Controlled growth of Zn nano-dots on a Si(111)-7x7 surface saturated with C2H5OH

Metal atoms bonded with Si adatoms on the Si(111)-(7x7) surface undergo migration by hopping adjacent Si-rest atoms with dangling bond. By saturated adsorption of Si(111)-(7x7) surface with C(2)H(5)OH, the whole Si-rest atoms and a half of Si adatoms are occupied with Si-H and Si-OC(2)H(5), so that the Zn atoms adsorbed on this surface cannot migrate by hopping. When Zn atoms were deposited on this surface, ca. 5 nm Zn dots were grown in the hexagonal spacing of ca. 5.4 nm width around the corner holes, which work as a mold. This is quite different from the growth of honeycomb layers composed of Zn(3) clusters on the clean Si(111)-(7x7) surface. The dots grow up to nine (1.97 nm) to 13 layers (2.64 nm) by keeping their size, which implies a layer-by-layer growth of dots in the mold, where the growth is controlled by the kinetics instead of energetic feasibility.     

Selective attachment of 1,4-benzenedimethanethiol on the copper mediated Si(111)-(7 x 7) surface through S-Cu linkage

The well-defined and patterned copper clusters formed on the Si(111)-(7 x 7) surface have been employed as a template for selective binding of 1,4-benzenedimethanethiol (HS-CH2-C6H4-CH2-SH, 1,4-BDMT), to form ordered molecular nanostructures. Scanning tunneling microscopic (STM) studies showed that each 1,4-BDMT molecule preferentially binds to two neighboring copper atoms within one copper cluster through the S-Cu interaction with its molecular plane parallel to the surface, whereas some 1,4-BDMT bond to individually adsorbed copper atoms, resulting in an upright configuration. Large-scale two-dimensional molecular nanostructures can be obtained using this patterned assembly technique. Our experiments demonstrate the feasibility for controllable growth of ordered molecular nanostructures on the Si(111)-(7 x 7) surface.     

Surface chemistry of five-membered aromatic ring molecules containing two different heteroatoms on Si(111)-7 x 7

The surface chemistry of three representative aromatic molecules containing two different heteroatoms isoxazole, oxazole, and thiazole on Si(111)-7 x 7 was studied. These molecules exhibit different competition and selectivity for multiple reaction channels with this surface, determined by a combination of molecular electronic and structural factors. Isoxazole is chemically attached to Si(111)-7 x 7 through both dative-bond addition and [4 + 2]-like cycloaddition. Oxazole chemisorbs on Si(111)-7 x 7 through both dative-bond addition and [2 + 2]-like cycloaddition. The kinetically favored [2 + 2]-like cycloadduct at low temperature is thermally converted into the thermodynamically preferred [4 + 2]-like cycloadduct at a temperature higher than 300 K. Thiazole is chemically bound to this surface only through formation of a Si...N dative bond at low temperature. This dative-bonded molecule is thermally converted into a [4 + 2]-like cycloadduct. The reaction channels of the three five-membered aromatic molecules containing two different heteroatoms (isoxazole, oxazole, and thiazole) and of the aromatic molecules containing only one heteroatom (pyridine, pyrrole, furan, and thiophene) are compared and analyzed for a thorough understanding of the reaction mechanisms of various heterocyclic aromatic molecules on this surface. The intrinsic connection between surface reaction mechanism and molecular electronic structure is demonstrated. This includes the distribution of electron density on the molecular ring determined by the geometric arrangement of the heteroatoms, the electronegativity of the heteroatoms, and the electronic contribution of the heteroatoms to formation of aromatic pi conjugation, as well as the molecular polarity.     

Selective formation of cumulative double bonds (C[double bond]C[double bond]N) in the attachment of multifunctional molecules on Si(111)-7 x 7

The cumulative double bond (C[double bond]C[double bond]N), an important intermediate in synthetic organic chemistry, was successfully prepared via the selective attachment of acrylonitrile to Si(111)-7 x 7. The covalent binding of acrylonitrile on Si(111)-7 x 7 was studied using high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and DFT calculations. The observation of the characteristic vibrational modes and electronic structures of the C[double bond]C[double bond]N group in the surface species demonstrates the [4 + 2]-like cycloaddition occurring between the terminal C and N atoms of acrylonitrile and the neighboring adatom-rest atom pair, consistent with the prediction of DFT calculations. STM studies further show the preferential binding of acrylonitrile on the center adatom sites of faulted halves of Si(111)-7 x 7 unit cells.     

