Strain-Driven Formation of Nanostripes on In/Si（113） Surface

Periodic nanostripe arrays are observed on In/Si（113） surface using scanning tunneling microscopy. The stripe superstructures are identified as N × 1 reconstructions elongating in [211] or [121] direction and consisting of one vacancy line, one Si adatom row, and N - 2 In rows, in which N = 5 is predominant. The vacancy line formation relieves the strain induced by the Si adatom row and In rows, and plays an important role in stabilizing the stripe structures. The stability of nanostripe structures is demonstrated by analyzing the strain-mediated interaction of vacancy lines in the framework of the Frenkel-Kontorova model, which indicates that the predominant vacancy line period of N = 5 corresponds to the minimum Frenkel Kontorova energy.     

Comparative study of adsorption characteristics of Cs on the GaN （0001） and GaN （0001） surfaces

The adsorption characteristics of Cs on GaN （0001） and GaN （0001） surfaces with a coverage from 1/4 to 1 monolayer have been investigated using the density functional theory with a plane-wave uttrasoft pseudopotential method based on first-principles calculations. The results show that the most stable position of the Cs adatom on the GaN （0001） surface is at the N-bridge site for 1/4 monolayer coverage. As the coverage of Cs atoms at the N-bridge site is increased, the adsorption energy reduces. As the Cs atoms achieve saturation, the adsorption is no longer stable when the coverage is 3/4 monolayer. The work function achieves its minimum value when the Cs adatom coverage is 2/4 monolayer, and then rises with Cs atomic coverage. The most stable position of Cs adatoms on the GaN （000i） surface is at H3 site for 1/4 monolayer coverage. As the Cs atomic coverage at H3 site is increased, the adsorption energy reduces, and the adsorption is still stable when the Cs adatom coverage is 1 monolayer. The work function reduces persistently, and does not rise with the increase of Cs coverage.     

Adsorption and diffusion of Si adatom near single-layer steps on Si surface

By use of the empirical tight-binding （ETB） method, the adsorption and diffusion behaviours ot single sllmon adatom on the reconstructed Si（100） surface with single-layer steps are simulated. The adsorption energies around the SA step, nonrebonded SB step, rebonded SB step, and rough SB step with a kink structure are specially mapped out in this paper, from which the favourable binding sites and several possible diffusion paths are achieved. Because of the rebonded and kink structures, the SB step is more ~uitable for the attachment of Si adatom than the SA step or defective surface.     

Atomic-Scale Study of Ge-Induced Incommensurate Phases on Si（111）

Two Ge-induced incommensurate phases, γ and β, on Si（111） are observed and studied by {／it in situ} scanning tunneling microscopy. The γ phase consists of aligned triangular domains whose stacking sequence is faulted with respect to the Si（111）-1×1 surface. The β phase consists of two kinds of triangular domains whose stacking sequences are faulted and unfaulted with respect to the Si（111）-1×1 surface, respectively. In the β phase, two types of domain walls, zigzag＇＇ and face-to-face＇＇, form to release the strain. The triangular domains all exhibit a quasi-1×1 hexagonal close-packed structure. By studying the structural evolution from magic clusters to incommensurate structures, the structure models for γ and β phases are proposed.     

Surface rumpling of cubic CaTiO3 from density functional theory

In this paper, the structure of cubic CaTiO3 （001） surfaces with CaO and TiO2 terminations has been studied from density functional calculations. It has been found that the Ca atom has the largest relaxation for both kinds of terminations, and the rumpling of the CaO-terminated surface is much larger than that of TiO2-terminated surface. Also we have found that the metal atom relaxes much more prominently than the O atom does in each layer. The CaO-terminated surface is slightly more energetically favourahle than the TiO2-terminated surface from the analysis of the calculated surface energy.     

Self-Assembly of TBrPP-Co Molecules on an Ag/Si（111） Surface Studied by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

Self-assembly of TBrPP-Co molecules on a Si（111）-√3t×√3 Ag substrate is studied by low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy. With the same adsorbed amount （0.07 ML）, the molecules deposited by low-temperature evaporation show three kinds of ordered structures whereas those deposited by high-temperature evaporation have size-dependent ordered structures. The distinct differences in the self-assembly structures and in the electron density of states inside the molecule near the Fermi energy demonstrate that the Br atoms of the molecule desorb at the higher evaporation temperature.     

