of the substrate arrangement. Thus, the surface density of the adatoms is exactly the surface density of the substrate atoms. The observed results suggest that an adatom occupying a tungsten lattice site and contacting four substrate tungsten atoms can establish unusually strong bonding with the substrate.     

Exchange mechanisms for self-diffusion on aluminium surfaces

We present the results of molecular dynamics simulations and energy minimisation calculations for the diffusion of an Al adatom on Al(110) and Al(100) surfaces using a realistic many-body potential. For the Al/Al(110) system, the adatom motion is found to involve both a simple atomic-hopping mechanism, for displacements along the surface channels, and an atomic-exchange mechanism for displacements across the channels. On the (100) surface diffusion proceeds by an exchange mechanism. The transition state for this process is stabilised by strong covalent bonding.     

A study of local density of states of atom clusters on the W(110) surface

The kinetic energy distributions of field desorbed He ions from tungsten clusters of one to five atoms on a W(110) surface are measured using a high resolution pulsed-laser time-of-flight atom probe. The He field ion energy distribution from the single W adatom shows an extra peak-like feature centered at 2.7 eV above the Fermi level. It has a full width at half maximum (fwhm) of 2.3 eV. The data from two tungsten adatoms separated by two lattice constants have nearly the same feature with the extra peak located at 2.5 eV above the Fermi level. These peaks arise from resonance tunneling with the adatom local density of states (LDOS). The He ion energy distribution of a tungsten dimer has an extra peak centered at 1.5 eV above the Fermi level. The fwhm is about 4 eV. The spectra from four and five tungsten adatom clusters show only one peak each, similar to that from a flat plane.     

H在Ni表面的扩散性质及表面缺陷的影响-嵌入原子法(EAM)计算研究

本文用原子集团模型和嵌入原子方法,计算研究了H在Ni(100),(110)和(111)表面上的扩散特性,其扩散激活能分别是0.152eV;0.343eV和0.142eV。Ni(100)面上的吸附Ni原子和Ni原子空位,分别是在其表面上扩散的H原子的一种陷阱和位垒;Ni(100)面上的台阶,将使通过此台阶的H原子的扩散势垒增高,激活能增大,且引起扩散的各向异性。     

Characteristics of Li diffusion on silicene and zigzag nanoribbon

We perform a density functional study on the adsorption and diffusion of Li atoms on silicene sheet and zigzag nanoribbons. Our results show that the diffusion energy barrier of Li adatoms on silicene sheet is 0.25 eV, which is much lower than on graphene and Si bulk. The diffusion barriers along the axis of zigzag silicene nanoribbon range from 0.1 to0.25 eV due to an edge effect, while the diffusion energy barrier is about 0.5 eV for a Li adatom to enter into a silicene nanoribbon. Our calculations indicate that using silicene nanoribbons as anodes is favorable for a Li-ion battery.     

Diffusion mechanisms for iron on tungsten

Diffusion of iron atoms on clean W(1 0 0) and W(1 1 0) as well as on Fe/W(1 0 0) and Fe/W(1 1 0) surfaces was investigated by means of exhaustive first-principle calculations. Comparison of the activation energy barriers obtained for hopping and exchange migration processes shows that the surface diffusion proceeds via jumps to the nearest sites. The activation energies are higher for Fe adatom on clean tungsten than those for Fe adatoms moving on iron-covered tungsten. The magnetism of the underlying Fe/W(1 0 0) films has a pronounced influence on the diffusion, as evidenced not only by a reduced activation energy barrier but also by a change of the stable adsorption place. Fe atoms reaching step edges are trapped there and eventually diffuse along the steps more slowly than the adatoms on the terraces. The rate of diffusion increases upon depositing a row of Fe atoms along steps.     

Diffusion of a Ga adatom on the GaAs(001)‐c(4 × 4)‐heterodimer surface: A first principles study

The adsorption and diffusion behavior of a Ga adatom on the GaAs (001)‐c(4 × 4)-heterodimer surface were studied by employing ab initio density functional theory (DFT) computations in the local density approximation. Structural and bonding features of the c(4 × 4)-heterodimer reconstruction surface were examined. A comparison with the c(4 × 4)-ss reconstruction was performed. Minimum energy sites (MES) on the c(4 × 4)-heterodimer surface were located by mapping the potential energy surface for a Ga adatom. Barriers for diffusion of a Ga adatom between the neighboring MES were calculated by using top hopping- and exchange-diffusion mechanisms. We proposed two unique diffusion pathways for a Ga adatom diffusing between the global minimums of two neighboring unit cells. Signature differences between electronic structures of top hopping- and exchange‐diffusion mechanisms were studied for relevant atoms. We observed a higher diffusion barrier for exchange mechanism compared to top hopping.     

STM针尖和外电场在Si(111)-7×7表面单原子操纵中的作用

利用第一性原理的离散变分局域密度泛函方法,采用团簇模型（Si₃₄H₃₆-W₁₁)来模拟STM操纵Si(111)-7×7表面顶角吸附原子的过程．通过分析在进行原子操纵过程中体系的能量与电子云密度分布来研究针尖和外电场的作用．结果表明,当针尖与样品间距离较近时,利用两者间有较强的相互作用,能有效地降低脱出能的能垒高度．外电场对体系脱出能的影响与其大小及极性有关,当样品上所加正偏压增强时,脱出能曲线高度单调下降,而外电场极性为负时,反而稍有增高．仅考虑针尖和样品之间的静态电子相互作用及静电场的作用,尚不能使被操纵原子脱离样品表面．最后讨论了在Si(111)-7×7表面上进行原子操纵的其他机理.     

Simulation of multilayer homoepitaxial growth on Cu （100） surface

The processes of multilayer thin Cu films grown on Cu (100) surfaces at elevated temperature (250--400\,K) are simulated by mean of kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) method, where the realistic growth model and physical parameters are used. The effects of small island (dimer and trimer) diffusion, edge diffusion along the islands, exchange of the adatom with an atom in the existing island, as well as mass transport between interlayers are included in the simulation model. Emphasis is placed on revealing the influence of the Ehrlich--Schwoebel (ES) barrier on growth mode and morphology during multilayer thin film growth. We present numerical evidence that the ES barrier does exist for the Cu/Cu(100) system and an ES barrier $E_{\rm B} >0.125$\,eV is estimated from a comparison of the KMC simulation with the realistic experimental images. The transitions of growth modes with growth conditions and the influence of exchange barrier on growth mode are also investigated.     

Formation of carbon composite structures on the Ge(110) surfaces

We present our first-principles calculation of the adsorption and diffusion of a carbon adatom on the H-terminated and clean Ge(110) surfaces, which are essential processes in the nucleation and growth of a monolayer graphene on Ge(110) by chemical vapor deposition. On the H-terminated surface, the C adatom spontaneously substitutes H atom(s) to form a monohydride structure (CH) or a dihydride structure (CH₂) and makes direct bonds with the substrate Ge atoms. The resulting diffusion barriers of the C adatom are 2.67 and 6.45 eV parallel to and perpendicular to the zigzag Ge chains of the surface, respectively. On the clean surface, the C adatom embeds into the zigzag Ge chain with nearly no barrier, kicking out a Ge atom out of the chain at the same time. The kicked-out Ge atom, instead of the C adatom, becomes a diffusion species with the barrier less than 0.63 eV. The formation of the C composite structures makes the C adatom difficult to diffuse both on the H-terminated and clean Ge(110) surfaces, which suggests that the nucleation and growth of the graphene islands from C seeds is much suppressed. We propose a growth mechanism of graphene monolayer going round the diffusion of the C adatoms on the Ge(110) surfaces.