Binding of glycine and L-cysteine on Si(111)-7 x 7

The adsorption of glycine and l-cysteine on Si(111)-7 x 7 was investigated using high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The observation of the characteristic vibrational modes and electronic structures of NH3+ and COO- groups for physisorbed glycine (l-cysteine) demonstrates the formation of zwitterionic species in multilayers. For chemisorbed molecules, the appearance of nu(Si-H), nu(Si-O), and nu(C=Omicron) and the absence of nu(O-H) clearly indicate that glycine and l-cysteine dissociate to produce monodentate carboxylate adducts on Si(111)-7 x 7. XPS results further verified the coexistence of two chemisorption states for each amino acid, corresponding to a Si-NH-CH2-COO-Si [Si-NHCH(CH2SH)COO-Si] species with new sigma-linkages of Si-N and Si-O, and a NH2-CH2-COO-Si [NH2CH(CH2SH)COO-Si] product through the cleavage of the O-H bond, respectively. Glycine/Si(111)-7 x 7 and l-cysteine/Si(111)-7 x 7 can be viewed as model systems for further modification of Si surfaces with biological molecules.     

Electron correlation effects at semiconductor surfaces and interfaces: Si(111)-5x5, Si(111)-7x7 and Sn/Ge(111)

Electron correlation effects associated with the dangling bond surface states of Si(111)-5×5, Si(111)-7×7 and Sn/Ge(111)-3×3 are analyzed. In all the cases, extensive LDA-calculations are performed and effective two-dimensional Hamiltonians are deduced. Our analysis of these Hamiltonians shows that: (a) the Si(111)-5×5 surface states exhibits a metal-insulator transition; (b) the Si(111)-7×7 surface shows important similarities with the Si(111)-5×5 case, but it has a dangling bond surface band having a metallic character; (c) finally, the Sn/Ge(111)-3×3 dangling bond surface bands also shows important correlation effects that are found, however, not to affect the metallic character of the surface bands.     

Binding mechanisms of methacrylic acid and methyl methacrylate on si(111)-7 x 7 -- effect of substitution groups

The interaction of methacrylic acid and methyl methacrylate with Si(111)-7 x 7 has been investigated using high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). While methacrylic acid chemisorbs dissociatively through O-H bond cleavage, methyl methacrylate is covalently attached to the silicon surface via a [4+2] cycloaddition. The different reaction pathways of these two compounds on Si(111)-7 x 7 demonstrate that the substitution groups play an important role in determining the reaction channels for multifunctional molecules, leading to the desired flexibility in the organic modification of silicon surfaces.     

Si-C(N) sigma linkages and N --> Si dative bonding at pyridine/Si(111)-7 x 7

We experimentally demonstrated that pyridine/Si(111)-7 x 7 can act as an electron donor/acceptor pair as a result of the charge transfer from the electron-rich N atom of pyridine to the electron-deficient adatom of the Si surface, evidenced by the upshift of 1.8 eV (state A) for the N(1s) core level upon the formation of a datively bonded complex compared to physisorbed molecules. Another state (B) whose N(1s) binding energy downshifts by 1.2 eV was assigned to an adduct through Si-C and Si-N covalent linkages, formed via a [4 + 2]-like addition mechanism on Si(111)-7 x 7. Binding molecules through the formation of the dative bond resulted from significant electron transfer opens a new approach for the creation of Si-based molecular architectures and modification of semiconductor interfacial properties with unsaturated organic molecules.     

Mechanisms for H2O decomposition on the Si(111)‐7 × 7 surface: A DFT cluster model study

The mechanisms for the complete decomposition of water molecules on the Si (111)‐7 × 7 surface were investigated theoretically. The reaction pathways for dissociation of four water molecules over the adatom and rest atom sites were calculated using the density functional theory (DFT) in conjunction with the B3LYP functional. The calculated results demonstrated that the initial O? H bond dissociation from the first H₂O to form the adsorbed OH species is more preferential on the adatom site (Si_a) than the rest atom site (Si_r) of Si (111)‐7 × 7. Four water molecules dissociate successively over the adatom site, backbonds of adatoms which are saturated by OH species can reasonably be the place of insertion of oxygen atoms, yielding a tetrahedral SiO₄ structure with one on top and three inserted oxygen atoms. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2010     