Ar adsorptions on Al （111） and Ir （111） surfaces： a first-principles study

We investigate the adsorptions of Ar on Al (111) and Ir (111) surfaces at the four high symmetry sites,i.e.,top,bridge,fcc-and hcp-hollow sites at the coverage of 0.25 monolayer (ML) using the density functional theory within the generalized gradient approximation of Perdew,Burke and Ernzerhof functions.The geometric structures,the binding energies,the electronic properties of argon atoms adsorbed on Al (111) and Ir (111) surfaces,the difference in electron density between on the Al (111) surface and on the Ir (111) surface and the total density of states are calculated.Our studies indicate that the most stable adsorption site of Ar on the Al (111) surface is found to be the fcc-hollow site for the (2 × 2) structure.The corresponding binding energy of an argon atom at this site is 0.538 eV/Ar atom at a coverage of 0.25 ML.For the Ar adsorption on Ir (111) surface at the same coverage,the most favourable site is the hcp-hollow site,with a corresponding binding energy of 0.493 eV.The total density of states (TDOS) is analysed for Ar adsorption on Al (111) surface and it is concluded that the adsorption behaviour is dominated by the interaction between 3s,3p orbits of Ar atom and the 3p orbit of the base Al metal and the formation of sp hybrid orbital.For Ar adsorption on Ir (111) surface,the conclusion is that the main interaction in the process of Ar adsorption on Ir (111) surface comes from the 3s and 3p orbits of argon atom and 5d orbit of Ir atom.     

Dissociations of O2 molecules on ultrathin Pb（111） films： first-principles plane wave calculations

Using first-principles calculations,we systematically study the dissociations of O₂ molecules on different ultrathin Pb（111） films.According to our previous work revealing the molecular adsorption precursor states for O₂,we further explore why there are two nearly degenerate adsorption states on Pb（111） ultrathin films,but no precursor adsorption states existing at all on Mg（0001） and Al（111） surfaces.The reason is concluded to be the different surface electronic structures.For the O₂ dissociation,we consider both the reaction channels from gas-like and molecularly adsorbed O₂ molecules.We find that the energy barrier for O₂ dissociation from the molecular adsorption precursor states is always smaller than that from O₂ gas.The most energetically favorable dissociation process is found to be the same on different Pb（111） films,and the energy barriers are found to be influenced by the quantum size effects of Pb（111） films.     

Modifying Quantum Well States of Pb Thin Films via Interface Engineering

We demonstrate the importance of interface modification on improving electron confinement by preparing Pb quantum islands on Si（111） substrates with two different surface reconstructions, i.e., Si（111）-7 ×7 and Si（111）- Root3×Root3-Pb （hereafter, 7 ×7 and R3）. Characterization with scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy shows that growing Pb films directly on a 7 × 7 surface will generate many interface defects, which makes the lifetime of quantum well states （QWSs） strongly dependent on surface locations. On the other hand, QWSs in Pb films on an R3 surface are well defined with small variations in linewidth on different surface locations and are much sharper than those on the 7 × 7 surface. We show that the enhancement in quantum confinement is primarily due to the reduced electron-defect scattering at the interface.     

Self—Diffusion Mechanisma of ASdatom on Al（001）,（011）and （111） Surfaces

Using the first-principle molecular dynamical calculations,we have studied the adatom self-diffusion mechanisms on fcc Al(001),(011) and (111) surfaces,On each surface,there are several mechanisms,among which there is one favour mechanism with the minimum barrier energy.The atomic exchange mechanism along the [100] direction on the (001) surface,the long bridge hopping mechanism along the [110] direction on the (011) surface,and the bridge hopping mechanism along the [112] directioin on the (111) surface are the favour mechanisms.The activation energy profiles for various self-diffusion mechanisms are studied in details.     