Thermal and ion-induced surface reactions of 1,1-difluoroethylene on Si(111)7 x 7 and vitreous SiO2

Thermal and ion-induced reactions of 1,1-difluoroethylene (1,1-C2H2F2 or iso-DFE) on Si(111)7 x 7 and vitreous SiO2 surfaces have been investigated by vibrational electron energy loss spectroscopy and thermal desorption spectrometry. Like ethylene, iso-DFE predominantly chemisorbs via a [2 + 2] cycloaddition mechanism onto the 7 x 7 surface as a di-sigma-bonded difluoroethane-1,2-diyl adstructure, which undergoes H abstraction and defluorination, producing hydrocarbon fragments and SiF(x) (x = 1-3) upon annealing to >700 K. Ion irradiation of Si(111)7 x 7 in iso-DFE at 50 eV impact energy appears to substantially enhance the production of hydrocarbon fragments and SiF(x)(), leading to stronger SiF4 desorption products over an extended temperature range (400-900 K). The observed SiC and SiF(x) produced on the 7 x 7 surface by ion irradiation in iso-DFE are found to be similar to those obtained by ion irradiation in the fluoromethane homologues, CF4 and CH2F2. The production of higher relative concentrations for the larger SiF(x) and C2-containing fragments is evidently favored on the 7 x 7 surface. On a vitreous SiO2 surface, ion irradiation in iso-DFE, unlike that in CF4 and CH2F2, appears to produce less SiF(x) than that on the 7 x 7 surface, which indicates that surface O does not interact strongly with the C2-containing fragments. The presence or absence of a C=C bond and the relative F-to-C ratio of the sputtering gas could therefore produce important effects on the resulting surface products obtained by low-energy ion irradiation.     

Dry synthesis of triple cumulative double bonds (C=C=C=N) on Si(111)-7 x 7 surfaces

The interactions of cyanoacetylene and diacetylene with a Si(111)-7 x 7 surface have been studied as model systems to mechanistically understand the chemical binding of unsaturated organic molecules to diradical-like silicon dangling bonds. Vibrational studies show that cyanoacetylene mainly binds to the surface through a diradical reaction involving both cyano and C[triple bond]C groups with an adjacent adatom-rest atom pair at 110 K, resulting in an intermediate containing triple cumulative double bonds (C=C=C=N). On the other hand, diacetylene was shown to the covalently attached to Si(111)-7 x 7 only through one of its C[triple bond]C groups, forming an enynic-like structure with a C=C-C[triple bond]C skeleton. These chemisorbed species containing triple cumulative double bonds (C=C=C=N) and C=C-C[triple bond]C may be employed as precursors (or templates) for further construction of bilayer organic films on the semiconductor surfaces.     

The interfacial properties of MgCl(2) thin films grown on Si(111)7 x 7

Photoelectron spectroscopy with synchrotron radiation and low energy electron diffraction (LEED) were used in order to study the MgCl(2)Si(111) system. At submonolayer coverage of MgCl(2), a new LEED pattern was observed corresponding to a (sqr rt 3 x sqr rt 3)R30 degrees overlayer superimposed on the underlying reconstructed Si(111)7 x 7. The surface species at this stage are mainly molecular MgCl(2) and MgCl(x) (x<2) or MgO(x)Cl(y) attached to the Si substrate through Cl bridges coexisting with monodentate SiCl. The interfacial interaction becomes more pronounced when the submonolayer coverage is obtained by annealing thicker MgCl(2) layers, whereby desorption of molecular MgCl(2) is observed leaving on the nonreconstructed silicon surface an approximately 0.2 ML thick MgCl(x) layer which again forms the (sqr rt 3 x sqr rt 3 )R30 degrees superstructure.     

Molecular anchor Cu-S formed on a thiophene mediated Si(111)-(7x7) surface

Thiophene molecule selectively binds to the adjacent adatom-rest atom pair on the Si(111)-(7x7) surface through its alpha-carbon atoms, leading to the covalent attachment of a C-S-C linkage and remaining C=C (beta-carbon) bond onto the surface. Photoemission studies show that Cu atom readily adsorbs onto the S atom of the functional group to form the Cu-S molecular anchor in two forms: one points away from the thiophene C=C group; the other points toward the C=C group.     

Exploring the Dual Characteristics of CH3OH Adsorption to Metal Atomic Structures on Si (111)-7 × 7 Surface

Metal atoms were deposited on an Si (111)-7 × 7 surface, and they were adsorbed with alcohol gases (CH₃OH/C₂H₅OH/C₃H₇OH). Initially, C_nH_2n+1OH adsorption was simply used as an intermediate layer to prevent the chemical reaction between metal and Si atoms. Through scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and a mass spectrometer, the C_nH_2n+1OH dissociation process is further derived as the construction of a surface quasi-potential with horizontal and vertical directions. With the help of three typical metal depositions, the surface characteristics of CH₃OH adsorption are more clearly presented in this paper. Adjusting the preheating temperature, the difference of thermal stability between CH₃O^– and H⁺ could be obviously derived in Au deposition. After a large amount of H⁺ was separated, the isolation characteristic of CH₃O^– was discussed in the case of Fe deposition. In the process of building a new metal-CH₃O^–-H⁺ model, the dual characteristics of CH₃OH were synthetically verified in Sn deposition. CH₃O^– adsorption is prone to influencing the interaction between the metal deposition and substrate surface in the vertical direction, while H⁺ adsorption determines the horizontal behavior of metal atoms. These investigations lead one to believe that, to a certain extent, the formation of regular metal atomic structures on the Si (111)-7 × 7-CH₃OH surface is promoted, especially according to the dual characteristics and adsorption models we explored.     

Formation of molecular templates containing cumulative double bonds (C=C=C) at organic/silicon hybrid interfaces

The cumulative double bond (C=C=C), an important intermediate in synthetic organic chemistry, was successfully prepared via the selective attachment of acetylethyne to Si(111)-7 x 7. The experimental observation of the characteristic vibrational modes and electronic structures of the C=C=C group in the surface species demonstrates the [4 + 2]-like cycloaddition occurring between the terminal O and C atoms of acetylethyne and the neighboring Si adatom-rest atom pair, consistent with the prediction of density functional theory calculations. Scanning tunneling microscopy images further reveal that the molecules selectively bind to the adjacent adatom-rest atom pairs on Si(111)-7 x 7.     

Room-temperature chemisorption and thermal evolution of 1,1-dichloroethylene and monochloroethylene on Si(111)7 x 7: formation of vinylidene and vinylene adspecies

The room-temperature (RT) adsorption and thermal evolution of 1,1-dichloroethylene (1,1-C2H2Cl2 or iso-DCE) and monochloroethylene (C2H3Cl or MCE) on Si(111)7 x 7 have been studied by vibrational electron energy loss spectroscopy and thermal desorption spectrometry (TDS). The presence of the Si-Cl stretch at 510 cm(-1) suggests that upon adsorption iso-DCE dissociates via C-Cl bond breakage on the 7x7 surface to form mono-sigma-bonded 1-chlorovinyl (ClC=CH2) and/or di-sigma-bonded vinylidene (: C=CH(2)) adspecies. Upon annealing to 450 K, the 1-chlorovinyl adspecies undergoes further dechlorination to vinylidene adspecies, which may be converted to di-sigma-bonded vinylene (HC=CH) before dehydrogenating to hydrocarbon fragments above 580 K. TDS studies reveal both molecular desorption of iso-DCE near 350 K and C2H2 fragments near 700 K, and the presence of the latter confirms the existence of the di-sigma-bonded vinylene adspecies. Like the other chlorinated ethylene homologues, iso-DCE also exhibits TDS features of an etching product SiCl2 at 800-950 K and a dehydrochlorination product HCl at 700-900 K. Unlike iso-DCE, MCE is found to adsorb on the 7 x 7 surface predominantly through a [2 + 2] cycloaddition mechanism at RT, with similar di-sigma bonding structure as ethylene. The thermal evolution of MCE however follows that of iso-DCE, with the formation of vinylene above 580 K. Despite the lack of TDS feature attributable to HCl, weaker SiCl2 TDS feature could be observed at 800-950 K. For both iso-DCE and MCE, strong recombinative desorption of H2 is observed near 780 K. The differences in the Cl content among iso-DCE, MCE, and ethylene therefore play a key role in the RT chemisorption and thermally driven chemical processes on Si(111)7 x 7.     