Structure,stability and electronic properties of SrSin （n ： 1-12） clusters： Density-functional theory investigationStructure,stability and electronic properties of SrSin （n ： 1-12） clusters： Density-functional theory investigation

Geometric structures, stabilities, and electronic properties of SrSin （n = 1-12） clusters have been investigated using the density-functional theory within the generalized gradient approximation. The optimized geometries indicate that one Si atom capped on SrSin_ 1 structure and Sr atom capped Sin structure for difference SrSin clusters in size are two dominant growth patterns. The calculated average binding energy, fragmentation energy, second-order energy difference, the highest occupied molecular orbital, and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital （HOMO-LUMO） gaps show that the doping of Sr atom can enhance the chemical activity of the silicon framework. The relative stability of SrSi9 is the strongest among the SrSin clusters. According to the mulliken population and natural population analysis, it is found that the charge in SrSin clusters transfer from Sr atom to the Sin host. In addition, the vertical ionization potential, vertical electron affinity, and chemical hardness are also discussed and compared.     

A b initio calculation of the growth of Te nanorods and Bi2Te3 nanoplatelets

In this paper the growth mechanism of a Te/Bi2Te3 novel structure is studied by ab-initio calculations. The results show that the growth of Te nanorods is determined by the adsorption energy of Te atoms on different crystalline Te surfaces. The adsorption energy of Te on the Te （001） surface is 3.29 eV, which is about 0.25 eV higher than that of Te on the Te （110）. This energy difference makes the preferential growth direction along the 〈 001 〉 direction. In addition, the higher surface energy of Bi2Te3 （110） and the lattice misfit between crystalline Bi2We3 and Te along 〈 001 〉 direction are considered to explain the growth of the Bi2Te3 nanoplatelets, in which Volmer-Weber model is used. The theoretical results are in agreement with experimental observation.     

Structure and Magnetic Properties of （In,Mn）As Based Core-Shell Nanowires Grown on Si（111） by Molecular-Beam Epitaxy

We report the structure and magnetic properties of （In,Mn）As based core-shell nanowires grown on Si （111） by molecular-beam epitaxy. Compared to the core InAs nanowire with a flat side facet and consistent diameter, the core-shell nanowire shows a rough sidewall and an inverse tapered geometry. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy show that （In,Mn）As is formed on the side facets of In As nanowires with a mixture ofwurtzite and zinc-blende structures. Two ferromagnetic transition temperatures of （In,Mn）As from magnetic measurement data are observed： one is less than 25 K, which could be attributed to the magnetic phase with diluted Mn atoms in the InAs matrix, and the other is at ～300 K, which may originate from the undetectable secondary phases such as MnAs nanoclusters. The synthesis of （In,Mn）As based core-shell nanowires provides valuable information to exploit a new type of spintronic nano-materials.     

Structural Stabilities of Ordered Nb4 Clusters on the Cu（111） and Cu（100） Surfaces

Based on first-principles calculations, we show that very high-density periodic arrays of Nb4 clusters with both the tetrahedron and quadrangle configurations can be stably absorbed on the Cu（111） and Cu（100） surfaces, with the quadrangle configurations more stable than the tetrahedron ones. The strong covalent bonding between atoms within the Nb4 clusters contributes to the stability of Nb4 adsorptions on the Cu surfaces. The energy barriers for the tetrahedron to the quadrangle-Nb4 on Cu（111） and （100） are around 1.21 eV and 0.94 eV/cluster, respectively. The stable adsorption of high-density Nb4 on these surfaces should have important applications.     

First-principles study of Ar adsorptions on the （111） surfaces of Pd, Pt, Cu, and Rh

In the present paper we give a detailed report on the results of our first-principles investigations of Ar adsorptions at the four high symmetry sites on M （111） （M =Pd, Pt, Cu, and Rh） surfaces. Our studies indicate that the most stable adsorption sites of Ar on Pd （111） and Pt （111） surfaces are found to be the fcc-hollow sites. However, for Ar adsorptions on Cu （111） and Rh （111） surfaces, the most favorable site is the on-top site. The density of states （DOS） is analyzed for Ar adsorption on M （111） surfaces, and it is concluded that the adsorption behavior is dominated by the interaction between 3s, 3p orbits of Ar atoms and the d orbit of the base metal atoms.     

Behaviour of Self-Standing CVD Diamond Film with Different Dominant Crystalline Surfaces in Thermal-Iron Plate Polishing

Self-standing CVD diamond films with different dominant crystalline surfaces are polished by the thermal-iron plate polishing method. The influence of the dominant crystalline surfaces on polishing etfficiency is investigated by measuring the removal rate and final roughness. The smallest rms roughness of 0.14 μm is measured with smallest removal rate in the films with the initial （220） dominant crystalline surface. Activation energy for the polishing is analysed by the Arrhenius relation. It is found that the values are 170kJ/mol, 222kJ/mol and 214kJ/mol for the film with three different dominant crystalline surfaces. Based on these values, the polishing cause is regarded as the graphitization-controlling process. In the experiment, we find that transformation of the dominant crystalline surfaces from （111） to （220） always appears in the polishing process when we polish the （111） dominant surface.     

Density functional theory study of Mg2Nin （n = 1-8） clustersDensity functional theory study of Mg2Nin （n = 1-8） clustersDensity functional theory study of Mg2Nin （n = 1-8） clustersDensity functional theory study of Mg2Nin （n = 1-8） clustersDensity functional theory study of Mg2Nin （n = 1-8） clusters

The density functional theory B3PW91 with LANL2DZ basis sets has been used to study the possible geometries of Mg2Nin （n - 1-8） clusters. For the lowest energy structures of the clusters, stabilities, electronic properties, and natural bond orbital （NBO） are calculated and discussed. The results show that the doped Mg atoms reduce the stabilities of pure Ni clusters. The Mg2Ni2, Mg2Ni4, and Mg2Ni6 clusters are more stable than neighboring clusters. The system appears magic number characteristics. In addition, the hybridization phenomenon occurs, owing to the interaction of Mg and Ni. The result of charge transfer is that Ni atom is negative and the Mg atom is positive. We also conclude that the 3p and 4d orbitals of the Ni atom have an effect on the stabilities of the clusters.     

Anomalous Magneto-Transport Properties of Epitaxial Single-Crystal Bi Films on Si（111）

Anomalous transport properties of 40-nm-thick single-crystal Bi（111） films grown on Si（111）-7 × 7 substrates is investigated. The magnetoresistance （MR） of the films in perpendicular magnetic field shows a regular positive behavior in the temperature range 2–300K, the MR in parallel field （B｜｜） displays a series of interesting features. Specifically, we observe a change of the MR （B｜｜） behavior from positive to negative when the temperature is below 10K. In the range 10–170 K, the MR （B｜｜） is negative in the investigated field of 9T. When T 〉 170 K, a positive MR appears in the high field regime. The low temperature MR（B｜｜） behavior in the parallel field can be understood by the competition between weak localization and weak anti-localization （WAL）. Furthermore, our results suggest that the WAL is dominated by the interface carriers.     

Coherence and Decoherence of a Localized Excitation on a Surface Adatom

A theory of coherent excitation of a localized state on an adatom by two-photon photoemission spectroscopy (TR-2PPE) is presented within a microscopic model and the time-dependent formalism.Coherent oscillation and incoherent population decay of the excitation are obtained,and are shown to attain well-defined lifetine constants only in the long-delay limit.In addition,we have found a competing excitation channel via electron transfer.The theory is applied to Cs/Cu (111),which reproduces a few qualitative features observed in recent experiments.The effect of atomic motion on the 2PPE spectra,which manifests dominantly as a redshift in the spectrum,has been analysed.     

Ab Initio Calculation of Vacancies and Interstitials in NiSi2

An ab initio plane-wave ultrasoft pseudopotential method based on the generalized gradient approximations has been utilized to investigate the electronic structure, atomic geometry, formation energy to provide a better understanding of properties of Ni disilicide. The vacancy and interstitial formation energies largely depend on the atomic chemical potentials. The formation energies of vacancies Vsi and VNi are in the range of 0.04-0.56 eV and 1.25-2.3eV, respectively and the formation energies of Si and Ni interstitials are 3.89-4.42eV and 0.67-1.71 eV,respectively. The smaller Ni interstitial formation energy is in agreement with the experimental result that Ni interstitial atom is dominant diffusion species in NiSi2.