Attachment of styrene and phenylacetylene on Si(111)-7 x 7: the influence of substitution groups on the reaction mechanism and formation of pi-conjugated skeletons

The interactions of styrene and phenylacetylene and their isotope substitutions with a Si(111)-7 x 7 surface have been studied as model systems to mechanistically understand the chemical binding of conjugated pi-electron systems to di-radical-like silicon dangling bonds of the adjacent adatom-rest atom pair. Vibrational studies show that styrene mainly binds to the surface through a diradical reaction involving both the external C=C and its conjugated internal C=C of the phenyl ring with an adjacent adatom-rest atom pair, forming a 5-ethylidene-1,3-cyclohexadiene-like skeleton. On the other hand, phenylacetylene was shown to be covalently attached to Si(111)-7 x 7 through the external C[triple bond]C, forming a styrene-like conjugation system. These experimental results are consistent with density functional theory calculations. The different binding mechanisms for styrene and phenylacetylene clearly demonstrate that reaction channels for multifunctional organic molecules are strongly dependent on the chemical and physical properties of the functional groups. The resulting pi-electron conjugation structures may possibly be employed as intermediates for further organic syntheses and fabrication of multilayer organic films on semiconductor surfaces.     

The Adsorption and Thermal Decomposition of CH2CO (CD2CO) on Si(111)-7 × 7

The adsorption and thermal decomposition of ketene on Si(l 11)-7 × 7 were investigated using various surface analysis techniques. When the surface was exposed to ketene at 120 K, two CO stretching modes at 220 and 273 meV appeared in HREELS, corresponding to two adsorbed ketene states. After the sample was annealed at ?250 K, the 273 and the 80 meV peaks vanished, indicating the disappearance of one of the adsorption states by partial desorption of the adsorbate. In a corresponding TPD measurement, a desorption peak for ketene species was noted at 220 K. Annealing the sample at 450 K caused the decomposition of the adsorbate, producing CH_x and O adspecies. Further annealing of the surface at higher temperatures resulted in the breaking of the CH bond, the desorption of H and O species and the formation of Si carbide. The desorption of H at 800 K was confirmed by the appearance of the D₂ (m/e = 4) TPD peak at that temperature when CD₂CO was used instead of CH₂CO.     

Diradical mechanisms for the cycloaddition reactions of 1,3-butadiene,benzene, thiophene,ethylene, and acetylene on a Si(111)-7x7 surface

The cycloaddition chemistry of several representative unsaturated hydrocarbons (1,3-butadiene, benzene, ethylene, and acetylene) and a heterocyclic aromatic (thiophene) on a Si(111)-7x7 surface has been explored by means of density functional cluster model calculations. It is shown that (i) 1,3-butadiene, benzene, and thiophene can undergo both [4+2]-like and [2+2]-like cycloadditions onto a rest atom-adatom pair, with the former process being favored over the latter both thermodynamically and kinetically; (ii) ethylene and acetylene undergo [2+2] cycloaddition-like chemisorptions onto a rest atom-adatom pair; and (iii) all of these reactions adopt diradical mechanisms. This is in contrast to the [4+2] cycloaddition-like chemisorptions of conjugated dienes on a Si(100) surface and to the prototype [4+2] cycloadditions in organic chemistry, which were believed to adopt concerted reaction pathways. Of particular interest is the [4+2]-like cycloaddition of s-trans-1,3-butadiene, whose stereochemistry is retained during its chemisorption on the Si(111) surface.     

HREELS, STM, and STS study of CH(3)-terminated Si(111)-(1x1) surface

An ideally (1x1)-CH(3)(methyl)-terminated Si(111) surface was composed by Grignard reaction of photochlorinated Si(111) and the surface structure was for the first time confirmed by Auger electron spectroscopy, low energy electron diffraction, high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS). HREELS revealed the vibration modes associated to the CH(3)-group as well as the C-Si bond. STM discerned an adlattice with (1x1) periodicity on Si(111) composed of protrusions with internal features, covering all surface terraces. The surface structure was confirmed to be stable at temperatures below 600 K. STS showed that an occupied-state band exists at gap voltage of -1.57 eV, generated by the surface CH(3) adlattice. This CH(3):Si(111)-(1x1) adlayer with high stability and unique electronic property is prospective for applications such as nanoscale lithography and advanced electrochemistry.